Following one's calling

What is in us, we will do, in spite of others.

A.J. Cronin, A Thing of Beauty

The rector of Stillwater parish expects his son, Stephen Desmonde, to follow in his footsteps and become a man of the church. In fact, he has his son's future all planned out for him. The central character in A.J. Cronin's 1956 novel A Thing of Beauty has other ideas, however. He wants to be an artist, and after finishing his schooling he leaves home for Paris.

The narrative may seem to move slowly, yet Cronin packs a lot of story in a novel that runs just a bit over 300 pages. Stephen at first hopes for success in the art world, yet finds only rejection. Even the woman he loves, a circus performer, rejects him. His father all but disowns him, and later a judge orders one of his works burned as obscene.

Finally Stephen abandons all hope of acceptance, financial security and love, simply pursuing his art for its own sake. We may be able to predict which way the plot is heading, but this makes the ending no less rewarding. Cronin's novel truly is a thing of beauty. (Why it was originally titled Crusader's Tomb is a mystery to me.)

The author was a physician for several years before discovering that his own true calling was not medicine but writing, so there may be a bit of autobiography in this story. His medical background manifests itself numerous times in the novel as he describes conditions suffered by various characters and the treatments provided.