The Whalebone Theatre

Content Warning: The section of the guide contains descriptions of wartime violence and anti-gay bias.

Quinn uses the theme of playacting and role-playing to explore many issues of creativity, identity, and societal pressure. The text investigates the blurred lines between the authentic self and constructed personas and delves into the functions that such playacting serves throughout the characters’ lives. With this understated philosophical approach, the author distinguishes between the roles that society wants the characters to fulfill and the roles they choose for themselves.

To this end, theatricality informs the novel’s content and its structure, for the narrative’s construction as a five-act play implicitly frames these historically realistic events as a staged drama. Likewise, the childhoods of the Seagrave children are also inextricably linked to plays and acting as they dress in costumes and put on elaborate stage plays together. Within this context, Cristabel’s construction of The Whalebone Theatre showcases her resilience and resourcefulness. Disinherited, with few possessions to call her own, Cristabel creates a creative space from the rotting body of the whale. As the Seagrave children grow and mature, the narratives that they act out “overlay the geography of their lives” (125), becoming more real to them than the events around them.

Even as the characters grow to adulthood, the novel continues to portray the theatre as a testament to human creativity and imagination. Digby expresses this idea when he declares that he loves the theatre because “[i]t’s a whole building filled with people and equipment and complicated bits of kit that big burly men operate, and its entire purpose is imaginary” (494). In occupied France, the continuation of theatre productions symbolizes resilience in the face of adversity, for the Théâtre de l’Atelier’s production of Antigone takes place despite limited resources and Nazi censorship. The conflicting interpretations of the audience illustrate the powerful impact of drama upon its audience.

Playacting is presented as a means of self-expression, revealing aspects of a character’s personality, desires, and motivations. Role-playing allows the Seagrave children to explore those facets of themselves that the adults compel them to repress. On the stage, Cristabel, who is frequently reprimanded for being “unladylike,” is free to act in powerful male roles such as Zeus. Meanwhile, playing roles such as Ariel the sprite allows Digby to express the feminine side of his nature, of which his father disapproves. Later, the real-life drama of war also gives Digby and Cristabel the opportunity to break free from their societal roles by becoming secret agents. As these events unfold, Quinn ironically implies that her protagonists are often at their most authentic when they are playing someone else.

Playacting also serves the purpose of fulfilling the roles that society demands. For example, upon arriving at Chilcombe, Rosalind feels pressured to fulfill the role of “lady of the house” (22). By playing the role of the gracious hostess, she constructs a mask that conceals her insecurity and unhappiness. Significantly, Rosalind’s acting abilities in real life do not transfer to her on-stage performances, which suggests that her constant real-life role requires all her creative energy. Conversely, Cristabel’s love of acting does not transfer to her societal role as a debutante, a role with which she is deeply uncomfortable. Overall, the author uses the theme of Playacting to highlight the importance of artistic expression, and the fluidity of identity. The text illustrates how playacting or roleplaying can reveal aspects of a character’s personality or hide their true selves. Quinn’s depiction of the roles her characters feel coerced into playing underlines the arbitrary nature of social norms and expectations.