Edwardian Era Synthesis

In the Edwardian Period, the use
of violence was seen as a moral way as retribution, and was justified by the
rise of two of the main “-isms” of the era – imperialism and nationalism. As of
now, the use of violence through war is still justified by society because of
nationalism/patriotism, however support of war has been declining since the
second World War. This is due to the rising questioning of war as a moral tool
for solving world issues in society where there are hundreds of other
alternatives nowadays. The only case society still fully support violence is in
the case of personal wellbeing, aka self-defense. The use of violence in the
frame of self-defense is justified because society views it as the only course
of action to prevent a threat, or prevent harm from coming to individuals,
institutions, or ideals highly valued by society.
A
piece of literature that would be the midpoint between modern views and
Edwardian era views on violence would the short story “The Lagoon” by Joseph
Conrad. “The Lagoon” embodies ideas of the two eras, loyalty from the ideas of
nationalism and patriotism from the Edwardian period, and the idea of self-interest
from our modern society. The nationalism and patriotism aspect could be found
throughout the beginning of the story, for example Arsat, the main character of
the story, said the he wanted “a
country where death is forgotten—where death is unknown” (Joseph Conrad, 1897).
The aspect of self-interest is also seen in the beginning of the story when
Arsat said, “What did I care who
died? I wanted peace in my own heart” (Joseph Conrad, 1897). As the plot goes
on, he realizes the immoralities he had committed due to the veils of youth and
courage that blinded his logic. Arsat is symbolic of the views of society,
starting off hyped about imperialism and glorifying it at the height of the
British Empire, but in the end questioning the morality of colonizing and
“civilizing” the native people of these lands as authors such as George
Bernard Shaw who wrote out about the exploitation of the working class, and
actively spoke out in support of equal gender rights and abolishing private
ownership of land, which questioned the motives, morals, and values of the
Imperialistic British Empire altogether.