Theme: Change
Theme: Change
Overview
- The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil presents change as a central theme, with its examination of the Highland society’s transformation over time.
- The alterations experienced by the community extend from the social to the economic, political, and even to their physical environment.
Social and Economic Change
- The play reveals the transition from an agricultural society to an industrialised one, bringing both benefits and challenges.
- It sheds light on the shift from cottage industries to larger, mechanised industries, causing drastic changes to livelihoods and lifestyles.
- The industrial revolution marks a key turning point, causing loss of jobs, creating class disparity, and escalating exploitation.
Political Change
- The changes in ownership of land from clans to wealthy landlords and later corporation depict the shift of power and control.
- Significantly, the Clearances represent a monumental political change, leading to displacement, loss of identity, and cultural erosion.
- It also explores the dynamic transition of the Highlands from self-governance to being under dominating entities, reflecting political control and manipulation.
Environmental Change
- The transition from barren land to the discovery of oil in the North Sea underscores noticeable environmental changes.
- This discovery and the subsequent oil boom brought about industrialisation, pollution, and destruction of the natural landscape.
Effects of Change on the Community
- The changes have multifaceted impacts on the Highland community, ranging from economic hardship to loss of cultural identity.
- The forced mass migration during the Highland Clearances is a defining catalyst, leading to loss of homes, community disruption, and a sense of alienation.
- Additionally, changes lead to the erosion of traditional Highland culture, as new industries and external influences dilute cultural practices and languages.
Change as a Driver of Conflict
- Change also generates conflict and tension within the community, particularly between the locals and external forces (landlords, corporations).
- The community’s resistance against displacement, exploitation, and cultural alienation demonstrates conflict between the old and the new, tradition and progress.
Change as Inevitable
- Despite the magnitude of change and subsequent challenges, the play portrays change as inevitable in the natural and societal progression.
- The resilience of the Highland community in adjusting to these shifts underscores the strength of human adaptability in the face of change.
Role of Change in the Narrative
- Change serves as a compelling narrative device, driving the plot, shaping character development, and creating dramatic tension.
- It also provides a unique lens for analysing the social, political, and economic realities of the Highland society.