As you will have noticed, The Ministry for the Future jumps about all over the place. Nevertheless, if the novel has two protagonists, they are Mary Murphy and Frank May. What is the significance of their names? What does it mean to be frank? With whom do you associate the name Mary? How do you think their names are supposed to shape your response to the book? How does the relationship between Frank and Mary mirror the action of the book?
Mary Murphy and Frank May both have significant names. Mary Murphy represents the hope in humanity through the image of the Virgin Mary. Mary acts through the bureaucracy to attempt to create impactful legislative and economic change. By nature, her work is diplomatic and level-headed; there is no room to be demanding and brute when you are working with some of the most powerful and important people in the world. Frank May, on the other hand, represents the urgency of the situation at hand. After his experiences in India, Frank can be considered radicalized compared to the majority opinion. He believes that the best way to solve the climate change problem is to be frank about the situation at hand. Having first-hand experience with what the world would look like after climate change, Frank wants a rapid solution. To solve climate change quickly Frank needs to be “frank” about who is primarily responsible for destruction and what should be done to stop them. Mary says to Frank, “we work within the law. I think that gives us a better chance of changing things,” to which Frank replies, “but it isn’t working fast enough” (99).
For a majority of the novel there is a debate between two schools of thought. On the one hand, there is the thought of Mary and the Ministry for the Future who believe that the best way to solve climate change is to seek change through the system. On the other hand, there is Frank and the Children of Kali, who believe that going outside of the system and taking a more violent approach is the only course of action that will save humanity at its current point. Mary and Frank having the names that they do allow us to distinguish between two of the main perspectives both in the novel and in the world around us. I think it is also significant that, although Frank promotes violences as a morally acceptable tactic for dealing with climate change, he is still given a somewhat sympathetic name. Robinson did not choose to give Frank a malicious name such as Lucifer. This gives a nod to Robinson’s sympathy toward Frank and his purposes. He isn’t characterized as evil, he is simply characterized as tired and “frank” – blunt and to the point.
As Frank and Mary continue to interact, Mary becomes more sympathetic to the radicalist cause and Frank’s bluntness and urgency. Until her introduction to Frank, Mary is a calm woman who would never consider violence to be an adequate means for dealing with the daunting challenge at hand. Though after Frank holds her hostage and begs that she take more decisive and violent action, Mary becomes more open to the thought of utilizing violence. She remains up-to-speed on the actions of the ministry’s black wing and becomes more sympathetic to why Frank and others like him feel the way that they do. “She pondered for a moment simply shouting suddenly in their faces…or throwing a chair through the picture window and letting the storm pour in over them. Sudden fury at their mulishness: Fuck your inflation rates! she wanted to shout” (293).
Mary continues to meet with Frank even after he kidnapped her, having been moved by what he told her when he kidnapped her. Eventually, they develop an interesting friendship and bond. As they do this, they share their perspectives together and while there is no official compromise, both individuals give in to the other’s ideas a bit more. Simultaneously, this occurs in the world around them. Mary remains with Frank until his death. Mary and Frank are the anchors of The Ministry for the Future. They provide a fictional guide between both perspectives and how they both interact to tackle such a complex and big issue. As they both sympathize with one another and create good impacts on each other’s lives, we are invited to imagine a world in which the two perspectives could blend together in a similar manner.
I agree with much of what you have said above, and I think there is more evidence of this that can be found throughout the novel. Once Mary and Frank have met each other, it seems that their two natures find a balance between one another. Both Frank and Mary begin to act in new ways. Throughout many of Mary's next meetings, she becomes much more demanding of her people, specifically the bankers of the world. She pushes them, revealing the truth of their situation in a very "frank" manner. Mary attributes this to the "Irish" in her, but perhaps Frank is the true influence. Similarly, after Frank kidnaps Mary, he must live the rest of his life laying low, and so he takes up small scale, but meaningful work, caring for refugees. Perhaps this is a sign that Frank, although radical, recognizes the work that Mary is doing as necessary and he must, therefore, leave her to it. This pattern of balance between their characters continues on throughout the novel. Ultimately, I think that this balance is one that the world should try to maintain, the key to creating lasting and effective change. The world must recognize that radical change is necessary, but it must be done in a stepwise manner, slow and steady, beginning immediately.
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