Demons of Columba's Enemy Within

Note: Because this section deals with the character of The Enemy Within and not the historical Saint Columcille, he will be referred to as Columba.

When looking at ontological issues it is important to consider the question “Who am I?”. For Columba, the answer is not simply black and white. He knows where he came from, but he also knows the spiritual calling he holds at Iona. These two identities take up his entire being, therefore Columba loses focus on what is best for him. He forgets to be his own person as he is caught up in his duty to his tribal clan and as the Abbot. Columba forces himself into exile in order to "negotiate identity from a position of tactical weakness" (Boltwood 52). Therefore Columba needs to negotiate who he really is within himself. Since this has been neglected for so long, it has now turned from being a part of himself to his "enemy within".

Health not Coinciding with Age

Because Columba is struggling with the connection he has to both sides he feels that he is not worthy of God. This unworthiness seems to be connected to how Columba feels his health does not match his age. Compared to the other monks, he is extremely active, even though his “demons” are lurking beneath the surface. As the play progresses, Columba is slowly deteriorating at the seams when the demons take control. Suddenly he starts looking his own age, becoming weaker and weaker. Towards the end of the book Columba admits: “Bring me there, too, because I am empty” (Friel. Act 3, 76). The stress and pressure from his clan has been too much for him to handle. Vitality is one of Columba's demons, but this weakness is possibly solved when he gives up his active life for a life in the monastic community and service to God.

Soul Chained to Ireland

While Columba’s inner struggle centers around his choice, it is also about his own soul. Because he has to go through so much he feels that the “inner man – the soul – [is] chained irrevocably to the earth” (Friel, Act 1, 21). When he is talking about the earth in this quote, he refers to Ireland. His heart and soul are deeply connected to Ireland he cannot move on; therefore, his soul is not his own. As his soul is chained to Ireland, it is not, and has never been; his own. Columba is trying to become his own man and separate his soul from Ireland. Towards the end of the play he damns Ireland and questions its intentions: “You soaked my sweat! You sucked my blood! You stole my manhood, my best years! What do you demand of my, damned Ireland? My soul? My immortal soul? Damned, damned, damned Ireland!” (Friel, Act 3, 75). Ireland stole from him the opportunity to have his own soul and his own identity. Columba greatly struggles with that concept throughout the play.

Own Soul Separated from its Maker

The epitome of the play is Columba being torn between two sides: the monastery and his clan. There is another concept which is important in The Enemy Within. That is the concept of the soul being separated from its maker, and separated from the person itself. Columba desperately desires to be left alone and says: “Don’t wedge my frailties between my soul and its Maker” (Friel, Act 1, 30-31). By tempting Columba to return to Ireland, his frailness tears his soul away from God. Ulf Dantanus, Professor at University of Gothenburg, explains the tragedy Columba experiences: “There is a strong and obvious contrast between the inner and the outer man in Columba’s personality. The conflict between the inner and outer man can only be resolved through the subjection of one to the other. That, in a sense, is Columba’s tragedy” (Dantanus 81-82). His health correlates to the way his body needed to catch up to his soul. Before Columba went through all these internal struggles his soul was damaged, but his body was still heavily functioning. However, it is evident that Columba's body catches up to his weary soul as the internal struggles take their toll. His soul and body is unified at last.

Longing for another life

Columba cannot reconcile his life and soul because he does nothing solely for his own benefit. His entire being is based on doing what is expected of him and what would please others. In both Iona and in Donegal, the people struggle when Columba is not around. Therefore, Columba is never truly home. A part deep inside him longs for the other life, but he cannot be in two places at once. He struggles with this and the fact that: “But I have a soul, too, that whispers to me. I am small and puny, it says, because you have neglected me. And in a short time I will be standing before the King, it says, and I am pale and untried, it says. I am not reddened by blood, it says, to battle with the flesh –“ (Friel, Act 3, 73). Columba is not willing to give up his immortal soul and wants no stains on his conscience.

This inner struggle of Columba is evident throughout the play, and deeply connected to both of the other aspects of his struggle. However, his struggle is more focused on Columba’s own identity, rather than his identity within Iona and Donegal.

Works Cited/Consulted

Boltwood, Scott. “’An Emperor or Something’: Brian Friel’s Columba, Migrancy and Postcolonial Theory.” Irish Studies Review, 10.1 (2002): 51-61. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 25 Jan 2014.