Published in 1947 Who Has Seen the Wind is a timeless classic story of a boy, his dog, gophers and the prairie they all share. Brian O’Connal is the eldest son of the town’s pharmacist and his loving wife. Brian is also the jealous older brother to the sickly infant Robert O’Connal. Worse yet for Brian, he is the grandson of the formidable Mrs. MacMurray, who is not fond of dogs in the house and children she can see or hear. Brian’s grandmother also belches a lot.
The Prairie Wind
In Saskatchewan the wind blows freely and constantly across the prairie grasslands and sparse copses of trees. Brian develops a special affinity for the prairie and all its creatures. He believes that dragon flies, gophers and hawks all belonging to the land. Brian finds a kindred spirit in Young Ben, the son of the Ben, the town’s down-and-outer. Young Ben roams as wild and free as the wind across the land, his prairie. Brian unwittingly becomes the Young Ben’s social defender.
Multi-Generation Family
Mitchell cleverly conveys through the carefully crafted character of Mrs. MacMurray the stress and benefits of multi-generations living in one house together. Brian’s honest admission of jealousy in response to all the attention paid to his sickly brother is somewhat innocent and endearing. He does not understand the severity of Robert’s condition and his feelings of abandonment are exacerbated by his grandmother’s dour behaviour. The grandmother who does not like noise, laughter or puppies in the house. The same grandmother who subversively runs the entire household.
Small Town Life
In the early 1900’s every small town on the prairies had a Chinese restaurant and a wrong side of the tracks. Every small town on the prairies also boasted an equal representation of Christian faiths. The novel occurs in a time before government supported welfare and child protection services. The provision of social services was often undertaken by church members. Unfortunately, along with the tremendous amount of goodwill done by the church going members, a few also used their faith to masque their personal prejudices and ignorance.
Mitchell explored this dark side of small town life through the ill treatment of the Ben and Young Ben due to the town’s somewhat misguided attempt as social service providers. The Wong children and their father suffered under the racism of the powerfully positioned Mrs. Abercrombie. Not even the benevolent teacher Miss Thompson could put right that wrong.
Today W. O. Mitchell’s Who Has Seen the Windis a nostalgic read. It is also an honest read. Few books, novels or history texts are able to capture the essence of Canada during the Great Depression, nor would they be able to convey the power of the wind.
Published by McClelland & Stewart ISBN: 0-7710-6111-1
