In the play Translations by Brian Friel, the character Yolland fits the archetype of the wanderer; a person that has no set goal and a drive to succeed it. He appears to have no quest in life and floats around to different places. For instance, he uses the phrasing, “So I set of for London. Unfortunately, I-I-I missed the boat”(47). His use of “so” in the sentence shows that his journey is not really planned - he just left for London because his father made him do it. In addition, the use of “set off” demonstrates how Yolland seems to have left behind whatever he had in order to pursue something that isn’t very important to him. “Set off” seems very casual for a voyage to pursue a job opportunity. The very fact that he missed this boat shows that he doesn’t care at all about both what his father says, and what his future holds.
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For instance, Yolland seems to believe that Owen’s name is Roland, even though Owen never told him that. He tells Owen “It was never Roland? […] O my God!”(55). The fact that Yolland is so surprised that Owen’s real name is not Roland shows that Yolland is susceptible to believing this false information, despite Owen telling him that his name was not Roland a few times. Yolland never bothers to learn new information, or question something that he doesn’t understand. Compared to Owen’s exuberant character, Yolland seems even more reluctant and less likely to be motivated to succeed or learn more. This makes him like a robot; whatever Captain Lancey or Owen tells him to do, he will do it. This is a dangerous trait for a person to have, especially since the British are using him for the replacement of the British names. Given that the British don’t know the impact of their actions on the Irish, and Yolland is a clueless follower, their cartographic work could deeply affect the native Irishmen in the
For instance, Yolland seems to believe that Owen’s name is Roland, even though Owen never told him that. He tells Owen “It was never Roland? […] O my God!”(55). The fact that Yolland is so surprised that Owen’s real name is not Roland shows that Yolland is susceptible to believing this false information, despite Owen telling him that his name was not Roland a few times. Yolland never bothers to learn new information, or question something that he doesn’t understand. Compared to Owen’s exuberant character, Yolland seems even more reluctant and less likely to be motivated to succeed or learn more. This makes him like a robot; whatever Captain Lancey or Owen tells him to do, he will do it. This is a dangerous trait for a person to have, especially since the British are using him for the replacement of the British names. Given that the British don’t know the impact of their actions on the Irish, and Yolland is a clueless follower, their cartographic work could deeply affect the native Irishmen in the