Though sectarianism is not the primary concern of Shuggie Bain, the impacts of the historical division between Catholic and Protestant Scots are felt throughout the novel. On the surface, the tension between these two groups is attributed to religious differences, but social, economic, and political discord are also at the core of sectarian conflict. For both Catholics and Protestants in the novel, there are very rigid expectations around behavior and values, and the pressure to uphold these norms (or else risk ostracization) is immense. In the novel, there are several instances in which a character is confronted with a direct question about their religious affiliation. Catherine, for example, has to identify herself as Catholic or Protestant at knifepoint without knowing which side her attackers are on. What she does know, though, is that neither answer is safe—one might get her killed, but the other might still get her assaulted.
The deep-seated conflict between Protestants and Catholics is important on the larger scale of the novel’s setting and social context, but it is also a vital element of the conflict within the Bain household. Agnes is Catholic and Shug is Protestant, which causes a schism in the foundation of their marriage. In fact, their clashing backgrounds account for a large portion of their attraction to one another, since they both originally want something different from what they already have. But once they get together, those differences are a constant source of tension. The cultural stranglehold that sectarianism has on their respective communities trumps their passion for each other. This is true not only between Agnes and Shug, but also within the extended family. Lizzie’s dislike of Shug, for example, is cemented long before his infidelity and physical abuse; she initially objected to their marriage because of her distaste for interfaith unions. Shuggie in particular suffers the consequences of his parents’ split religious backgrounds and constant fighting, making him unable or unwilling to identify with either faction and leaving him as an outsider to both. By highlighting these sectarian struggles, then, the novel examines the unfortunate ways in which external cultural tensions can make their way into personal relationships.
Related Themes from Other Texts
Sectarianism ThemeTracker
Sectarianism Quotes in Shuggie Bain
He was a selfish animal, she knew that now in a dirty, sexual way that aroused her against her better nature…Big Shug Bain had seemed so shiny in comparison to the Catholic. He had been vain in the way only Protestants were allowed to be, conspicuous with his shallow wealth, flushed pink with gluttony and waste.
Lizzie had always known. When Agnes had shown up on the doorstep with her two eldest and the Protestant Taxi driver, she had had the instant compulsion to shut the door, but Wullie would not let her…They said it was wrong, to marry between the faiths, to marry outside the Chapel.
As he climbed the stairs to the hallway he could hear her on the phone. “Fuck you, Joanie Micklewhite. You tell that whoremastering son of a Proddy bitch that he cannot have his cake and eat it too!” Each filthy syllable was enunciated with the alarming clarity of the Queen’s English. “You shitty, dick-sucking bastard. You are as plain and tasteless as the arse end of a white loaf.”
“I can manage. I can fetch messages and make sure she goes to bed on time. Besides, Sister Nurse. You never answered my question. My mother told me that my grandaddy would be going to heaven soon, and I wanted to know if he had to get a bus or if we could take him in a black hackney?”
…“Och, son. It disnae really work like that. They don’t leave on a bus…when a person goes to heaven they don’t take their bodies wi’ them.”
…“So if your body doesn’t go to heaven, it doesn’t matter if another boy did something bad to it in a bin shed, right?”
“Listen tae that voice!...Er, posh boy. Whaur did ye get that fuckin’ accent? Are ye a wee ballet dancer, or whit?”
This went down the best of all. It was a divine inspiration to the others. “Gies a wee dance!” they squealed with laugher. “Twirl for us, ye wee bender!”
Shuggie sat there listening to them amuse themselves. He took the red football book and dropped it into the desk drawer of this strange school desk. He was glad, at least, to be done with that. It was clear now: nobody would get to be made brand new.
