Defining a Metropolis: City of Mary, City of Sin and City of Wonder

By Robert Duthie

Image source: Flickr.

The city of Montreal, in all its grander and splendour opens its arms and extends a welcome to outsiders who have come to take part in the city's atmosphere. Outsiders, visitors and friends who come on pilgrimage, business, or vacation can easily open up to the vastness of indulgence that Montreal offers. However it has become increasingly obvious that Montreal has developed a title as "party city." The city itself has become a pretty nasty place for a bender; leaving your head swelled with thick blood pulsating through the anvil in your temples. But one should ask themselves where the notion of party central comes from? And if it is truly authentic  to the city of Montreal.

It is interesting to think of Montreal as a party city when historically Montreal was originally named after the mother of Christ. Ville Marie or City of Mary was settled by a majority of French speaking Catholics, however today the city takes its name from the triple peaked mountain that is situated at the heart of the landscape. Mount Royal holds a defining role in the city's name; however remnants of the French Catholic church are still noticeably seen in the churches and basilicas that reside in the cities concrete and glass foliage like monoliths to the past. Mark Twain once said that "this is the first time I was ever in a city where you couldn't throw a brick without breaking a church window" and he was right. The city was at one time dominated by the ideals of the Catholic Church and Montreal itself directly reflected this notion. The churches, the basilicas, the Grey nuns, St Josephs Oratory, St Mary's hospital, Catholic schools and the Sunday morning service dominated the city's influence with connotations of near puritanical values. However, time corroded the strong presence of the church and the functioning ideals of Catholicism slowly deteriorated in the silence of a quite revolution.

Although the grip of the Catholic Church ran prominently through the ethos of Montréal, the city had already begun to build its reputation as a party city some time before the quiet revolution. The tag "party city" made its debut during United States prohibition, which outlawed the consumption and sales of alcohol. Therefore due to prohibition, eager Americans flocked to the city in search of that leisure liquid that eased their minds and released them from the constraints of having to look over their shoulders every time booze was in the air. There is no doubt that he pink elephant had come to Montreal during prohibition years, and it was carried in by droves of thirsty party animals. Americans came to Montreal liquor up! As they stumbled in the debauched streets, girl chasing and cat calling within the wondrously hazy and exhilarating habits of alcohol the party central of Canada was born. The twenties constructed mythic surroundings of "party hearty" which quickly became etched into the outsider's manifesto of Montreal.

Although Montrealers cannot really deny the fact that there are a lot of bars and pubs in Montreal, the fact that there is a huge celebration of alcohol and partying in the city does not merit or reflect the fact that every one in Montreal is a debaucher. Montreal developed a reputation as a party central when the term "party central" became a reflection of the city as well as its inhabitants. The attraction in portraying the wild side of life developed connotations that surrounded the mentality and values of Montrealers. These connotations were based on the merit frantic debauching, which Montrealers had provided tourists and outsiders with. The city does have its share of party animals and even abusers however they are not a reflection of the majority. The false assumption that Montrealers are party animals, is valued on the fact that, "There are a lot of bars in Montreal." Or, "I get drunk in Montreal therefore everyone gets drunk in Montreal." These premises and speculations do no reflect a majority; it is like saying "This year, in 2011, everyone voted for a conservative government and everyone was a Justin Beiber fan." This construct of logical fallacy assumes that a representation that is not a majority reflects the total values of a community. This logic places its effect and persuasion in the strength and power of the influence. The influence of booze, borads and Beelzebub compels one to understand Montreal as a good place because the booze is cheap and the drinking age is eighteen. With the power of alcohol pulsating through drunken minds a hazy veil of falsehood constructs a false pleasure that hovers over the real pleasures of Montreal.

However, it is true that Montreal has built up a reputation on booze-induced frolic, but believe it or not, there are other things to do in Montreal besides relive the prohibition years. In fact most Internet search engines find Montreal's attractions and claims to fame before the benders and bad ones rise up from Crescent Street to snatch away tourists. The truth is Montreal is a city rich in diverse culture that is valid to Canada. Montreal is a diverse, multi lingual, multi ethnic collage of color and splendour that flows from the mountaintop and spills over into the St Laurence. The history of Montréal is preserved in the relics of cobblestone, brick and architecture that once defined a great Canadian city in its infancy. The true city of Montreal basks in the St. Laurence, stretching its modern limbs of glass and concrete while cradling the old faded brick that holds the legacy of Montreal and her communities. That legacy is preserved within the Montrealers' understanding of the culture, values and ideas. This creates a unifying ethos of a solid conceptual notion that Montréal's people, as individuals define the city.