In today's society, the roles of men and women are interchangeable. Women are no longer restrained to their sphere. They have their own careers, some not starting a family until they are well into their thirties. Men can stay at home with the children. They can be nurses, secretaries, and house maids. Conversely, women can fight in the armed forces, be doctors, lawyers, judges of the Supreme Court, hold high office, etc. The roles are very blended. Hemingway wrote in a similar light. While he didn't have the women doing the jobs of the men, he certainly had the women acting manly while many of his men were impotent. This portrayal is best shown in his novel The Sun Also Rises. Hemingway makes Brett Ashley a much more manly woman, and makes Jake partake in very manly man activities yet emasculates him time after time.
Brett Ashley is first introduced to us as she approaches a bar, not a very feminine thing to do. She then orders a drink not typically had by women. What surprises the reader the first time around is how calmly she reacts to people around her. She laughs off insults and continues on her way. Brett is described as having hair "brushed back like a boy's" (pg 30) and she is "build with curves like the hull of a racing yacht" (pg 30). She is clearly not making herself up to be feminine but rather to try and come off as one of the guys. Throughout the entire novel, Brett is drinking and sleeping around, not the typical actions of a lady in this time. She acts more like a man, unattached and carefree from both responsibility and life itself. She acts in a polar opposite from Jake.
Another aspect which Hemingway is famous for and exemplifies in Jake is the impotency. Hemingway himself suffered a war wound and both of the characters in his biggest novels, The Sun Also Rises and For Whom the Bell Tolls are unable to do certain things which many men like to do. In the early chapters, Jake tells Georgette that he's "sick" (pg 23) and later on says that he "got hurt in the war" (pg 24). He has to embarrass himself to tell other people that he can't have sex because it doesn't work. This is something Hemingway had to deal with and projected upon his male characters. Hemingway, like Jake, tries to make up for this by partaking in masculine activities.
Jake is very emasculated yet Hemingway tries to make up for this by making Jake do very manly things. To understand the manly things Jake does, we must first take a look at the things Hemingway considered most masculine. In some of his other works, namely the Nick Adams stories, Hemingway has his main characters fish and hunt. In Big Two-Hearted River, one of Hemingway's best known Nick Adams stories, Nick spends the majority of the time fishing on his own. In all of Heminway's stories involving fishing, there is a significant amount of male bonding going on. This is considered a time when men can be men and have uninterrupted time together to bond. In the Nick Adams stories, Nick and his friend, Bill, are still debated to be gay lovers. In The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway has Jake go bull fighting, a sport Hemingway believes is only for the manliest of men. He also has Jake fish and try to compensate for his disability.
Clearly, sexuality is skewed in this novel. Hemingway didn't fully understand gender roles and neither do any of his characters. Jake is more of a girlfriend to Brett than a lover, even if their love making is insinuated. Hemingway blurs the lines between man and woman very well, which makes him a modern author remembered nearly ninety years after first coming on to the scene.
Works Cited
Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises. Scribner, 2006. New York, New York.
http://books.google.com/books?id=RH1ddAFQwDAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=nick+adams+stories&source=bl&ots=tMyG2dI5-N&sig=heuPdSStjrlZfLGtN9YNavsKwqI&hl=en&ei=uCJvS9IJ1o62B-679f8F&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CCQQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
O'Pioneers is Still Modern
On the back of the copy of my novel it is stated that Willa Cather is "one of America's greatest women writers." This being said, many writers have not even heard of her. I certainly had not. Upon reading her most famous novel, O Pioneers!, I can say that she certainly is one of the most relevant of this period. Her writings on the pioneer lifestyle of the premiere generations of farmers trying to tame the wild land of the west still reflects, to a certain point, the struggles of modern farmers. The relevancy of the book is demonstrated through several ideas, including the struggle against the land to grow crops where very little life exists, the idea of families stay on the farms for generations, and the techniques being guarded for generations as the most valuable things the family has claim over.
The first aspect of O Pioneers! that carries over to modern day is the idea of having to fight to succeed, especially against the land. My grandfather is a farmer in New Hampshire. He gave up the life of prosperity and luxury to do something he really loves. He grows his own food through a relatively small garden and uses the animals to procure the land. This is the life hundreds of thousands of immigrants envisioned for themselves back at the turn of the 20th century. They wanted to have a life of peace and solidarity within a community of people who help each other out. The sense of community is best demonstrated by the community coming forward to help Emil when his kitten climbs up a pole on page 5. The whole of the town comes out to help Emil get his kitten back. This scene shows what a community this city is. Carl, another boy, immediately climbs the pole to get the kitten down. The sense of family goes beyond the actual family. This idea is also shown by John Bergson's desire to cultivate the land. On page 14, John's story is told of how he "spent his first five years on the Divide getting into debt, and the last six getting out." He was willing to sacrifice it all to give his family a better life, a common principal amongst farmers and immigrants at this time.
The thought of someone breaking away from this tight knit community at this time was considered preposterous. When Emil goes away to school, he knows it is only to return to the farm a few years later. There is an option to stay in the city, an option that was taken by someone in their family. One of John Bergson's younger brothers had long ago "given up the fight" and "gone back to Chicago" (pg 14). It is not a foreign concept, to return to the big cities, but it is one looked down upon. This is why the brothers are so surprised when Alexandra welcomes Carl back with arms wide open. He went out, tried the real world, and returned to the farm life expecting to pick up where he left off. Once one has left the farm, they are not easily welcomed back.
When John Bergson is on his death bed, he calls in his daughter to entrust her with the secrets of farming the land. The techniques of farming are held close to the chest. While Crazy Ivan is willing to tell Alexandra what he feels will work on the land, he would not tell this to just anyone. Ivan gives Alexandra advice that allows her animals alone to survive the harsh season. As was demonstrated by John, these trade secrets are passed on to children only. Crazy Ivan, who had no children, considered Alexandra worthy of knowing his family's secrets. This is a huge honor, something that is not lost on Alexandra.
All three of these tie into the modern farming issues. Every year, peoples' crops are killed from the land's inability to be tamed. Even this year in Florida, a frost so brutal came unexpected and claimed many citrus fruits from unsuspecting farmers. To say that we have the climate under control is delusional. Families are still expected to help out on the farms. My uncle dropped out of high school to help on the farm when he was in the ninth grade. When he told my grandfather five years later that he was not going to stay on the farm, my grandfather was heart broken. All of his children moved away. His grandchildren, myself mainly, go and visit to try and learn from him before the traditions are lost. All over the country, this is becoming all to common a practice. For these reasons, and many more, O Pioneers! is a very relevant modernist piece that should be enjoyed by people for generations both now and to come.
Works Cited
Cather, Willa. O Pioneers!. Bantam Books, July 2008: New York, New York.
My Grandfather's history, as told by Paul Edward Glazer.
The first aspect of O Pioneers! that carries over to modern day is the idea of having to fight to succeed, especially against the land. My grandfather is a farmer in New Hampshire. He gave up the life of prosperity and luxury to do something he really loves. He grows his own food through a relatively small garden and uses the animals to procure the land. This is the life hundreds of thousands of immigrants envisioned for themselves back at the turn of the 20th century. They wanted to have a life of peace and solidarity within a community of people who help each other out. The sense of community is best demonstrated by the community coming forward to help Emil when his kitten climbs up a pole on page 5. The whole of the town comes out to help Emil get his kitten back. This scene shows what a community this city is. Carl, another boy, immediately climbs the pole to get the kitten down. The sense of family goes beyond the actual family. This idea is also shown by John Bergson's desire to cultivate the land. On page 14, John's story is told of how he "spent his first five years on the Divide getting into debt, and the last six getting out." He was willing to sacrifice it all to give his family a better life, a common principal amongst farmers and immigrants at this time.
The thought of someone breaking away from this tight knit community at this time was considered preposterous. When Emil goes away to school, he knows it is only to return to the farm a few years later. There is an option to stay in the city, an option that was taken by someone in their family. One of John Bergson's younger brothers had long ago "given up the fight" and "gone back to Chicago" (pg 14). It is not a foreign concept, to return to the big cities, but it is one looked down upon. This is why the brothers are so surprised when Alexandra welcomes Carl back with arms wide open. He went out, tried the real world, and returned to the farm life expecting to pick up where he left off. Once one has left the farm, they are not easily welcomed back.
When John Bergson is on his death bed, he calls in his daughter to entrust her with the secrets of farming the land. The techniques of farming are held close to the chest. While Crazy Ivan is willing to tell Alexandra what he feels will work on the land, he would not tell this to just anyone. Ivan gives Alexandra advice that allows her animals alone to survive the harsh season. As was demonstrated by John, these trade secrets are passed on to children only. Crazy Ivan, who had no children, considered Alexandra worthy of knowing his family's secrets. This is a huge honor, something that is not lost on Alexandra.
All three of these tie into the modern farming issues. Every year, peoples' crops are killed from the land's inability to be tamed. Even this year in Florida, a frost so brutal came unexpected and claimed many citrus fruits from unsuspecting farmers. To say that we have the climate under control is delusional. Families are still expected to help out on the farms. My uncle dropped out of high school to help on the farm when he was in the ninth grade. When he told my grandfather five years later that he was not going to stay on the farm, my grandfather was heart broken. All of his children moved away. His grandchildren, myself mainly, go and visit to try and learn from him before the traditions are lost. All over the country, this is becoming all to common a practice. For these reasons, and many more, O Pioneers! is a very relevant modernist piece that should be enjoyed by people for generations both now and to come.
Works Cited
Cather, Willa. O Pioneers!. Bantam Books, July 2008: New York, New York.
My Grandfather's history, as told by Paul Edward Glazer.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
The Victorian Era: A Time Not Missed
Very few exciting things happened in America during the end of the Victorian Era. The society of 1870 New York was centered around scandal, love, marriage, tea parties, vacations, clothes, and, of course, affairs. Edith Wharton's novel, The Age of Innocence very accurately portrays this era. The movie does an even better job, boring the audience enough to show how dull it truly was while simultaneously bringing characters the viewer becomes invested in.
When we first meet Archer and his bride to be May, we are instantly shown just how dull their lives are. They are courting through their families and have never really gotten a chance to see if things work. Regardless, Archer proposes. Soon after, May's cousin Ellen arrives and causes the controversy of the movie. Their love affair turns Ellen into the supposed villain, trying to seduce the innocent husband. Yet, for some reason, we still like Ellen. Why is this? Ellen plays a flawed woman who knows her flaws yet wants to be better. This is something most women can admit to and all women can relate to. Michelle Pfeiffer does a great job showing us this discontent with her self yet still holding on to the hope that change is possible.
Archer, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, shows the conflict from an even more heartbreaking point of view. He is in love with Ellen but loves May. He is always our main character and, therefore, the one we are supposed to agree with the most. Trouble is, it's hard to agree with someone's choice if they themselves cannot decide. Daniel Day-Lewis does a fantastic job showing this inner strife, this coming from a critic of most of his work.
May, played by Winona Ryder, is the average housewife. As a young girl, she aspires to marry someone like Archer, expecting it to be this romantic voyage two people take. Unfortunately, her marriage is not. The audience is compelled to pity her story yet we still feel more for Archer. Archer does not deserve our emotion because he is not only cheating on his wife, he is maintaining the affair behind her back for several years.
Martin Scorsese's piece has great lighting for the era. It appropriately shows the decor and clothing of the era. The horse drawn buggies in the movie seem as if they could be strolling down the street. New York is depicted as the calm before the modern storm it is today. The tension of the city accurately reflects upon the tension of the affair. Gossip, rampant in today's society with technology, was just as furious through word of mouth.
It is clear that much thought went into the production of this movie. Although it is nearly seventeen years old, the movie is still a piece shown in many classrooms as a lead in to modern literature. The frustration of the characters and depiction of the boring public lives led helps the movie viewer go back one hundred and thirty years to a time when living was dull. However, this movie shows us the insiders view of the truth behind the mask, of the evils of assumption, and the heart wrenching story of a man who made all the wrong decisions regarding love.
When we first meet Archer and his bride to be May, we are instantly shown just how dull their lives are. They are courting through their families and have never really gotten a chance to see if things work. Regardless, Archer proposes. Soon after, May's cousin Ellen arrives and causes the controversy of the movie. Their love affair turns Ellen into the supposed villain, trying to seduce the innocent husband. Yet, for some reason, we still like Ellen. Why is this? Ellen plays a flawed woman who knows her flaws yet wants to be better. This is something most women can admit to and all women can relate to. Michelle Pfeiffer does a great job showing us this discontent with her self yet still holding on to the hope that change is possible.
Archer, played by Daniel Day-Lewis, shows the conflict from an even more heartbreaking point of view. He is in love with Ellen but loves May. He is always our main character and, therefore, the one we are supposed to agree with the most. Trouble is, it's hard to agree with someone's choice if they themselves cannot decide. Daniel Day-Lewis does a fantastic job showing this inner strife, this coming from a critic of most of his work.
May, played by Winona Ryder, is the average housewife. As a young girl, she aspires to marry someone like Archer, expecting it to be this romantic voyage two people take. Unfortunately, her marriage is not. The audience is compelled to pity her story yet we still feel more for Archer. Archer does not deserve our emotion because he is not only cheating on his wife, he is maintaining the affair behind her back for several years.
Martin Scorsese's piece has great lighting for the era. It appropriately shows the decor and clothing of the era. The horse drawn buggies in the movie seem as if they could be strolling down the street. New York is depicted as the calm before the modern storm it is today. The tension of the city accurately reflects upon the tension of the affair. Gossip, rampant in today's society with technology, was just as furious through word of mouth.
It is clear that much thought went into the production of this movie. Although it is nearly seventeen years old, the movie is still a piece shown in many classrooms as a lead in to modern literature. The frustration of the characters and depiction of the boring public lives led helps the movie viewer go back one hundred and thirty years to a time when living was dull. However, this movie shows us the insiders view of the truth behind the mask, of the evils of assumption, and the heart wrenching story of a man who made all the wrong decisions regarding love.
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