FeministPerspective1.docx
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FeministPerspective1.docx
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FeministPerspective1
FeministPerspective:
'Actually,IFeltSorryfortheLion.'
Author(s):
NinaBaym
PublicationDetails:
NewCriticalApproachestotheShortStoriesofErnestHemingway.Durham,N.C.:
DukeUniversityPress,1990.
Source:
ShortStoryCriticism.Ed.JelenaO.Krstovic.Vol.137.Detroit:
Gale.FromLiteratureResourceCenter.
DocumentType:
Criticalessay
Bookmark:
BookmarkthisDocument
FullText:
COPYRIGHT2010Gale,CengageLearning
[(essaydate1990)Inthefollowingessay,BaymmaintainsthatMargotsympathizeswiththeanimalsbeinghuntedbecauseherfateissimilarlycontrolledbythefalsemachismoofWilsonandFrancis.BaymfurthersuggeststhatMargot,despiteheridentificationwiththeprey,triestosaveFrancisbykillingthebuffalo,onlytobeblackmailedbyWilson,whofearsthatshemayreporthisillegaluseofthecarasahuntingtool.]
FeministliterarycriticsarenotresponsiblefortheviewthatErnestHemingway'sworkisdeeplyantiwomaninitsvalues.Onthecontrary,inmakingthisfamiliarcasefeministshaveperhapstooquicklyacceptedthemainapproachofstandardHemingwaycriticism.Theirinnovationistoviewthis"fact"abouttheauthorasadefectratherthansomethingtopraise.Inespousingthecauseofamanhooddisplayedthroughmalebondingandattainedbyparticipationinbloodsports,theargumentgoes,Hemingway'sfictioncastsallbutthemostpassive,submissive,andsilentwomenascorruptingordestructive.Onlywhenwomenaccepttheir"place"asalowerorderofbeingthanmen,rightlyassignedthefunctionsofwaitingonthemwhentheyarearoundandwaitingforthemwhentheyareelsewhere,dotheywinauthorialapproval.Womencanonlybemen'shelpers,nevertheirallies.Menwhothinkofwomenashumanbeingslikethemselvesarefools.
Thislong-livedandmonolithicapproachhasbeenmodifiedinrecentyears.Weseenowthatstorieslike"CatintheRain"or"HillsLikeWhiteElephants"presentawoman'spointofviewandattributeherplight--andthereisalwaysaplight--toacombinationofmaleself-involvementandself-aggrandizement,acombinationofwhichthetextisawareandtowhichitisnotsympathetic.1"TheShortHappyLifeofFrancisMacomber,"however,seemsresistanttointerpretiverevisionalongtheselinesbecauseithasbeenabsolutelycentralinthestandardinterpretationofHemingwayandhiswork.
MargotMacomberandBrettAshleyinTheSunAlsoRisesarethetwooutstandingexamplesofHemingway's"bitchwomen."Brett,withherirresistiblecombinationofsexualallureandsexualappetite,createscompetition,hencedisharmonyandantagonism,amongmenwhowouldotherwisebefriends.Herwilesunderminethehard-boiledfacadewithwhichmenshouldrespondtosocialchaosandtheindifferenceoftheuniverse.AsforMargot,shecommitsadulteryvirtuallyunderherhusband'snoseandthenkillshimattheverymomentwhenhisbelatedentranceintomanhood(throughbloodsportandmalebonding)threatensherdominance.Itisnotsurprisingthatafeministshortstoryanthologyhasfeaturedit,throughfoureditions,asaleadingexampleofthe"bitch"stereotype.2
Thereisnopointintryingtoreinterpretthestorymerelytomakeitanditsauthoracceptableinchangedtimes.Indeed,ifHemingwayreally"was"machismointhisstory(ifnotinallhiswork),itwouldbeunethicaltopresenthimdifferently.Yet,therehavealsobeencriticswhoarguethatMargotMacomberdidnotshoottokill.3Andifshedidnotshoottokill,thensheshottosaveherhusband,andthevisionofMargotMacomberasa"bitch"misrepresentsher.Iagreewiththisrevisionistapproach,andIwouldaddthatitisnotmerelythecharacterwhoismisrepresented;itisthestoryitself--itsdynamicsanditstechniques.Hence,themisrepresentationisnotonlyofitsauthor's"message,"butalsoofhiscraft.YetIthinkitlessimportanttorehabilitate"TheShortHappyLifeofFrancisMacomber"onbehalfofitsauthorthanonbehalfofitsreaders,who,whenunconstrainedbyinterpretationsthatenforceasingle,correct,readingofthestory,turnouttoberesponsivetoitsplayofnarrativevoicesandpointsofview,aswellastothetwistsofitsplot.
Ifonetakestheprocessofinterpretationasadvancingacorrectreadinganddismissingalternateinterpretationsaserror,"TheShortHappyLifeofFrancisMacomber"mightbereadasanironiccommentaryonsuchactivity.Itbeginsbymarkingoutavarietyofspeakingsubjectpositionsandthentellsastoryinwhichallbutonearesilenced.Althoughthelanguageof"TheShortHappyLifeofFrancisMacomber"belongsmainlytoitsnarrator,thestoryisfocusedthroughfive"pointsofview"includinganomniscientthoughtaciturnnarrator;RobertWilson,thewhitehunter;FrancisMacomber,hisemployer;MargotMacomber,thewifeofFrancis;andalion's.4Ofthesethelion'sisespeciallyimportant(andhasbeencriticallyneglected),andthelion'sstoryevolvesasastoryembeddedwithinthestoryofFrancisMacomber.5
Ifweweretoarrangeeventsin"TheShortHappyLifeofFrancisMacomber"chronologically,thestorywouldbeginwiththevoiceofthelion:
"Ithadstartedthenightbeforewhenhehadwakenedandheardthelionroaringsomewhereupalongtheriver"(110).6Chronologyismanipulatedinthestorysothattheliontakesalmosthalfofthenarrativespacetodie,andwhenthegroupreturnstocampafterkillinghim(ontheeighteenthpageofathirty-four-pagestory),thenarratorself-reflexivelymarksthemomentasaclosure:
"Thatwasthestoryofthelion"(120).Thedeadlioncontinuestoexerthispresenceinthestory,andhispointofview,throughwhichwehaveseenmuchofthehuntandslaughter,istransferredtoMargotMacomber.SheregistersMacomber'scowardice,Wilson'sbrutality,andtheinterdependenceofthetwoasepitomizedinthelion'sfate.Shealsorecognizesthattheanimalsinthewildarenottrueadversariesorantagonists,becausetheyaresomassivelyoverpoweredbythemen'stechnology--theirguns,theircars.Thesafariassheseesitisasham,itsparticipantshypocrites.Wilson,whomakeshislivingbymanipulatingtheappearancesofmortaldangerforthetitillationofhisclients,isanxioustosuppressherpointofview,andheappearstosucceedatthestory'sclose.
Thoughhedoessucceedinthestory'splotline,thathedoesnotprevailinthemindsofreaderswemaysurmisefromtheanxietywithwhichmaleauthoritiesoncefeltboundtocontinuehiswork.AnotherWilson,nameofEdmund,setthetonebypraisingthe"ShortHappyLife"["TheShortHappyLifeofFrancisMacomber"]as"aterrificfableoftheimpossiblecivilizedwomanwhodespisesthecivilizedmanforhisfailureininitiativeandnerveandthenjealouslytriestobreakhimdownassoonashebeginstoexhibitany."Andlaterinhiscareertheincreasinglyself-protectiveandpublicity-seekingauthorhimselfadoptedthisinterpretation,tellinganinterviewerin1953--seventeenyearsafterthestorywaspublished--that"Francis'wifehateshimbecausehe'sacoward....Butwhenhegetshisgutsback,shefearshimsomuchshehastokillhim--shootshiminthebackofthehead."7
OfcourseMargotMacombershootsandkillsherhusband;ofthatthereisnodoubt.Butnocarefulandunprejudicedreadershoulddoubtthatshedidsoaccidentally.Hereistherelevantpassage,inwhichabuffalochargesatMacomberandWilson:
Wilsonhadduckedtoonesidetogetinashouldershot.Macomberhadstoodsolidandshotforthenose,shootingatouchhigheachtimeandhittingtheheavyhorns,splinteringandchippingthemlikehittingaslateroof,andMrs.Macomber,inthecar,hadshotatthebuffalowiththe6.5MannlicherasitseemedabouttogoreMacomberandhadhitherhusbandabouttwoinchesupandalittletoonesideofthebaseofhisskull.(135)
NoreaderofanypersuasionhaseverdoubtedthatWilsondid,indeed,duckasideforashouldershot;orthatMacomberdid,indeed,standtallandshoothigh;andnoconceivabletextualargumentallowsustodeclareone,andonlyone,portionoftheotherwiseimpeccablereportunreliable.EquallynonsensicalistheideathatahomicidalMargothadanyneedtoshootherhusbandatthismoment.AsJohnHowellandCharlesLawlerputit,"ifshehadwantedherhusbanddead,thebullseemedabouttodothatjobforher."8OfcourseMargotMacombermightbethoroughlystupid.ButwehaveevenRobertWilson'swordonthissubject:
"Shehadaveryperfectovalface,soperfectthatyouexpectedhertobestupid.Butshewasn'tstupid,Wilsonthought,no,notstupid"(107).
Inbrief,MargotMacomber'sbadpressstemsfromthecritics'desiretoidentifywhattheytaketobeWilson'sethicalcodewiththevaluesofthestoryitself,adesireinpursuitofwhichtheymustturnthefacetednarrationof"TheShortHappyLifeofFrancisMacomber"intoamonologue.CarlosBakerinHemingway:
TheWriterasArtistprovidesaparadigminstanceoftheassertionthatthecoreofvaluesinthestoryresidesinWilson,sothattoreadthestoryashisvehicleistoalignoneselfproperlywithHemingway'smoralintention:
EasilythemostunscrupulousofHemingway'sfictionalfemales,MargotMacombercovetsherhusband'smoneybutvaluesevenmoreherpoweroverhim.ToWilson,theMacombers'paidwhitehunter,whoisdrawnveryreluctantlyintotheemotionalmessofawreckedmarriage,MargotexemplifiesmostoftheAmericanwiveshehasmetinthecourseofhisprofessionallife.Althoughhisperspectivesarelimitedtotheinternationalsportingset,theindictmentissevere.Thesewomen,hereflects,are"thehardestintheworld;thehardest,thecruelest,themostpredatory,andthemostattractive,andt
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