D.H. Lawrence/Kate Chopin Essay (Part 2)

Recently, I completed yet another essay for my Modern Novel class. The books under discussion for the most recent essay were D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers and Kate Chopin's The Awakening. Both novels were revolutionary in the ways they depicted the effects of various social dynamics on the lives of their characters. Sons and Lovers focuses primarily on the dynamics within the Morel family and how that influences the characters in the relationships they pursue and the people who they become. The Awakening focuses on the dynamics of gender relations in a similar manner. The essay I had to write had to address three questions in three different sections. I will post the sections as I get to each of them. To read the first, click here. Here is the second:

The essay that follows responds to the topic of analyzing Sons and Lovers using the framework of gender dynamics that is used throughout The Awakening. Go for brevity over detail with the objective being to merely show competence in using the model of one novel to extract meaning from another.

In The Awakening, Edna sought a way to free herself from her role as mother and wife for which she had been groomed since young. She grew up going through all the phases she was supposed to go through as a woman: her first crush with the cavalry officer, her first love with the tragedian, courtship, marriage to Mr. Pontillier, and birth to her two children. It was upon completing this cycle that she began to understand that she did not want to be one of "...the women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels" (Chopin 16). Ultimately, she is able to escape back into independence only through her own death. However, in Sons and Lovers, the first chapter, "The Early Married Life of the Morels," Gertrude Morel also leaving the role of "mother-woman," but Gertrude finds her path to contentment in her gender role arguably even more impossible than Edna does.

Like Enda, Gertrude presumably passes through all the same phases. While we aren’t necessarily introduced to her first crush, in the first chapter we do learn of her first love, John Field, as well as her courtship and marriage to Walter Morel and the birth of her first two children. Also like Edna, she does not share all the typical interests someone of her gender traditionally shares, though she and Edna don't necessarily share the same interests. Lawrence describes Getrude as "...lov[ing] ideas, and was considered very intellectual. What she liked most of all was an argument on religion or philosophy or politics with some educated man" (Lawrence 9). In other words, she has many of the interests that are normally ascribed to men of the time. In fact, she is strong willed and, as is pointed out, between her and her husband, when it comes down to force of will, she is the stronger, and while Walter is physically stronger, he "...was afraid of her" (Lawrence 23). She has the strength and fire and he is the one who was "sensuous." It is as if Lawrence is swapping traditional gender characteristics between the husband and wife, yet the gender roles must stay the same.

Over the course of the first chapter Walter descends from the good husband, recently married, and trying to make a good impression, before the charade is up when Gertrude discovers the truth about her new house and its furnishings. Once the truth is uncovered, however,

...her manner had changed towards him. Something in her proud, honourable soul had crystallized out hard as rock...This thing was gall and bitterness to Mrs. Morel, and she had a fair share of it...He began to be rather late coming home (Lawrence 13).

At this point, Walter gives up trying to fulfill his full role as male of the household and Gertrude is forced to assume almost all the responsibilities of his traditional gender role except his work at the mine. While, unlike Edna, she is no longer confined to her own role, she doesn't really want to be anything other than the wife of Walter who was "perfectly happy" (Lawrence 11) at the start of her marriage. Instead, she has a role and responsibility she does not want forced upon her with no reduction of her own role as a woman and wife. By the time Gertrude understands what is happening, she is in the same position as Edna finds herself in at the end of The Awakening: "This Christmas she would bear [Walter] a child" (Lawrence 13). She is trapped by her maternal tendencies into this horrible situation of no longer having the option or the ability to be her own person without giving up her children: "Ah, wouldn't I, wouldn't I have gone long ago but for those children," she says during a fight with Walter. "Do you think it's for you I stop—do you think I'd stop one minute for you?" (Lawrence 22-23). Unlike Edna, Gertrude would never go so far as to say, "She would never sacrifice herself for her children" (Chopin 79).

As a result of this unwanted role and responsibility as male of the household in addition to her duties as mother and wife, it is no wonder Gertrude is so ready for first William and then (especially) Paul to take over the role of "man of the house" (Lawrence 88) as Paul proclaims himself while Walter is in the hospital. Gertrude neither asked for nor wanted to be more than a wife or mother, and she is more than willing to pass up responsibility for the household when the chance is there. This is evident by her bitterness when William disappoints her expectations of fully stripping Walter of his role as provider after William leaves for London: "That William promised me, when he went to London, as he'd give me a pound a month. He has given me ten shillings—twice; and now I know he hasn't a farthing if I asked him" (Lawrence 99). It is no wonder that, after losing not only William's attention as "man of the house" that she would cling even more tightly to Paul in that role and impede Miriam to have full access to him as Gyp had with William.

Ultimately, Gertrude never is able to escape from the weakness of her husband. She is perpetually forced into a dual role that does not suit her. While she may not resent that role as Edna resents her own role in The Awakening, Gertrude's battle to maintain her free choice is every bit as impossible as a result of her husband's weakness. While she and Edna may not choose the same ideal, they both simply want the ability to make that choice. Unfortunately for Gertrude, part of her choice of being wife and mother—to whomever she can get to assume the role—not only takes away the option of death that Edna eventually chooses, but necessarily assumes her at least superficial subordination. Hence, she keeps little of the traditional male authority over the family and their workings. She cannot force Paul to assume the role of "man of the house," she can only do so by using Paul's love of her as a source of manipulation to keep him as her de facto male partner—a role Paul struggles against—again taking her out of the ideal maternal role as Chopin's concept of the "ministering angel." In other words, even wanting what she is supposed by society to want, Gertrude, as much as Edna, finds her gender role ultimately outside of her power to determine.

D.H. Lawrence/Kate Chopin Essay (Part 1)

Recently, I completed yet another essay for my Modern Novel class. The books under discussion for the most recent essay were D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers and Kate Chopin's The Awakening. Both novels were revolutionary in the ways they depicted the effects of various social dynamics on the lives of their characters. Sons and Lovers focuses primarily on the dynamics within the Morel family and how that influences the characters in the relationships they pursue and the people who they become. The Awakening focuses on the dynamics of gender relations in a similar manner. The essay I had to write had to address three questions in three different sections. I will post the sections as I get to each of them. Here is the first:

The essay that follows responds to the topic of analyzing The Awakening using the framework of family dynamics that is used throughout Sons and Lovers. Go for brevity over detail with the objective being to merely show competence in using the model of one novel to extract meaning from another.

One of the most prevalent intra-family dynamics in D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers is the seemingly innate trait of many of Lawrence's characters to resist one or both parents on an existential level. Lawrence's characters try their best to distance themselves from the unpleasant aspects of their parents by seeking out opposite qualities in their other relationships. Paul seeks out Clara because, unlike Miriam, Clara does not demand the same spiritual ownership of Paul that Paul's mother exerts. Miriam, on the other hand, seeks out Paul in part because he has a spiritual, artistic side Miriam sees as lacking in her own father, who "...did not carry any mystical ideals cherished in his heart..." (Lawrence 142). Moreover, all the Morel children, with the later exception of Paul, grow up with an aversion to alcohol as a reaction to their hatred of their alcoholic father. Yet this dynamic is not solely seen in Lawrence’s novel. Each of these examples from Sons and Lovers is a sort of a rebellion—a yearning to be free from the influence of the parent through an outward channel. Hence, it is no surprise that Kate Chopin also uses the dynamic of family—and of Edna's relationship with her father in particular—in The Awakening to help explain the derivation of Edna's desire to be her own person that she is ultimately willing to sacrifice her life to feel free.

One of the earliest pictures we have of Edna's childhood occurs as Edna is looking out over the sea and recalls "...a summer day in Kentucky, of a meadow that seemed as big as the ocean to the very little girl walking through the grass, which was higher than her waist. She threw out her arms as if swimming when she walked, beating the tall grass as one strikes out at the water" (Chopin 29-30). Considering that Edna strongly identifies the sea as a place for "...the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation" (Chopin 25), there is a strong hint that Edna considers that scene to be the only one presented in the novel from her childhood where she is outside of the influences of her male relations and able to be in a place of complete "solitude" and "inward contemplation." Standing alone as that memory does in its relationship to the freedom of the sea, it may have been the last time Edna had that sense of feeling of being able "...to control the working of her body and her soul" (Chopin 47) as she later identifies swimming in the ocean (which Chopin parallels in the meadow memory) to be. After this point, Edna's life fell into the predetermined female pattern of crushes, courtship, marriage, and childbearing. Yet when she does begin to attempt to cast off her predetermined role and become her own person, it can be read as Edna trying to free herself from her father's influence in the same manner detailed above as in Lawrence's novel.

The most telling hint that this may be the relationship that Edna most strongly resists is actually revealed in the thought of her husband, Léonce, who realizes, "The Colonel was perhaps unaware that he had coerced his own wife into the grave" (Chopin 119) when the subject of Léonce's leniency toward his wife comes up. However, that leniency on the part of Léonce is perhaps exactly the reason Kate is with her husband; he will not coerce her. Instead, he evinces "uniform devotion" (Chopin 14). In fact, the one time he tries to coerce her, she easily rebuffs him without any further argument on his part (Chopin 53). She will not let Léonce treat her as her mother was treated. In this way, Edna tries to rebel and escape her father and the fate of her mother, like many of Lawrence's characters try to escape their parents' fates.

By the time Edna's father visits, Edna is attempting to convince herself that neither he nor anyone else will coerce her "into the grave" as the Colonel did to his wife. Edna goes about this by "...serving him and ministering to his wants" not because she has to, but because "[i]t amused her to do so" (Chopin 115). Similarly, throughout the visit, Edna finds herself for the first time able to enjoy her father's company because she now sees herself as choosing to spend time with him and to take his side in an argument with her husband on the subject of horse-racing, in which Léonce once again proves himself the opposite of the reckless gambler the Colonel is implied to be:

Mr. Pontellier himself had no particular leaning toward horse racing, and was even rather inclined to discourage it as a pastime, especially when he considered the fate of that bluegrass farm in Kentucky (Chopin 116).

Again, the scene shows Edna's attraction to her husband as perhaps being the opposite of her father.

Ultimately, Edna convinces herself of her autonomy and free will by telling herself that this is what she is choosing to do, but fails to realize that she is still in the position of doing exactly what her father wishes her to do within her role as a female and as a daughter. She may not be as free as she thinks, but it does not dawn on her until much later, when she realizes the trap her biology has laid for her. As pointed out by Adéle Ratignolle, Edna must always "[t]hink of the children...[r]emember them" (Chopin 182). Beginning with the influence of her father, Edna had been removed from that moment in the meadow of individuality and solitude and shoehorned into the role first of daughter, and later of a wife. While she may have at first believed that by escaping her father she could escape her role, she ultimately realizes that, because of the trap her body has laid, she can never escape the role of mother; she can never be fully free. Thus, it is no surprise when Edna ultimately chooses to attempt to return to that last independent moment in her memory by going to the one place she associates with it, the sea. Also, because her desire to escape her father and thus the fate of her own mother as one of being dominated and "coerced...into the grave," it is no wonder she chooses to take the one, final course of action that guarantees such will not be the case: she drowns herself.

To read the second essay, click here.

GRE Update

Holy crap! I finally got my official GRE scores back with the official percentile rankings that will go out to grad schools. Not only does the new score report give me the Analytical Writing scores I didn't get immediately after the test, but there are other differences as well. Allow me to elaborate:

Verbal—640 out of 800 and the 90^th percentile
This is the same score, but apparently the real percentile is a one percent drop from the original estimate. In hindsight, I probably could have scored a bit higher if I had studied word lists and such that are published instead of figuring I was good enough at vocabulary and confining my study strictly to practice tests.

Quantitative—730 out of 800 and the 75^th percentile
This score is actually a ten point increase from the score that was reported to me upon test completion. I won't complain about that. However, even with the ten point raise in score, my percentile ranking dropped three percent from the original estimate. Well fooey on them. It would have been nice to hit the 80^th percentile, but I'll live. Yet I can't help but wish I had taken the GRE immediately after graduating. I probably would have done about the same on the Verbal and Analytical Writing sections, but had I remembered all my calculus and had been as proficient at math as I was as a sophomore, I'll bet I could have hit 800 (perfect score) on this section. Considering how much I felt like "I used to know how to do this in calculus and now I don't have enough time/recollection to do it otherwise, I'll just take an educated guess," and I still got 730, 800 isn't really much of a stretch.

Analytical Writing—6.0 out of 6.0 and 96^th percentile
Woo! Can't get any better than a perfect score. I'm surprised. I was expecting more in the area of 5.0 or 5.5 on the section. I knew I did well, but I didn't know I did that well. I guess the 96^th percentile means that about 4 percent of testees get perfect scores, which seems a little high, but oh well.

Overall, I did well enough that I sincerely doubt I'll be taking the GRE again unless I find some reason to suspect that my Verbal score is too low, though it should be adequate, I think.

Depressing Music! Woo!

I got this from Joel, who got it from someone else, and so on.

10 albums randomly selected from my collection:

Green Day—Insomnia
When I think of Green Day, I'm amazed that for such a prolific and ludicrously successful band, they are given short shrift for their immense influence on the music world. With the help of Offspring, they basically resurrected punk music. Some days I curse them for inspiring such trash as Blink 182 or MXPX, but I wouldn't give up any of their first three CDs. Everything since then has been solid, but without Dookie and Insomnia, rock music would not be what it is today.

Distrubed—Believe
Admittedly, I bought Disturbed's first album, The Sickness because I enjoyed the raw anger and emotion of their singles. Upon purchase, it turns out that there is little depth beyond the four singles on that album. However, their second alubum is, in my opinion, a defining rock album. It is everything one likes about Distrubed from the first album, but under control and much, much more consistent. This is one of only six or seven albums where I truly enjoy every song from front to back. It isn't as top-loaded with radio songs as the first album, but it's better music.

Ugly Kid Jo—America's Most Wanted
Heh, this is the second CD I ever owned as a kid behind Will Smith's Code Red (terrible). It is freaking hilarious to this very day. I can't even say how many times I've listened to "Everything about You," but that's classic. I also like his cover of "Cat's Cradle" for what it's worth.

Rob Zombie—Hellbilly Deluxe
Pfft. The best metal album of the last ten years in my opinion. There is not one single song on this album I don't enjoy rocking out to. Zombie is not only a master at catchy hooks, but he knows how to kick a listener's endorphins into overdrive. I can't think of a single hard rock album as consistent from front to back.

Dave Matthews—Live at Luther College
I very much enjoyed this when I first bought it in high school. In fact, I think that this two-disk acoustic album is much better than Dave's regular stuff. However, my musical tastes have changed and I don't listen to it much anymore&mash;though I do still listen and enjoy from time to time on a purely nostalgac level.

Nirvana—In Utero
There isn't much I can say about Nirvana. This is more experimental and a little harder to appreciate than Nevermind from a pure enjoyment perspective, but I'm convinced it is every bit as brilliant in its own way. Listen to the entire album straight through with an ear for themes to get what I'm saying.

Collective Soul—Collective Soul
This was my favorite band for a couple years. They are damn close to christian rock given their spiritual roots, though the songs have nothing directly to do with Christianity. I enjoyed them for their thoughtful lyrics and heavy edge. I don't listen to this CD anymore, but I still regard it as one of the 6–7 CDs that is listenable from front to back.

Pink Floyd—The Wall
Whoa. Talk about coherency and story front to back, I can probably write essays on this album if I were to try. Though it is far from my favorite album to listen to, it may be the greatest rock album ever in my book from a combination of lyric, musical, and overall effect perspectives. Seriously. Listen to it as a whole and then disagree.

Godsmack—Faceless
Of Godsmack's three albums, this is the least enjoyable, though I still find it well-worth the purchase with four or five solid singles. They are still my favorite rock band to put in when I'm having a shitty day and I want to break shit.

Tool—Anemia
If you at all like metal, hard rock, or deep lyrics, just go buy this album. Seriously, there isn't a single metal band that is more musically talented than Tool. There just isn't. Don't argue.

What is the total amount of music files on your computer?

1,311 songs.

The last CD you bought is:

Chevelle—Wonder What's Next

What is the song you last listened to before this message?

Incubus—"Pardon Me"

Five songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you:

Nine Inch Nails—"Into the Void"
Jimmy Eat World—"The Middle"
Tool—"Anemia"
Buck Cherry—"For the Movies"
Garbage—"Only Happy When It Rains"

Who are you gonna pass this stick to?

Whatever sad SOB actually reads this blog, I guess.

Eerie, isn't it?

next to of course god by ee cummings

"next to of course god america i
love you land of the pilgrims' and so forth oh
say can you see by the dawn's early my
country 'tis of centuries come and go
and are no more what of it we should worry
in every language even deafanddumb
thy sons acclaim your glorious name by gorry
by jingo by gee by gosh by gum
why talk of beauty what could be more beaut-
iful than these heroic happy dead
who rushed like lions to the roaring slaughter
they did not stop to think they died instead
then shall the voice of liberty be mute?"

He spoke. And drank rapidly a glass of water

*          *          *

Although I can't find when this specific poem first appeared, given the fact that ee cummings died in 1962, I find it amusing that this poem is so appropriate today. Whether it was written before or after 1984, I think reading into the relationship between the two works is a very constructive exercize. I'd recommend it. As the poem stands by itself, I find it most instructive as relates to its focus on rhetoric. I have quite a bit to say about this poem, but I would rather recommend you read it two or three times for yourself and get a real grip on what's going on. No need for my judgement to cloud over yours.

Many Voices

In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway

I admit, when I first read The Sun Also Rises for a class on Mondern Literature, I was not enamored. It struck me as overly minimalistic and angst-ridden.

Now that I'm taking another Modern Literature class, four years later, I actually found I enjoyed Hemingway this time around. I read In Our Time through twice before writing an essay on it and found I had a much better grip on it for the redundant reading. Some of the fifteen stories in particular are more striking than others (I personally was drawn to "The Three Day Blow," "Soldier's Home," "The Doctor and the Doctor's Wife," "Mr. and Mrs. Eliott," and "Big Two-Hearted River"), but really it takes the collection taken as a whole to achieve its full effect.

Really, each story is made up of two parts: there's the main story, then there is a 40-200 word italicized section at the beginning of each story. The two sections are in no way related to each other plotwise, but they seem to very subtly comment, inform, and enhance each one another.

Hemingway comes at the reader with a plethora of voices, rhythms, and issues that, while they are not always related to one another (though about half the stories employ the same character, Nick Adams), are necessary to be taken as a whole to get the entire experience of what he's trying to say. His favorite themes seem to be war, violence (not necessarily always the war kind), loss (in many, many forms), the healing power of nature, and the right way to live. Each story generally has a little bit to inform the reader about each, and then the last story, "Big Two-Hearted River," picks up and completes all these threads. Especially the second time through, this culmination was quite an experience.

Overall, In Our Time is a very quick and painless read, but rewards deeper contemplation. If the themes I listed above are of interest, then I recommend. If contemplative, minimalist writing is favored, then I recommend. If you're looking for excitement or an obvious message, then I don't recommend. It's as simple and complex as that.