Friday, August 7, 2009
Hemingway (2)
In class, we have touched upon the role of the Woman -- specifically, the wife -- in both Noa Noa and A Moveable Feast. In Hemingway's memoir, we have the sense that he is accepted into the folds of the insular, inclusionary expatriate community. He navigates within the network of writers and artists (British and American), and travels within/without France with remarkable mobility. To a striking extent, "the wives" are characterized in altogether different terms. Hadley infers that she is invisible and muzzled, and Zelda's "insanity" may in fact result from her neglect and isolation. Reflect upon the ways in which the figure of the American in Paris is gendered in Hemingway's text: does *everyone* thrive, as it were, in Paris?
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Everyone thrives in Paris, but in varying degrees; it really depends on what one's definition of "thriving" is. For example, although they are never mentioned, the poor working class must be thriving since they are always reproducing in that sense, even for survival, they are continuing to live.
ReplyDeleteAs for the women in Hemingway's text, I think they are much like the women from Persian Letters and even in Noa Noa in that the males have a certain power over them, but the women at the same time also have certain power over the males.
In Noa Noa, the girl wants earrings and for the most part Fromentin seems to have power over her, but eventually gives in and buys her the earrings. (Thanks Kelly)
In Persian Letters, well you know. In Hemingway, what Hemingway does is often influenced by his relationship with his wife. For example, with the whole going to Spain ordeal, he always has his mind on not pissing off his wife (175). This is seen in many other cases- he always seems to have to get permission from his wife to do something.
Zelda, even if she was insane, it is seen that she completely messed up Scott in his writing, that he could not get any of it done because Zelda did not want him to get it done. (Hawks do not share)
The bookkeeper also owns her own bookstore, so that shows that she is thriving.
Mrs. Stein also seems to thrive in Paris, she is recognized as a great author by many, she has published books, and even influences Hemingway's thinking a lot. And with her is her mistress lady, who talks to the wife all the time.
This mistress and the wife show another form of thriving, in that they thrive amongst themselves. Furthermore, women do seem to thrive in Paris, maybe not having the same social mobility as the men (Mrs. Stein is an exception), but they are able to "thrive" by influencing the men that are in their lives, and also in their own female circles.
To say that everyone "thrives" is a gross generalization however. In Hemingway's text, the women "thrive", but it ends at just that. He does not interact with other women, enough to give a complete picture of it.
(You're welcome, Brian. But that wasn't Fromentin.)
ReplyDeleteI don't think that whether or not an individual thrives in Paris is a direct result of their gender, but is instead based in the role they take for themselves. In the distinct relationships portrayed in A Moveable Feast, we usually see one figure who is "active" and thus "thriving" and one figure that is not - Hemingway, Scott, and Miss Stein compared to Hadley, Zelda, and Miss Stein's nameless partner. In these relationships, it seems to be portrayed that only one individual serves as the "representative" of the household, and the other works as the accessory. (...Does this apply to Evan and Jean, too? After all, Hemingway only seems to actually speak with Evan...)
But as Brian described, the "accessories" of the family unit are grouped into their own sphere of association, as Hadley describes how her duty is to speak to Miss Stein's partner rather than Miss Stein herself (31).
It seems to me that only committed individuals are at risk to becoming "muzzled" to a non-free existence (the opposite of thriving) in Paris. We see "free" women associating with the men, as well, like the blondes of the Dôme (103) that do not seem tied down in such a manner.
Many of the expats go to Paris because it is a place where artist can thrive, so Hemingway and his associates are there to expand their careers as writers. Thus, the wives in A Moveable Feast are neglected because of the status of their husbands who are inspiring literary artist. The expatriate community in Paris is just like a fraternity, and the wives who are not members of their “literary club” are seen as unsociable. For example Hadley is included in everything else other than social outings that are where expats are. When Hemingway and Hadley go to the races she is able to socialize without discomfort from the usual literary discussions. She is so happy that she begins to reminisces about the times she shared with her husband and his friend Chink saying “when you and Chink talked I was included. It wasn’t like being a wife at Miss Stein’s” (54). Hadley is not excluded unlike the time when she is left out of the picture when Hemingway goes to chat with Ms. Stein. Since Ms. Stein is an established writer Hemingway is favorable in her sight, and because Hadley has no “literary stature” she is unable to relate.
ReplyDeleteBecause all of the novels we read had male authors, we have very little insight about how things looked from the female perspective. However, even this small insight demands further investigation on the women’s point of view. For instance, Fitzgerald constantly talks about how his wife urges him to write less so he can pay more attention to her. Although it is obvious that the wife feels neglected, understanding her perspective through her own narrative would shed light on exactly how she feels about her neglect and provide a better explanation for her insanity. She does not ‘thrive’ in Paris because she is not able to adequately present her own perspective. Likewise, Noa Noa is written from than husband’s point of view but the narrator pays a lot of attention to his wife. Although the narrator presents his wife’s point of view, some of it could be better explained if the wife was allowed to narrate part of the story. For example, when the wife demanded the narrator to buy copper earrings, the narrator could not understand why the wife wanted them so much. Obviously, allowing the wife to narrate would help us understand her viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteAs nesstlyquick had stated, the role of Hemingway as a writer distinguishes himself from his wife. Hadley cannot relate to Hemingway on the basis of his writing. As such, she is not truly a part of his community. Even the women who are actively involved in the creative process are acknowledged as second thoughts. For example, Hemingway’s brief encounter with Dorothy, or Ezra Pound’s wife, demonstrates how the women are treated in the expatriate community. After noting his disinterest in the gallery paintings in Ezra’s studio, he merely admires Dorothy’s work (as well as her figure) and goes along his way (107). This seems to suggest that, unless an artist is exceptionally well-connected (see Stein), the male artist is often given the most recognition.
ReplyDeleteI want to echo Kelly's idea that the characters actively take up their roles. I do not think that the expatriate or Parisian community prescribe or influence the roles the characters assume. I think there is a degree of freedom in the Parisian scene, in which they can exercise their relationships and individuality. For example, since we have been exploring wife and husband, consider the relationship Zelda and Scott has. I can get a sense that Scott and Zelda respect each other mutually as their husband and wife roles. Scott wants to tell her that he is alright. He even mentions how they haven't parted away from each other from their marriage bed. (171) He asks Hem, "You can see what it means to us both, can't you?" From that, I don't feel like who they are and how they treat each other is predicated on some indoctrinated or engendering influences by their communities, but their own will and understanding to love each other, because they are husband and wife.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I'll have to throw in another observation. A Moveable Feast is still written by a male author, I can't help but notice the few dialogues female characters have, compared to the numerous accounts Hemingway has with people he meets.
We discussed how Paris in the 1920’s contained a great wave of artists and writers. This large collection of artists living in close proximity provides a great platform for them to network, and their numbers enhances their visibility. In this sense, Paris caters perfectly for the artist, and they ‘thrive’. When Hemingway wishes to meet Joyce, he need only ask Sylvia Beach what time he comes into the store (36). While the artist of the household may thrive, this does lead to the marginalization of the non-artist companion. Hadley is merely one example of this. Fitzgerald’s troubles are an exception to this trend, and in a sense Paris is the worst environment for him; rather than bestowing him with creative energy, Paris suffocates him.
ReplyDeleteThe expatriate community in Paris, is mostly composed of male artists. Hemingway and his friends such as Scott Fitzgerald or Ezra Pound, get together, share meals and drinks, and discuss their works together. This is as opposed to their wives, who sit at home, care for their children, and prepare for their husband's arrival in the evening. Throughout the novel, Hadley shows her support towards everything Hemingway does, no matter if it is good or bad. She is an understanding spouse and is faithful towards her husband. This type of relationship is not reciprocated by Ernest, as he decides to leave his wife for another woman, at the end of the novel.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Hadley demonstrates the typical expatriate wife in 1920's Paris, Zelda, Fitzgerald's wife does not. Zelda is portrayed as an eccentric character who demands attention from her husband and prevents him from being at his full potential. Throughout the novel, Zelda is viewed as the reason behind Scott's lack of discipline towards work or motivation. It is also implied that Zelda does not stay faithful to Scott throughout her marriage, which also emphasizes her difference with Hadley.