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English Master’s Theses
English
2000
Sarah Orne Jewett : Transcendence in Nature
Kathryn Leenay
The College at Brockport, [email protected]
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Leenay, Kathryn, "Sarah Orne Jewett : Transcendence in Nature" (2000). English Master’s Theses. Paper 80.
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'
SARAH ORNE JEWETI: TRANSCENDENCE IN NATURE
by
Kath ryn Leen ay
A Th esis
Su bmitted to th e Depa rtment of En glish of the State
University of New Y ork, College ar Brockport, in p a rtial
ful fi l lment of th e requ irements for the degree of
MASTERS OF ARTS
2 000
SARAH ORNE JEWETT: TRANSCENDENCE IN NATURE
by Kathryn Leenay
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Ta ble of Contents
Ch apter
In troduction
P a ge
1
Nature
4
Time
24
Religion
41
Gender
57
Conclu sion
73
Works Cited
76
I n tr oduc ti on
Sa rah Orne Jewett wrote a b out people a n d thin gs 11just as they are11
(Silverthorne 3 5) . H er fath er h a d given h er th is a dvic e a n d, in a way, sh e
m a de it h er m ission in life to acqu a i n t peopl e with each other.
Despite
h er si mple l a n g u a ge a n d seem i ngly si mple c h arac ters h er work is full of
wisdom a n d touch es on m any u n iversa l themes.
Will a Cath er beli eved
Jew etts last n ovel, Th e Coun try of th e Poin ted Firs, deserved a place
alongside H uc kleberry F i n n and The Sc a rlet Letter (Cather vi).
Alth ough
some critics i n Jewett1 S ti me c o m pl a i n ed of II very l ittle plot11
( Silverthorne 1 4 3 ) in h er stories, oth er i n fl u en ti a l c ritics a n d p u b l ish ers,
such as Willi a m Dean Howells, enjoyed a n d revered h er
11
free m ovement,
u n fettered by th e limits of plot, a n d keepi n g on ly to th e reality, which n o
oth er eye th a n h ers h as seen s o subtly, s o h u morously, s o touch ingly11
( Si lverth orn e 2 07 ) .
I w i l l a n a lyze Th e Coun try of th e Pointed Firs usi n g th e 1 9 2 5
edition , wh ic h inclu des the three a ppended stories: 11The Qu een I s Twin ,11 II A
Du n n et S h epherdess, 11 a n d 11 Willia m 1 s Weddin g. ��
Natu ral settin gs in th e
n ovel a n d i n th e a ppen ded stori es a ll ow c h a racters i n Cou n try to transcend
.
.
.
a pp arently c on ventiona l h u m a n l imita tions suc h a s physic a l a n d emotion a l
isol ati on from c o m m u n i ty, l i n e a r time, traditi o n a l C h r isti a n religi ons, a n d
gender.
Th e a no nymous n arrator i n the n ovel develops plia n t a n d enric h i n g
relationsh ips with oth er commun ity members as sh e 1 1 returns11 t o her true
sel f.
I n the first few c h a pters of Cou n try, she rea l izes that isola ti o n
from com mun ity c a n renew th e s o u l an d make o n e a stronger member o f a
commun ity in th e long run . This Transcendenta l ist tenet is expan d ed
Leenay - 2
th rou ghout th e origin al novel, as well as the a ppen ded stories.
Using
na tu ra l settin gs as a " sc h ool" for tra nscendence, J ewett a lso touc h es on
th e Tra nsc en dentalist tenet of " th e great and sm all," as seen i n
exa m i n a tions of l i n ea r tim e a n d tra d i ti o n a l C h ristia n beliefs i n the novel .
Most of th e c h aracters i n th e novel are of a matu re age, a ppea ri n g to be
beyond the yea rs of pa rtu riti on .
Despite th is '' limitati on ," th e c h aracters
are able to prosper on seemingly i n fertil e, roc ky l a n d .
Th ey also appear
physic ally you n ger th a n th eir tru e age, th ereby c o n ti n u a lly c o n tra dicti n g
th e limitati ons of lin ear time on a body.
Th e mergi n g of the two
extremes, great and s m a l l , is a colla pse of a tradition a l ly l i n ear,
h ierarch ical structu re.
In oth er words, wh en th e two extremes a re
brou gh t together as o n e there is n o lon ger a n eed for a bi pola r relation sh ip
between you th a n d a ge, good a n d bad, a n d man and wom a n . An embodim ent
of a ll forc es in oneness, as seen in the work of two of Jewett's
i n flu enc es, Ralph Wal do Emerson and Ema n u al Sweden borg, leads to
transcen denc e.
Th e Christi a n belief th a t the greatn ess of G od was born i nto th e
mic rocosm of a h um an baby, Jesus Christ, is an example of th e "great a n d
s m a l l " c ol l a ps i n g i nto one.
J ewett u ses a nd , i n a way, redefi n es this
image wh en sh e ju xtaposes th e m a tern al Moth er Earth fi gu re, Mrs.
Blackett, with the c o n venti on a l C hristia n min ister at th e B owden Reu n io n .
S h e introduces a wom a n -centered C h risti a n ity i n h er book w h ere th e
c h u rch is fou n d in th e domestic settin g of th e h ome. F i n ally, J ewett
.
tra n sc ends gen der role l i m i tations (again u sing n atu ral settin gs for h er
place of educ a tion) by al lowi n g c h a r ac ters to visit b oth their matern a l a n d
Leenay - 3
patern a l selves.
Cou n try is a su btle n ovel that reveals Jewett1 S own exploration a n d,
essenti a l ly, rec onstructi on of m a n y tra dition al n i n etee n th c e n tu ry bel i e fs.
J ew ett does n ot w ork w ith you n g heroin es like A lc ott' s Jo or B ronte1 s
J a n e Eyre to c onvey her messa ge, but rather sh e retu rns, as th e title of
Cou n tryl s first ch a pter i mplies, to th e teac h i n gs of th e past a n d c h o oses
an older woma n , Almira Todd, as a gu i de an d mentor for both th e reader
a n d the n arrator.
In h er c h a r acters, Jewett revea ls th e wisdom of all a g es
a n d so taps into perpetu al kn owledge, growth , a n d a youth fu l spirit.
C h a pter 1 -- N a tu re
A su btle con flict between th e desire to be secl u d ed a n d th e desire to
belon g to a comm u n ity is seen in th e a n onymou s n a rrator of Th e Coun try of
th e Poi nted F i rs.
Her perception of A lm i ra Todd as a n 11 en la rged11
ch a ra cter c a pa ble of ta king on ch a ra cteristics of a Sibyl a n d Moth er Ea rth
e n a bles th e n a rrator to transcend th e physical li mitati o n s fou n d i n
isol ation , as well as i n com m u n i ty.
W h ile th ese two p hysica l states are
common ly set i n oppositi on , th e n a rr ator fin ds th a t a b a l an ce can be
attai n ed .
J ewett1 S a pproach t o th is b a l a n ce, h owever, is less tra d ition al
th a n som e of her con tempora ries beca use commu n ities, as well as
i n d ividu als i n isol a ti on , a re II growin g11 i n n atu r a l settin gs .
Many of
J ewett' s con tem pora ries used the n atu ral world to symboli ze a retu rn to
sel f.
Once th is i n divid u a l is reenga ged with their own n eeds, they return
to fu lfill their contrib u tion to a soci ety a way from n ature.
I ron i ca l ly, th e
n arrator begins with a con sci ou s remova l of h erself from a la rge society
a n d into th e quiet village of Dun n et Lan din g. Sh e soon learns th at th e
growth she seeks is n ot simply achieved by leavi n g a com m u n ity. A
person Is soj ou rn is m u ch more su btle, a n d often times 11 growth s11 i n self
are seen both in settin gs of comm u n ity a n d isolati on .
Th e n a rrator1 s first rel a tionsh ip i n n atu re
Th e n arrator of Th e Country of Th e Pointed F i rs goes to the small
town of Du n n et Lan din g to enjoy th e secl usion of the quiet town . She is
a ls o hopi n g to u se th is i sol atio n to write.
I n th e first few ch a pters, we
Leenay- 5
see th a t th e n a rrator h a s a sincere love for the area a n d the commu n ity
members of Du n n et Landing, but we· a lso see that she h as a desire to be
a l on e.
She goes to th e town seekin g solitude, but fin ds th at there was
11 o n e fau lt t o fin d with th is ch oice of a su mmer l odgin g-pla ce, a n d tha t
w a s its com plete lack of secl usion
II
(Jewett, C ou n try 1 4) .
Th e n arr at�r refers to h erself as 11 a lover of Du n n et L a n din gil
( Jewett, Cou n try 1 3). In her retrospection, sh e u nderstan ds th at bei n g a
lover, or bei n g i n love, can be a tra n sitory state, a n d th a t tru e frie n ds h i p
i s a process:
11 Th e process o f falli n g i n l ove a t first sight is as fin a! a s i t
i s swi ft... but the growth of tru e fri en ds h i p m ay b e a l i felon g affai r11 ( 1 3) .
After a few days i n Du n n et Lan din g, th e you ng writer seeks th e
isolation of a deserted sch ool h ou se to write b eca use sh e can not
con cen trate i n Almira1 S h ou se.
Sh e leaves 11 d u r i n g a p a rticu larly spi rited
a n d pers on a l conversati on , �� a n d II { fl ees } fu rther tem'ptatio n ll by w al k in g
out 11 past the fragrant green ga rden a n d u p th e dusty road11 (Jewett,
Cou ntry 1 8). Her exit appe a rs to be a retreat from the com munity and an
esca pe from th e many con versations th a t fa ll on h er 11 cotton-less ea rs11
( 1 8) . At first the n a rrator says 11Un k i n d words of with drawal to Mrs. Todd11
( 1 6) . Her leave-taki n g is n ot n egative i n th e m i n d of h er l a n d- l a dy,
h owever , beca u se A lmira becomes
II
m ore wistfu lly affectio_n ate11 ( 1 6) with
ea ch compla int. A ltho u gh the n arr ator rents th e sch ool house to work i n ,
sh e fin ds th at w h e n sh e retu rns to A lmira1 s home each eve n i n g s h e i s
11 Welcom ed ba ck as if from a lon g absence�� ( 1 9 ).
l a n dl a dy wou ld b ecom e u pset i f she left.
She h ad assu med tha t her
But, wh en A l m i r a respon ds with
Leenay - 6
kindness a n d u n derstandin g, rather th a n the expected resentment, sh e
begi ns to u n derstan d th at sh e a n d Almira were 11 n ot sep a r ated or
estran ged, 11 a n d th at th ey are developing 11 a deeper intimacy�� ( 1 6).
I n these first cha pters of Cou n try, Alm i r a sh ows the n arrator th a t
isolation c a n be a positi ve experi en ce a n d th at it n e e d n o t j eopa rdize a
person • s relations h i p with a com munity.
Soo n , she learns to enjoy her
solitu de, but is a lso h a ppy to rejoin th e com m u n ity, as seen when she
leaves th e schoolh ou se in the eve n i n g II feel i n g most busi n esslike11 ( 1 9 ) .
Marga ret F u ller, a tra n scen denta list w h o lived som e fi fty yea rs before
Jewett, states:
If a ny in divi d u a l l ive too mu ch in relations, so th at h e
becomes a stranger to the reso u rces o f h i s own n a tu re,
h e falls a fter a w h i l e i n to a distra ctio n , or imbeci l ity,
from wh ich he ca n o n ly be cu red by a time of isolati on
( 1 602).
In Jewetts V ictori a n America, a soci ety faced w ith tech n ological a n d
com m u n ication a dvan ces , som e people m oved away from th e small town s.
Modern a dvan ces drew people away from these com m u n ities a n d
introdu ced th em to th e fast-pa ced u rban settin gs th at u n derstood l ittl e
about th e quiet world of comm u n ities l ike D u n n et L a n di n g.
With such a
sh ift, th ere is a potential for losin g touch w ith th e 11 resources of [on e•s]
own n atu re11 (Ful ler 1 60 2 ) . Per h a ps, th e n arrator of C ou ntry has come
from a l arge city hopi n g to redefine th ese very resources of sel f th rough
positive isol ation, a n d fin ds she is able to do so w ith the gu ida n ce of
Alm ira .
Leenay- 7
Positive isolation was a n. importa n t ten et of Tran scen denta l ism.
Hen ry Thoreau a n d Margaret F u l ler descr ibed i ts ben e fi ts in W a l de n and
The Great Lawsuit respectively.
But, the American Victorian a ge m ade
ava il a bl e n ew tech n ologies that ma d e th is process difficu lt.
Two of these
tech nologi es, the train a n d th e phone, J ewett met with both excitemen t
an d a nxiety. Alth o u gh sh e enjoyed travel i n g a n d the modern conven i en ces,
she also worried th at th is n ew, fast pa ced soci ety wou ld for get the
q u i eter l i fe pleasures th at sh e rem embered from South B erwick, M a i n e
wh ere s h e grew u p a n d lived u ntil h e r death . Th e comm u n icati on th at
developed brought forth a new sen se of isol ation.
Much of Jewett' s trepidation regar di n g modern a dvan ces centers on
th e destru ction of forests ( Si lverthorn e 8 8 ) , a n d th e ability of people to
su rvive in a society dependent on tech n ology.
in one of Jewett' s earlier short stories,
II
Th e l a tter con fl i ct is seen
A L ate Supper,
II
wh ere the
prota gonist, Miss Catherin e Spri n g, discovers sh e m ay lose h e r h ome
because the divide n ds sh e depen ds on from th e railroad comp any are not
bei n g paid to her.
Jewett h as resolved th i s type of anxiety in her
ch a ra cters by th e time sh e writes Coun try.
Th ese l ater ch aracters seem
u n fettered by th e a dvan ces m a de in th eir lifetim es, bu t interestin gly th ey
are awa re of th e m odern , soci a l h abits.
Even Mrs. B l ackett, the eldest
member of th e comm u n ity, h a s a b est room th at is 11 indeed a tri bute to
soci ety11 (Jewett, Cou n try 4 2), a n d William is able to make an old song
11 Home, Sweet Homen soun d 11 qu ite n ew11 ( 5 1 ). Th e r ich ness
of the past a n d th e present i n th ese ch aracters leaves th e reader w ith a n
impression of compl eten ess.
Wh i l e Miss Cath eri n e Spring' s security is
Leenay - 8
derived from a n outside world with wh i ch sh e h as little knowledge or
concrete conn ecti o n , the ch aracters of C ou n try tu rn to n ature for th eir
Importan tly, th e ch aracters of Cou n try h ave n ot only a
resou rces.
con crete con n ection with n ature, as seen in th e u se of the l a n d by Elij a h
an d t h e h erbs by Almira, b u t also great kn owl edge.
Drawing o n th e
Emerson i a n th ought that N atu re is in a con stant state of reg en erati on a n d
s o transce n ds the l i m ita tions of time a n d becomes ti m el ess·, Jewett frees
h er cha r acters by bri n gi n g th em i nto a deep relati onship with th e n atural
In many ways, Cou n try may be Jewett' s con ception of a Utopian
world.
soci ety.
Th e physi cally agin g society of Du n net Lan di n g su ggests a " dying"
soci ety.
B u t a ca refu l rea ding of Cou n try also su ggests opportu n ity where
it is n ot obvious, at fi rst.
" William ' s Weddin g" is a story about a n ew
begin n i n g th at tra nscen ds th e lim itati on s society places on m a rria ge.
F or
many, m a rriage was for the youn g a n d its prim a ry pu rpose was
procreation.
ch i l dren .
Will i a m an d Esth er m a rry late i n l i fe a n d will n ot h ave
B u t birth a n d regeneration a re seen as Esth er walks th rou g h th e
vil lage carryi n g a l a mb, a Ch risti an symbol of i n n ocen ce, rebi rth a n d J esus
wh o was born from the V i rgin Mary. The latter is per h a ps the oldest
" u n conven tion a l " bi rth.
Jewett n ever fin ish e d " Wi l l i a m ' s Weddi n g " so it is difficult to tu rn
to th e story for i nsigh t i n to th e author.
P ossib ly, Willa Cath er fin ish ed
th e story for Jewett. We know th a t th ey developed a stron g rel ationsh ip
towards th e end of J ewett' s l i fe.
Th e childlike descripti on s used in th e
story th at suggest perpetu al you th a lso p erva des th e earlier text, so i t is
Leenay - 9
reason able to a rgue th at Jewett was maki n g a statement on m arri age i n
Cou n try. As a n u n ma rried wom an, Jewett proba bly fa ced n u merous
qu estions about why she n ever married.
Jewett today a ddresses h er sin gl e status.
M u ch of th e criticism written on
Jewett did n ot shu n marriage.
Instea d, sh e wrote a l ove story in un convention a l terms an d made it
fru itfu l when she allowed William and Esth er to m a rry and to ca rry the
lamb together.
ln. h er observati on of William and Esther th e n arrator saw
hope and a new begi n n in g: II h e [William] shook h an ds with me, a n d looked
me full in th e face to be su re I u n derstood how ha ppy h e was, a n d steppin g
in to the boat held out h is arms to Esth er--at last sh e was h is own 11
( Jewett, Cou n try 1 5 7 ).
Th e relationsh i p b etween th e n a rr a tor a n d A lmira is also fru i tfu l.
It is sh aped in spiritu al terms, bu t i s grou n ded in th e pra cti ca l ity of
everyday life.
The n a rrator admi res h er l a ndla dy, but it is an a dm iration
n ot o n ly of h er mystic qu aliti es bu t a lso h er practi cal qu al iti es as seen
wh en th e n a rrato r, return i n g f rom th e sch o ol h ou se , says sh e does n ot
smell th e 11 h erb garden , bu t rath er Mrs. Todd1 S cookin g�� (Jewett, Cou n try
1 9).
I n this scene, sh e exch a n ges th e more poetic descriptions of scents
tha t distract h e r i n h e r writing place for th e practica l side of n ature.
Almiral s use o f h erbs ( a n d so n a tu r e) is a l esson to th e you n g writer.
writer, th e n a rr ator must learn to use h er environ m en t.
As a
The writer 1 s bl ock
th at she s u f fers from may be a resu lt of tryin g to glorify h e r surrou n di n gs
ou t of existence. To write, one must place th emselves in a situ ation an d
use it.
For exa mple, wh en th e n arrator observes th e fu neral procession of
Mrs. Beggs, she puts h ersel f in th e position of dista nt observer, even
Leenay - 1 0
th ough she h a d atten ded th e service .
She feels detached a n d stifled
because sh e h as n ot enga ged h er en vironment. The ch apter en ds with h e r
l a m en ti n g th is kn owl edge a b o u t h erself.
S h e sits at h er desk feel i n g like
a d u ll , 11 a n xious scribe11 ( Jewett, Cou n try 2 1 ).
As th e story progresses, th e n a rra tor devel ops a more intim ate
relation sh i p with th e powers of nature by w a tch i n g h e r frien ds Almira a n d
William.
One m omen t of tran scen den ce for th e n a rrator ·comes as sh e
walks th rou gh the woods with Willia m.
S h e becomes aware of th e power
of si len ce a n d u n derstands th at she does n ot n eed to tel l Wi lliam about th e
beau ty in n a tu re that they a re both witness i n g (Jewett, Cou n try 1 1 9). She
reali zes th a t by n ot spea kin g th ey still h a d 11 th ou ghts in common11 ( 1 1 9 ).
Sti l l , a con flict, a lb e it su btle, exists between the des i r e to be a lo n e
an d th e role each in dividu a l plays i n a comm u n ity.
Th e n a rra tor '' flees11 n ot
once but twice: fi rst to the sma ll cou n try com m u n i ty a n d th en , i roni ca l ly,
she flees th is settin g to th e sch oolhouse.
B efore th e n arrator a ctu a lly
goes to the schoolho use, h owever, she becomes 11 aware of the school in
wh ich [her } l a n dla dy h a d stren gth en ed her n atur a l gi ft11 (Jewett, Cou n try
1 8).
Almira' s school is n ature.
U nlike the n a rrator' s, it is a school that
th rives both in isolation a n d in commu n ity.
The reason A l m ir a ' s scho ol th rives is beca u s e i ts spa ce is flu id.
Th e
sch ool h o use is a space th at th e n a rrator a ttempts to stru cture. Th e
n a rrator II h u n g [h er] h a t a n d lu n ch eon-basket on a n en try n a i l as i f [sh e]
were a small sch olar, b u t [sh e] sat at th e teach er' s desk as i f [sh e] were
th at great a u th ority11 ( Jewett, Cou ntry 1 8).
Th e h i erarchy associated with
a s ch oo l is a ls o seen when Capta in L ittlepage visits h er.
In this scen e,
Leenay - 1 1
by
Captain Littl epage en ters a n d takes 11 th e l ower place of a sch olar��
sittin g i n one of th e stu dent ch a i rs wh i l e th e n arra tor rem a i n s sea ted in
her 11 fixed seat beh i n d th e teach erls desk11 ( 2 2 ). The space th a t th e
n ar rator seeks i n the sch oolh ouse is different th a n the open in g descri ption
of Dun n et Landing, a n d i n particu l a r, the descri ption of Almira l s h ouse.
Th e hou ses o f Dun n et Landing are person ified a n d a re said to h ave 11 made
th e most o f th'eir seaward vi ew11 ( 1 3 ). They have knowing eyes th at
II
wa tched th e h arbor a n d the fa r sea-l in e beyon d, or l ooked n orth wa r d a l l
alon g th e sh ore and its backgrou nd o f spru ces a n d balsa m fi rS11 ( 1 3).
Because th e h ou ses of this vil l a ge are like people themselves, they a ct
with in a fluid spa ce.
A lmira1 s h ouse is also fil l e d w i th l i fe with its 11 bit
of green garden, 11 and 11 gay hollyhocks11 ( 1 4 ). A lmir a 1 s many visitors ch a n ge
the n a rrator1 S first impression th a t her l a nd l a dyts home is
sh elteredn ( 1 4).
description.
II
retired a n d
Iron ically, h owever, the sch oolh ouse fits this
Th e differen ce between th e n a r rator1 s 11 S ch ool11 an d Almi rals
11 S ch ool11 is seen in th eir use of space.
Th e school house is n ot only a physica lly isolated place, but a lso one
th a t a ttracts the m ost isola te d ch a r a cter in the n ovel, Ca pta in L ittl ep a ge,
to its door.
Almira is a bl e to point out some i mp ressive tan sy th a t grows
outside the sch oolh ouse, h owever.
This tansy w h i ch is 11 scu ffed down a l l
spri ngn ( 1 9 ) is stron ger th a n a n y th at Alm ira h as fou n d. A lmirals
observation of th e ta nsy is, also, a n observation of th e n a rrator.
next ch apter, th e narrator begi ns to
II
In the
wish for a com panion and for n ews
from the outer world11 ( 2 1 ) . Th e n arrator, wh o h a s been n scu ffed downn by
her own burdens, soon returns to th e comm u n i ty of Du n n et Landing a n d
Leen ay - 1 2
begins to m ake frien ds. S h e rel eases much of the anxiety th a t sh e h ad
wh en sh e arrived a t D u n n et L a n di n g a n d b egins the process of rej oi n i n g the
commu n ity.
Almi ra a s a myth ical an d prophetic ch a r a cter
The l a n gu a ge u sed to a ssoci ate A l m ira with myth ical a n d mysti c
ch a racters su ch as The Sibyl, M other Ea rth a n d a woman of wisdom give
her someth i n g th at the n arrator n eeds to see in o rder to free herself from
th e constraints of society: agelessn ess.
A gelessn ess gives a person a
sense of endless tim e th at is often lost as a n i n dividu al tri es to ba l a n ce
the various roles n eeded to m a in t a i n th eir i n divi du a l ity a n d the roles
n eeded to fu n ction in society. Th is a gel essn ess is s h a r ply contra sted w i th
a com m u n ity th at at first seems sta g n a n t a n d docile. Almira' s home a n d
s o much o f th e community are very much a live with n ot only 11 bloom i n g
th in gs11 ( 1 4) bu t a lso 11 l o u d a n d ch eerfu l voices11 (Jewett, C ou n try 1 7) .
Alth ou gh th e village i s la rgely made u p of a gi n g peopl e, i t i s by n o means
retired o r barren for its lack of youth.
A l m i ra is 11 l a n d-lady, h e r b- g ath erer, and r u stic ph i losoph er�� ( 3 5 ) ,
says the n arrator. S h e is love, wisdom, a n d tru th i n h e r II own h abitati on 11
a n d h er cou nterparts a re in 11 every villa ge in the w orld11 ( 1 5 1 )
.
By
exp a n di n g Almira' s presen ce i nto 11 every vil l a ge in the world,11 th e n a rr ator
sees h er u n iversa l , enlarged cha ra cteristics.
Th e n ovel begin s in th e
settin g of a s m a l l town where ch a r a cters, at first, a ppear to in teract on ly
briefly, a n d l ive for th e most part in isolation .
Th e n ovel ends, h owever,
with an i mage of a world com m u n i ty. Th e l a n guage Jewett u ses is
Leenay - 1 3
prec1se, a n d each i m a ge of Almira, as a n enlarged ch a r acter, i mplies that
she steps ou tsi de the typica l l i n es of a country h erbalist.
Almira towers over h er h erb ga rden.
11 B ein g a very large person , �� th e
n ar rator states, 11 h er fu ll skirts brushed a n d ben t almost every sle nder
sta lk th at h er feet missed11 (Jewett, C ou n try 1 4) . She is la rge a n d steps
11 h eavily on thyme11 ( 1 4), but a lso possesses 11 a kin d, m oth erly voice11 ( 67) .
Th e pl ay on th e word I thym e11 suggests a mystic power assodated with her
herbs, a n d of course a play on the word 11 time.11
Sh e is n ot limited by h er
physic al a ge an d tra nscen ds l i n e a r ti me in h er r elati on sh i p to th e Si byl
and Moth er Earth .
In W a l den, Hen ry Tho rea u states: 11 Time is but a stream
I go a fis h i n g i n 11 ( 1 770) . Th e fl u i dity of tim e su ggested by Thoreau is
accessed by Almira in Country.
On the way to G reen Isl a n d, Almira tak es
comman d of time a n d n ature. Th e boat th ey a re ta kin g is n ot going fast
en ough for Almira, so 11 sh e took a firmer grasp of the sheet a n d gave an
impatient look u p at th e ga ff11 ( J ewett, Cou n try 3 8). She u rged 11 th e wind
like a h o rse, 11 ( 3 8) and it seemed th a t the boat doubled i ts speed. Lin ear
ti me, and so th e a gi n g process i t outli nes, can b e adjusted to an
i n d ividu a l1 s n eeds.
A l m i r a can n ot r everse the h a n ds of time, but she will
n ot sit i dly by or l amen t its passi ng either.
needed.
Instead she takes c ontrol, as
Earlier, I m en tioned h ow the c h a racters of Cou n try appear
u n fettered by th e modern a dvances of th e Victorian Age.
Cath erin e in 11 A Late Supper,
world.
II
Un like Miss
they m a ke th eir livi n g from th e n atural
By en ga ging with n a tu re in th is way, th e c h a r acters of Cou n try,
Almira in partic u l a r , are able to re ap ben efits oth er people lack.
While
Miss Cath er i n e was ca rried away by a trai n , a symbol of modern ism,
Leenay - 1 4
Almira u ses th e tech n ology of a boa t a n d calms th e win ds. The boa t
Almira ri des i n is not gra n d o r n ew .
sail.
I n fact, it relies on n ature for i ts
A lesson from both of th ese stories is th at h u m a n -m a d e tech n ologies
must work in rel ationsh i p with n atu re.
Th e boat is also a bibl i ca l symbol
of th e fishermen whom J esus ta u g h t to cast th ei r nets with not only ski ll
but a lso with fa ith in a h igher bein g.
In both i nterpretati on s h um a n s do
not work alon e or a gai nst the n atu ra l world.
Like Moth er Ea rth, who is known for h er power a n d 11 l a rge offspr i n g��
su ch as th e One-Eyed Cycl opes and Typh on ( F l a u m , 1 0 8-09), Almira is
also physically l a rge and stron g.
Th e w i n ds sweepi n g u p beh in d h er give
off a powerfu l, mysterious fragra nce, a n d durin g on e even i n g with th e
n arrator th e 11 l arge h ostess retu rned to the little room with a mist a bou t
her from sta n di n g long in th e wet doorway, a n d th e su dden dra u gh t of h er
coming b eat out the smoke a n d fl a m e from th e F r a n klin stove11 (J ewett ,
Cou n try 6 7 - 6 8 ) .
In th is i m a ge, Almi ra seems l arger th a n the n atur a l
elements of w i n d , fire a n d water.
Almira does n ot h ave th e tem per of Moth er Ea rth , h owever. Sh e
demonstrates rema rkable bal a n ce a n d affection in a l l her en co u n ters.
Her
stren gth a n d knowledge a re used to heal, as seen in th e n umerou s herba l
remedies she gives to th e com m u n i ty mem bers (Jewett, Cou n try 1 4) . She
is u n dersta nding wh en her frien d feels a need to work i n th e sch ool h ou se
an d she shows her support for h e r decision by going u p to the school house
to visit. The n a rrator says th at A l mi ra ca me to the sch oolh ou se 11 partly
ou t of a mu se d cu riosity about my i n dustries11 (J ewett, Cou n try 1 9) which
may very wel l be tru e. H owever, a sen se of pleasure a n d respect between
Leenay - 1 5
th e two is a lso seen.
Alth ough th e na rr ator m ay, at first, m isdi rect
hersel f by attemptin g to escape i n to the solitude of th e schoolhou se
.
where s h e th i n ks sh e will find stru ctu re, she is a ctu a lly en gagi n g
isolation as a positive means tow a rd en li ghten men t a nd tra nscend e n ce.
Alimra alludes to th is du ri n g h er visit to th e sch ool h o use.
She refers to
th e 11 S n a p11 ( 1 9) of th e ta nsy a s if s h e i s also reflectin g on th e well bein g
of th e n arrator.
Accord in-g to th e ea rliest myth ology of th e Olympians, Moth er Earth
emerged out of ch aos. S h e th en gave bi rth to th e '' grass, flowers, tr�es,
rivers, l akes and seas, a nd th e beasts and birds that were proper to ea ch ,11
( F l a u m 1 08). Th is Creation Myth ch a n ged wh en Moth er Earth lost her
power to Zeus. But, the image of Mother Earth em ergin g out of chaos
demonstrates a u n iq u e, woman power and is simi l a r to Almi ra' s birth
place i n Cou n try.
Almira ' s birth place, h er mother' s h o m e on Green Island,
is an image of ordered ch a os:
Th e fron t door stood h ospitably open in expectatio n of
compa ny, and an ord erly vi n e grew at each side; but ou r
path led to th e kitch en door at the h ou se-end, and there
grew a mass of gay fl owers and green ery, as if they h ad
been swept togeth e r by some d iligent gard en broom i nto
a tan gle heap. ( J ewett, Cou n try 40)
Th e 11 ord erly vines11 a re contrasted with the 11 tan gled h e a p of greenery. ��
Both have a n a tu ra l o rder, h owever. The n a rrator observes th at Almira is
11 a n a rdent lover of h erbs, both wild and tame11 ( 1 4).
Almir a d oes n ot
d iscrimin ate, b u t rath er she appreci a tes n atu re in its m u ltiple states.
Leenay- 1 6
Mother Earth formed out of a state of ch a os a n d brough t order to it while
respectin g i ts m u l tiplicity.
state.
A l m ir a and h er moth er spra n g from a simi l a r
Almira, also, kn ows m a n y o f th e secr et places to fin d pen nyroya l
an d tansy.
Most i mportantly, perh aps, she h a s come to an 11 u ndersta n din g
with th e primal forces of n ature, an d n ever trust{s } a ny prel i m i n a ry
promise of good weath er, but exa m i n es th e day for h ersel f i n its i n fa n cy11
(7 6) . Th e pri m a l relati on sh i p places h er in th e creati on process, a n d
directly rel ates h er t o Moth er Earth .
A lm i ra is n ot only associ a ted with th e ea rth a n d its prim a l forces,
bu t also with prophetic figu res a n d mystics.
A lmira h a d th e 11 look of a
h u ge sibyl, wh ile the stran ge fragr a n ce of th e mysteriou s h er b blew in
from th e l ittle garden 11 ( 1 7 ) . ·Nea r th e en d of the n ovel Almira beckons th e
n a rr ator 11 as i f sh e were a sibyl11 ( 1 5 2 ) .
Just as a sibyl gui ded Aen eas
th rou gh th e u n derworld to see his father, Almira gu i des the n arrator in h e r
edu cation .
Even A l m i ra ' s birth pl a ce is a g u i de as it sta n ds 11 h igh l i k e a
beacon11 ( 3 7 ) .
Alm i ra i s not l i m ited to one period of time.
She
II
might belong to a n y
age, l i k e an idyl of Th eocritUS11 ( 56), t h e n ar rator observes. Th e referen ce
to Th eocritu s, o n e of the earliest known pastor a l poets, rein forces
anoth er enlarging i m age used in th e n ovel, th a t of lamb a n d sheph erd.
D u r i n g on e of Almira ' s journ eys, a bleatin g l a mb catch es sight of A lmira
an d runs toward h er. Th e Christia n story of a sh eph erd and his lost l a mb
is a n oth e r exa mple of a gu ide. The purpose of thi s gui de imagery may be
to rein force th at growth is a process.
Almira is n ot directly compa red to S a i n t Teresa of Avil a , a mystic
Leenay - 1 7
an d writer in the 1 6th centu ry, as she was to the Sibyl.
However, the
words the n a rra tor cites from Teresa is sim i l a r to the a dvice A l mi r a m ay
give: ''Santa Teresa says th at th e tru e profi ciency of th e sou l is n ot i n
mu ch th inking, b u t in m u ch Iovin gii ( 1 5 1 ) . Thi s quote i s a n excel lent
su mmary of the gift th at Almira gives to the n a rrator.
Almira teach es her
to look a t n ature a n d at people to gain kn owledge. She tells the n arrator
abou t the h istory of an ash -tree as th ey pass by it, as if i t wer& reco rded
with h er own fa mi ly h i story, a n d compares th e growth of th a t tree to
h u man n atu re (84) . W h eth er it is th e tansy or oa k-tree a messa ge ca n be
fou n d in n atu ral settin gs.
The n a rr a tor' s en co u nters with Willi a m , Elij a h , Esther a n d m a n y of
th e other ch a racters leave h er with a new sense of kn owledge.
Interestin gly, the e n co u nters a l l begin w ith a subtle n u dge from A l m i r a .
It is important that A lmira does n ot use a ncient stor ies o r proverbs to
edu cate th e n a rrator.
I nstead, A l mi ra h el ps the n a rrator recogni ze the
tru th s th at reside i n everyday livi n g.
For exa m pl e, the n a rrator enj oys a
11 Wisdom-givi n g str oll i n Mrs. Todd' s company11 ( 1 6 ) . Similar to t h e Book of
P r over bs, from the Old Testa ment, wh ere fath er in stru cts son ,
instruction a l a n d practica l .
n arrative by Wis dom .
an ash -tree.
Cou n try 1s
P r ov e r bs, a lso, i n cl u des an i n stru ction a l
As stated e a r l ier, Almira remarks on th e g rowth of
A lm i r a associ ates the ash-tree tha t w a s 11 droopin g a n d
discou raged11 (84) to a person in a similar state. Sh e s u ggests th e tree
II strikes its roots off into n ew groun d a n d starts a ll over a g a i n with rea l
good cour a ge II (84) j u st as p.e ople do. The n a r ra tor states: 11 lt w as this
pecu li ar wisdom tha t m a de one va l u e Mrs. Todd' s pleasant compani' ( 84 ) .
Leen ay - 1 8
A lm i ra I s wisdom is also 11 an i ntimation of truth itsel f11 ( 5 6 ) .
Simi l a r to
Wisdom i n Pr overbs who was 11 as on e brought u p w ith h im11 ( 8: 3 0) , A lmira
is on e with tru th .
I f th e n arra tor i n C ou n try ca m e to Du n n et L a n d i n g seeking seclusion ,
wh at sh e left with w as a greater u n dersta ndi n g of commun ity.
Th e
ch a ra cters of Cou ntry, A l mi ra in pa rticu l ar, spen d m uch time a lone, but
th ey do so kn owi ng that it is a ti me in wh ich to fin d th e reso u rces n eeded
to rejoi n com m u n ity. When th ey do rejoin the com m u n i ty, t h ey fin d their
cou nterparts i n
II
every vi l l a ge in th e worl d11 (Jewett, C ou n try 1 5 1 ) .
The en l a rging descripti on s of Almira come from th e n a rrator� s
observations. We see the en tire story th rou gh h er eyes.
wh o un dergoes the m aj or tra n siti on.
Sh e is th e person
It is the n arrator w h o o bserves the
tra nsitory existence of first love, a n d i t is th e n arrator w h o observes the
u n iversality of D u n n et L a ndin g as a comm u n ity a n d A l m i r a as a n en l a rged
ch a r a cter .
Wh at does th e enla rgem en t of A l mira s a y a bo u t th e rel ati on ship
between i ndivi du a l a n d commu n ity?
As a wise ch a r a cter, A l m i ra n atu r a lly
seeks a b a l a n ce between h er own n eeds a n d the n eeds of commu nity.
Wisdom l iteratu re of the Old Testa ment 11 m ost explicitly a ddresses
ch aracter an d praxis of both the in divi d u a l a n d th e com m u nity11 ( Brown 4) .
Th e con fl i ct a n d resol ution in Pr ove r bs is a good exa mple. Two di alogues
exist in P r overbs. The first, between a fath er an d son , occurs in a h ouse.
Th e secon d is between Wisdom and th e commu n ity.
Wisdom walks th e
streets to spe a k h e r words, wh ile th e fath er a n d son remain isolated in
th eir h ome. By th e en d of Pr overbs, th e son has ta ken his positi on with
Leenay- 1 9
th e el ders a s a m em ber of th e com mun ity a n d his wife, th e remai n i n g
fem a le figure, h as taken over the domestic duties o f th e h ouse.
I nterestingly, h owever, the wife a lso feeds the poor, as Wisdom h a d
preached.
Althou gh sh e h as taken a less " pu blic" position th a n h e r
h usband, sh e sti ll goes into th e comm u nity a n d a ddresses its n eeds on a
pra ctical level .
U nl ike h er h u sb a n d , who merely speaks oJ w isdo m , she
acts as a wise ch a racter.
Cou n try offers a sim i l a r prefere n ce for action
over speech . Pr over bs suggests th a t a w ise person will seek a ba l a n ce
between the pu blic a n d private doma ins establish ed i n society, a n d that
thi s balan ce will be b ased on a ction.
Almira Todd con ceptu a l iz es and lives
in th e exa mple of th e sa ge. H er role is n ot esta blish ed in one dom a i n .
Per h a ps this i s w h y she is seen i n va riou s forms o f w o m a n power.
I n a way, A lm ira becom es h er own myth i ca l ch a ra cter: a ch aracter
contemporary to Jewett1 S time.
If Jewett is attemptin g to create a n ew
symbol of woman power in A l m i ra , sh e a llows her to esca pe one li mita tion
faced by h er predecessors.
centered worl d.
Th at is, s h e a llows A lmira to l ive i n a woma n­
Moth er Earth lost h er power to Zeus.
Si byl was stron g,
but u sed h er stren gths to h el p male power. T h ey worked with i n a male­
cen tered world.
Like Saint Teresa , A l m i ra is strong a n d i s central to th e
commun ity arou n d h er. She stan ds in th e center of th e brai ded ru g, she
l ives in a vill age th at seems " th e cen ter of civi l i z atio n " (Jewett, Cou n try
1 3 ) , a n d sh e rema i n s th e center of th e n arrator l s journeys by providing h er
a h ome a n d acting as h er gu ide. F or one of th e first ti mes sin ce Moth er
Earth l ost power to Zeus, a woma n is central in a civili z a tion .
The Sibyl a n d Mother Earth ch a r a cteristics in A l mi ra s h ow th e
Leenay - 2 0
n a rrator th at people a re n ot bou nd by a g e and location. The attribu tes
en a bl e A l mi ra to tran scend th e l imitati on s esta blish ed by soci ety.
Th ese
limitations m ay take th e form of a belief th at th e a ged can n ot breed n ew
life . W h a t we see in Cou n try, h owever, is an abu n da n ce of life. The
n a rrator comments a t one point th at she h erself is n o l onger you n g (1 00) .
Sh e says thi s n ea r th e end of th e n ovel a n d when she does say it sh e is
su rprised by h er own youth fu l spi rit. Th e reader does not know at the
begi n n i n g of the n ovel why th e n arrator wants to b e a l one.
Perh aps it is
th e soci al pressures th at exist in com m u n ity, or th e pressu re sh e feels to
un derstan d th e world th at she writes a bout.
Ma rga ret Roma n suggests th e
na rrator, as a writer, h a s 11 su bsu med more a bout th e world of men th a n th e
world of women11 ( 207) , a n d ·is seekin g to release her self from the male­
centered worl d in a n attempt to return to h er tru e cen ter.
For wh atever
rea son , th e n arrator seeks sola ce in isola ti on before sh e rej oins th e
comm u n i ty.
Conversation s in n ature
The h erb gardens o f Almira Todd are 11 odd11 and 11 puzzling to a
stran ger. 11 ( Jewett, Coun try 1 4 ) Th e narrator is aware o f both th e
pr actica l a n d mystical powers fou n d i n th e h erbs, h ow ever.
S h e notes h ow
th e odors 11 rouse a dim sense of rem embran ce of somethin g in th e
forgotten past11 ( 1 4). In the first chapter of Cou ntry, the reader is sh own
th e dual role of h erbs. One rol e is th at of 11 Sacred an d mysti c rites11 ( 1 4 ) .
Th e oth er i s on e of pra ctica l ity beca use h erbs a re m a de u p o f I I h u mble
compou n ds11 ( 1 4 ) .
In th e tradition of th e Wisdom literatu re, Almira's h erbs
Leenay - 2 1
express spi ritu al as well as practi cal e du cati o n .
Herbs brin g people into conversation in Country. The l oca l doctor
respects A lm ira a n d is at once 11 profession a l11 ( 1 5) in th eir con versation
con cerni n g remedies. There a re con n ections betw ee n II frien dly gossip a n d
medi ca l opportun ity�� ( 1 8 ) showin g th e reader th at medici n e i s n ot a cu re­
all, but rath er part of th e h ea li n g process.
A lmira is brought i nto
con versation with all th e peopl e to whom she prescri bes remedi es.
Ga rden s and n ature in Cou n try a re pla ces wh ere commu n i ca ti on a n d
u n derstan di n g bloom, a s seen w h en A lmira tells th e n a rrator a bout h er
h u sban d (48) . Th e n arr ator a n d Almira en ter a h aven between n atu re1 S
powerfu l el ements, rock an d water:
We wen t down to the edge of short grass
above some rocky cl i ffs wher e th e deep sea
broke with a great noise, th ou gh the wind w as
down a n d th e water l ooked qu i et a l ittl e way
from sh ore. Among th e grass grew su ch pen nyroyal
as th e rest of th e world cou l d n ot provide. ( 48)
In th is n atu ral flower garden on G reen Isl and, the n a rr ator listens as
Al mira speaks about her h usband: 11 1 had never h eard h er speak of her
h u sb a n d before, but I felt th at we were fri ends n ow sin ce sh e h a d brou g h t
me t o thi s place11 ( 4 8-49 ) . Th e garden is a place o f u n i ty. People are not
bou n d to the past, but rather th ey a re free to enjoy its memori es.
The conversations in n a tu re, a lso, allow th e ch a ra cters to enjoy th e
past without regret. The n arrator o bserves:
I do not know w h at h erb of th e night it
Leen ay- 2 2
was th at u sed sometime to sen d out a
pen etrati n g odor late in the even i n g, a fter
th e dew h a d fallen a n d th e moon was h igh ,
a n d the cool a i r came u p from the sea. Th en
Mrs. Todd wou l d feel th a t she must tal k to
somebody, a n d I was only too glad to l isten .
( 1 7)
Th e conversation developed a s i f they h ad fallen
Th ey are picking pennyroya l
II
II
u nder th e speW ( 1 7 ) .
a s th e rest of th e worl d cou ld not provi de11
( 4 8) w h en A lmira begi n s to talk a bout h er h u sba n d.
It is in terestin g th at Al mira ch ooses to speak a bout lovers in th ese
natu ra l settin gs.
A sense of loss h a n gs over both conversations, b ut
beca use th ey are set i n bou ntiful , n atural settin gs th e m em ories of th e
lovers take on positive qu a liti es.
Th is sh ows the n a rrator, perh a ps , th a t
a lthough a rel ati on sh i p ends in l i n e a r tim e , it i s · not forgotten or
lamented. This idea is very m u ch what the n a rrator brings a way from h e r
stay at Du nnet Lan din g.
In th e fin a l ch a pter, the n a rrator s its 11 for a w h ile by [ h e r] win dow
lookin g out on the green herb garden , with regret for compa ny11 ( 1 5 8 ) . Sh e
h a s learned to tu rn to n ature w h e n deali n g with the p a i n s of frien dsh i ps.
Th e n a rrator also u n dersta n ds th a t fri endsh ips, rel ationsh ips w ith in
commun ity, last. Th is is seen wh en s h e waves to Elij a h , w h o h ad been a
stranger but is now 11 a warm frien d11 ( 1 6 0) .
S adly, but wisely, the
n a rrator learns that 11 some cha pters of our lives come to th eir n a tu ra l en d11
( 1 5 9) , and th at she must n ow treasu re the memory.
Leen ay - 2 3
Con clusion
Th e n arrator of Cou ntry com pletes a complex j ou r n ey from isol a ti on
into com m u n i ty.
Sh e begins in th e structured spa ce of th e sch oolhouse
wh ere sh e l ea rn s to listen to b oth people and n a tu r e. Th e e n l a rgement of
Almira ou tl i n es th e n a rratorl s u n derstan din g th a t in dividu a l s possess
u n iversal q u a liti es.
In the fin a l scen e of th e n ovel, she u n derstan ds tha t
wh en a bala nce betw�en in dividu a l n eed an d com m u n ity n e ed i s created
people ca n enjoy m emories with out regret.
Her con sta nt guide th rou gh out
h er growth is Almira, an d her solace is conti n u a lly fou n d i n n atural
setti n gs.
C h apter 2 -- Time
As an a du lt, J ewett l a u g h i n gly referred to h erself as a child of n i n e
( Si lverth orn e 3 9 ) .
Sh e resisted the conventiona l restra i nts set on a du lts
i n h er own l i fe, a n d enj oyed givi n g h er l iterary ch a r a cters sim i l a r
l atitude.
Despite their physical age, th e cha ra cters o f Cou n try often
appear € h i l dlike in both action an d appea ra nce.
At the same tf me,
h owever, th e ch a r a cters easi ly sh i ft from th e role of ch ild to .th e rol e of
moth er/caretaker.
n atural world.
I n both roles, ch aracters are wise a n d attu n e d to the
I n order to tra nscend the con ven tion a l l i n es of tim e, they
en gage a physical experience rather th a n th e l a n g u a ge th a t describes that
expen en ce.
Experi e n ce provides a flu id , ci rcu l a r existence w h er e as
l a n g u a ge, by its very str u cture, is l i n ear in m ovem ent.
Langu a ge m ust
m ove toward a fin ite poi n t in order to m a i n ta in m ea n i n g w h i l e th e silent
experi en ce h as m ore l atitu de and is based on relative q u a l ities.
Sil ent Expe r i e n ce
Emerson states in N atu re:
In th e woods, too, a man casts off h is years, as a
sn ake h i s slou gh, a n d at w h a t period s o ever of l i fe,
is a lways a ch i l d ( 9 9 5 ).
Pa u l a B l a nch ard, a u th or o f Sarah Orn e Jewett: Her World a n d h er Work,
describes Cou n try as a n ovel where 11 the oppositi on of th e word to
experience remi n ds us th at J ewett' s u n i verse is still, a l m ost 2 0 years
a fter Deephaven , very cl ose to th a t of Emerson�� ( 2 9 6). Alth ough
Leenay - 2 5
Emerson expressed h is feel i n gs i n words h e repeatedly a ckn owledged their
i n a dequ a cy n ext to th e experien ce itsel f.
In a s im il ar w ay, th e lon g­
win ded ch a ra cters of Cou ntry su ch as Littlepage a n d th e minister, ten d to
be th e least en dearin g an d most l i m ited people in the stories.
for exampl e, is constrained by his w ords.
i n adequ a te words.
Littlepa ge,
He is in effect a 11 little pa ge11 of
He is a lso old a n d feebl e in the eyes of th e n a rrator, as
seen when she h el ps h im ba ck to town from th e sch ool h ouse ( Jewett,
Cou ntry 3 2 ) . William, on the other h an d, i s a man of few words. H e
prefers experi ence over con versati on a n d, despite th e fa ct th a t h e i s a s
old o r older tha n L ittl epa ge, h e does n ot n eed a careta ker.
A ge is flu id in Cou n try.
appear 11 you n ger.
II
A lth ough ch aracters a re physica lly ol d th ey
B ein g n either you n g n or old, but somewh ere i n b etween ,
makes ch a ra cters seem a gel ess.
Th is is a di fferent a gelessn ess th an w h a t
developed w h en A l m i ra takes o n mystic a n d myth i ca l cha r acteristics.
Th is agelessn ess is very physica l , w h i l e th e oth er was a spiritu a l
transcen den ce. Mrs. Blackett a n d Mrs Todd both seem you n ger--not you n g
--a fter traveli n g th rough the woods to th e Bowden Reu n ion.
flu ctuati n g n ot a bsolute .
Th e state is
Will i a m and Esther, h owever, a re per h a ps th e
fin est examples of agelessn ess.
Both ch a r a cters h a ve dedicated th eir
lives to their m oth ers, u ntil a time when th ey can come together. Th e
dedi ca tion a n d love for their moth ers h ave en a bled th em to see a fin er
beauty, a n d to tr-a n scend i n to a youthful presence. Th e fact th at b oth th eir
moth ers are livi n g th rou gh m ost of th e novel, a lso, rei n forces th e image of
youth a n d chi l d. Almira s ays: 11 you n ever get over being a ch ild l on gs you
h ave a moth er to go toll (Jewett, Cou n try 5 5 ) . Jewett' s dear fri en d Celia
Leenay - 2 6
Th a xter died r i gh t before Cou n try was writte n .
Th e m emories th at
Th a xter s h a re d with J ew ett may h ave been the i nspir ation for the
ch aracter Mrs. B l a ckett ( Bl a n ch ard 29 2).
B l a n ch ard su ggests, also, th at
Jewett l s frien dsh i ps often took on the du a l role of m other/ch i l d, a n d th a t
I I cl ea rly th e repeated emph asis she gives th is d u a lity in Poin ted F i rs
reflects the i mportan ce she felt it deserved i n h u m an rel ationsh i ps as a
whole11 ( 2 9 3) .
Th e relations h i p between dau ghter a n d mother is o n e o f b a l a n ce.
Joseph Ch u rch says:
Mrs. Todd maintains a vita l bond with h er
pa rent, one i n which th e wom en meet a s equ a ls,
both willin g to play th e pa rt of mother a n d
da u ghter. Rather than su ccu mb to various
possibilities of depen den ce, th ey proceed as
two cooperatin g a du lts who sustain on e
an other ( 5 5 ) .
Ch u rch s uggests the relati onsh ip betwee n m other a n d d a u ghter is
coopera tive.
Th e first tim e th e n arrator sees Mrs. B l a ckett sh e descri bes
h e r as bright eyed a n d states tha t she h as an 11 a ffection ate a i r of
expecta ti on like a child on a h ol iday�� ( Jewett, Cou n try 3 9) . Before th e
Bow den Reun io n , Mrs. B l a ckett arri ves at Almira Is h o u se 11 tri u m p h a n t as a
ch ild11 ( 7 9 ) . Almira , w h o h as been a mother figu re to th e n a rrator in m a ny
w ays loses h er a uthoritative 11 h eavily domestic�� ( 9 5 ) a i r at the reu n i on .
Being a rou n d h er m oth er aga in, A lmira becomes ll gay as a girl11 (9 5 ) .
Mrs. B l a ckett i s a b l e to t a k e on ch i ldlike q u a l ities with ou t a m othe r
Leenay - 27
present, h owever.
In a way, Mrs. B l ackett appea rs too ideal.
Sh e does n ot
h ave th e temper of h er d a u ghter or th e self-consciousn ess of h er son. For
th is reason , she is more of an 11 idea II tha n a person of flesh a n d bl ood. Her
exa mple, h owever, a l l ows other ch a r a cters to part i ci pate i n th is
coopera tive r elati onship, a n d so serves a pu rpose to th e n ovel.
n arrator sums up th is cooperative relationsh i p i n
II
The
Will iam� s Weddin g
II:
It is diffi cu l t to report the great events
of N ew E n gl a n d; expression is so slight, a n d
th ose few words w h i ch escape u s in m omen ts
of deep feelin g l ook but meagre on the printed page.
On e h as to assume too much of th e dramatic fervor
as one reads; but as I ca me out of my room at breakfast­
tim e I met Mrs. Todd face to face, a n d wh en sh e
s a i d to me, 11 Th is weather1 11 bri n g Wil l i a m i n a fter
h er; 1 t is thei r h appy day!11 I felt somethin g take
possession of me w h i ch ou ght to com m u n icate i tself
to th e least sympath eti c rea der of th is col d page.
It
is w ritten for those wh o h ave a D u n n et L a n d i n g of th eir
own: wh o either kin dly sh a re this with th e wri ter, or
possess a n oth er ( 1 5 0) .
Th e n arra tor1 s a ddress to 11 th ose w h o h ave a Du n n et Landi n g of their own11
i m pl i es u n ivers a l qu a l ities i n the ch a r a cters of Cou n try. Jewett a n d the
n arrator visit rea ders today j u st as th ey did in 1 89 6.
In 11 Crossin g
Brooklyn Ferry11 W a lt W h itman i mmortal izes this tra nscenden ta l
beli ef: 11 lt ava i ls n ot, ti me nor place--distan ce ava ils not, I I a m w ith
Leenay - 2 8
you , you men a n d women of a gen eration , or ever s o many generations
h en cell (2 1 08).
11 William1 S Wedding11 is a scen e of ti meless h appi n ess.
11 The
repression of Mrs. Todd' s u su al m a n n er was swept away, 11 and th e
ch a r a cters were 11 free from their u su a l fetters of self-consciousn ess11
(J ewett, Cou n try 1 5 6) .
II
Willi a m , norm a l ly a recluse, n ever sh rank from the
sympathy a n d public interest in so great an occasion 11 a n d welcomed both
II
th e fi rst group of n eigh bors a n d th e last with heartin ess�� ( 1 5 6) . Th e
m arriage between William an d Esth er, a lso,
tra nscen ds conven tio n a l
limitati ons o f reprodu ction w h en Esth er a rrives with a l a mb.
Alth ou g h
she a n d W i l l i a m are past the 11 time11 t o b e a r ch ildr en , Esther fin ds h ersel f
in th e role of m oth er:
Esther ca rried the l a m b on one arm; she h ad fou n d
ti me t o tell m e th at its moth er h a d di ed th a t morni n g
an d sh e cou ld n ot brin g h erself to the tho u gh t o f leavin g
it beh i n d. ( 1 5 7 ) .
Marga ret Rom a n argu es that J ewett postpones m a rria ges i n h er stories to
save women from th e 11 biological doom th at would encrust them in a mass
of stereotypica l roles11 ( 1 83) .
A lthough th is point is well a rgued for m a ny
of h er stories, Jewett a ctu a lly rei n vents th e sym bol of regeneration in
Cou n try by allowin g Esther to moth er th e Ch ristia n symbol of th e son o f
God. J ewett u ses a n oth er Esth er i n h er sh ort story 11 Miss Esth er1 s Gu est. 11
In this story Esth er is referred to as 11 Easterll by h e r friends.
argu a ble, th en, t h a t J ewett associ ated rebi rth with th e n am e.
It i s
Leenay - 2 9
C i rcl es
I n the first chapter, I argu e d t h a t t h e relationsh i p between people
an d n a tu re is one of m u tu a l respect a n d intu ition.
N atural setti ngs, also,
provide th e environ ment for a s h ift from lin ear time to out-of-time
experien ces.
Thoreau reveals n atu re' s time i n tran scen denta list ter ms
wh en h e says: " Mornin g brings back the h eroic a g e" a n d " vigorou s th ought
keeps pace wit� the su n , the day is a perpetual morni n g" ( 1 7 6 5 ) . These a re
exa mples of o u t-of-tim e experien ces.
S i m i l a r ou t-of-tim e experien ces
are seen in a n u mber of scenes i n Cou n try. Some of these moments are
physical, as seen w h en ch a r a cters take on ch ildlike attributes , but th ere
is also a u n ique sense of com m u n i ty th a t devel ops in this grou p of
ch aracters. The commu n i ty is m a de u p of the older people w h o live for the
m ost part i n isol ation.
Th e n arrator observes:
Th ere were enough you n g persons at the reu n ion,
but it is th e old wh o really value su ch
opportun ities; as for the you n g , it is th e
h abit of every d ay to meet their comrades,-th e time of sep ar ation h as n ot come (Jewett, Cou n try 9 7 ) .
Th e ol d u n derstan d th e ben efits o f i solation. Th at is to say, th ey
appreciate th e u se of isolation to regenerate the sou l th at h as spent too
much time in com m u n ity, a n d n o longer appreci a tes i ts ben efi ts·.
Becau se
of th is, th ey n ow enjoy time togeth er. The B ow den R e u n ion, for m any
criti cs of Cou n try, is th e spiritu a l cen ter of th e book beca use it is th e
culmin ation of com m u n ity to wh i ch the n ovel h as b u i l t i tsel f.
The reu n ion
is, a lso, a n out-of-time exper i en ce in tha t it establ ish es a strong sense of
Leenay - 30
h istory, but also en a bles ch a ra cters to feel you nger.
where
II
It is a gath ering
th e prim a l fires break throu gh th e gra n ite dust in w h i ch ou r souls
are set11 (Jewett, Cou n try 8 6) .
In 11 The D u n n et Sheph erdess, �� the va lue o f experien ce over speech
introdu ced in the main text of Cou n try i s expan ded. Th e na rrator is able to
u n d ersta n d th a t Willi a m a n d 11 h i s moth er u s u a lly spoke very l i ttle beca use
th ey so perfectly u n derstood ea ch other11 ( 1 1 9 ) . I n 11 Th e Old Singerll
ch a pter of Cou n try, h owever, the n a r rator is n ot a bl e to m a ke such a n
astu te observation.
Sh e is, in fa ct, u nr el iable due t o h e r own lack of
growth u p to th is point in the n ovel.
Sh e believes that sin gi n g 11 Was the
silent m a n l s real and only mean s of expressi on I I ( 5 1 ) and a lso believed th at
William a n d A l m i r a 11 cou ld n ot speak th eir deeper fee l i n gs before e a ch
oth er11 ( 5 0).
I n th e later stories, the n arrator l ea rn s th at the r eason for
th e silen ce is n ot l a ck of com m u n ication , but r ather a deep u n dersta n di n g
o f each oth er.
Elij a h Til l ey is an exa mple of a m a n wh o, n ot a ppreci atin g
com m u n i ty i n h i s you th, gains wisdom in l ater l i fe. I n 1 1 Alon g S h ore, 11 th e
n arrator meets Elij a h Tilley wh o is n ot th e 11 evasive an d u n co m forta ble11
( 1 0 1 ) person the n arrator fi rst beli eved h e was, but rathe r he is an old
m a n in rel ati on sh ip with n atu re a n d he is able to transcen d the l i mitati on
of death to conn ect with his wife. E l ijah Tilley is fu lly awa ken ed i nto th e
power of tra nscen dence a fter h is wife1 S death. H er death is n ot forgotten
over time.
He misses her 11just the same every day11 ( 1 0 6) . It is a love th at
does n ot fade with time, but it is also a l ove th at r em a i ns positive.
His
memories of h er do n ot la ment th e past, but rath er ch erish it in the same
Leenay - 3 1
way A lm ira ch erished th e memories of h er old l overs.
Elij a h ' s l a n d i s ferti l e.
Like Almir a ' s,
While most of th e surrou n d i n g l a n d is clogged
with ston e ( 1 04) , h is land grows h ealthy crops.
Th e conn ection between
Tilley a n d the fertile earth sh ows th at h e is a l ivin g ch a racter a ttun ed to
his matern al side.
Land a n d soil are often associ a ted with the m ater n a l or
fem i n i n e side of h um an s beca u s e of th eir regenerative q u a lities, but th e
ch a ra cters i n Cou n try wh o are i n rel ationsh ip with th e earth a re
an drogynous. Wh i le Elijah is a n a dven turous seam a n wh o h as seen th e
world, he is a lso ski l l ed at men di n g socks a n d grow i n g fertile crops.
Almira, the h erbal ist, is a lso very secu re on the sea .
Alth ou gh Jewett
uses these syml:)ols of m a l e assertiven ess a n d fema l e reprodu ction , she
does n ot limit th e ch a r a cters by simply reversing th e m a le and fema l e
roles.
As Margaret Rom a n points out: " Isolati n g a n d accen tu ati n g only
certain dimensions of the h um a n person can n ever resu lt in i n tegrated
wh oleness an d satisfa ction of eith er sex" ( 1 4 3 ) .
Th e discussion Elijah a n d th e n a rrator h a ve a bo u t braided ru gs
tou ch es at th e hea rt of h is tran scenden ce of tim e. At th e begin n i n g of th e
n ovel , Almira is associated with th e braided r u g:
Sh e stood in th e cen ter of a braided ru g, and
its rings of b l a ck and gray seemed to cir cl e
about h er feet in t h e d i m light. Her h eight a n d
mass iveness i n th e low room g ave h er t h e l oo k
o f a h u ge sibyl, wh ile the stran ge fragrance o f
the mysterious h erb blew from th e l ittle garden. (Jewett,
Cou n try 1 7)
Leenay - 32
In 11 Along S h o re,11 Tilley admits he ca n n ot master th e 11 wom a n i sh trickS11
( 1 1 0) of mending a rug, but h e u n dersta n ds th e process when h e says:
II
ours
is brai ded for th e m ost pa rt, a n 1 th eir good looks is all in th e begi n n i n 1 11
( 1 1 0) . Alth ou gh Tilley can n ot take back w h at h a s h appene d in the p ast, h e
ca n look to th e begi n n i n g wh ere i n n ocen ce an d wisdom exist.
H is wife left
h im that gift. When the n a rrator l eaves Tilley, sh e sees th at h e s its I I with
h is h ea d bowed over h i s kn itti n g , as if h e were h a stily sh orteni n g the very
th read of time. The m i n u tes went slowly by11 ( 1 07) .
By accessin g h is
fem i n in e side through kn itti n g , Ti l l ey a lso a ccesses tra n scen den ce of
time.
Emerson sees time as a stone in water.
In 11 Circles, 11 he shows th at
each rin g of water forms a n oth er fu rth er from its cen ter of power: 11 The
l i fe of m a n is a self-evolvin g circl e, whi ch from a r i n g i mpercepti bly
small, reaches on all si des outward to n ew a n d larger circles a n d th at
with out end11 ( 138 ) . Tilleis wife w as h i s cen ter.
disappears, the ri ngs conti n u e.
Even a fter th e center
Til l ey may see th e invisible cen ter as a
wom a n ish trick , b u t h e also u n derstan ds th at the wisdom an d bea u ty of
th e form ca n be u nderstood intu i tively.
Perh a ps the center of the r u g is
si milar to the ch aos from w h i ch Moth er Earth emer ged.
It is a sym bol of
th e u n kn own element that begin s all myth a n d religion.
Rich a r d Gelda rd su m m a r i zes E mersonl s words in 11 Circles11 by sayi n g
th at 11 th e key to increased capa city i s to kn ow tha t th e power does n ot
reside in u s, but th at we r eside in ie'(1 35 ) .
L i n e a r time does n ot exist
because 11 there are n o fixtures in n atu reu (Emerson, 11 Circlesu 1 37 ) . 11 Th e
u n iverse is flu i d a n d vola tile.11 (1 37)
Withou t the h eavy b urden of
Leenay - 33
l i n e a r ti me ch a r a cters i n Cou n try tra nscen d th e a ssu mptions or
presumptions on wh ich we base our fa cts.
The n a rrator in Cou n try comes
from th e busy city to Dun net Landing, a town tha t h as the 11 ch ildish
certa inty of bei n g the center of th e civi l i z ati on 11 (Jewett, Cou n try 1 3).
Em erson states in
II
Circles�� th a t 11 culture is th e predomi n a n ce o f an idea
w h i ch draws a fter it th is tra i n of citi es a n d institu ti ons�� ( 1 37) .
The city
a n d h igh cultu re a re m issi ng from Cou n try. Th ey a re i deas i n the distan ce
an d a re u n n eeded. Du rin g a time wh en cities were becoming m ore
importan t to a soci ety' s progress, Jewett exclu des them.
Helen L evy
s u ggests city life is n ot seen in Cou n try because it h as n o position in the
woman-centered com mun ity of D u n n et L a n di n g. Levy depicts an accu rate
description of Coun try i n h er description o f domestic fiction:
Dom esti c ficti on most often depicts a soci a l ly
iso l a ted h eroi n e wh o esta blish es a fam i ly a n d
redeems a n etwork o f supportive fri e n ds a n d fa m i ly
from a b arren and often m ercen ary social order, th us
reversi n g th e repeated male plot of th e in divi du al
m ovin g a way toward a promisin g frontier and leavi n g
a corru pt social order behind. (35 )
Th e ch a ra cters in Cou n try bu i l d h om es on rocky sh ores a n d fin d fertile soil
a n d precious h er.bs in tangled woods.
As William a n d the n a rrator travel
toward Th a nk fu l Hights [si c] to see Esth er, th e n a rrator observes 11 the
forlorn look of the farms, 11 a n d wonders why peopl e did not raise m ore
II
sh eep when th at seemed th e on ly possible u se to m ake of their l a nd11
(J ewett, C ou n try 1 . 1 8).
Willi a m is pleased by h er observation an d explains
Leenay - 34
th at Esther does raise sheep.
Instead of l eaving th e area w h en sh eep
h erdi n g became difficult, Esth er stayed a n d prospered in w h a t a ppea red to
be a dyi n g occu pation.
Tra nscenden ce · a t Th a nkfu l H ights
Th e n a rrator won ders h ow Will i a m 11 h ad come to be so curiously
wri n kl e d , forgetti n g, a bsen t- m i ndedly, to recog n i z e th e effects of tim ell
( J ewett, Cou n try 1 1 8 ) . The n arra tor forgets that William is n ot a you ng
man.
To be with William, the n a rrator feels is to 111ive on a different
level, where thou gh ts served best beca use th ey were thoughts in com m on ;
th e primary effect upon our m i n ds of th e simply thi ngs a n d bea uties th at
we saw11 ( 1 1 9) .
A g a i n , t h e s h a r i n g of common experien ce i s more sign ifica n t tha n
words. Th e physi ca l envi ronment i n 11 The Dun n et Sh epherdess�� i s forl orn
( 1 1 8) a n d Willi am is p hysi ca lly ol der, yet th ere is beauty, youth a n d peace
in the ch aracters an d l a n dsca pe.
Emerson wrote i n 11 Th e Over-Sou l11 :
We are often m a de to feel tha t th ere is a n other
youth or age th a n th a t w h i ch i s measured from th e
yea r of our n atural birth . Some thoughts a lways
fin d us you n g a n d keep us so. Such a th ou ght is
th e love of the u n iversal a n d eter n a l beauty
( 1 0 64).
As the n arr ator a n d Willi am forge th rough the w oods to see th e Th a nkfu l
Hight s folks, the n arrator u nderstan ds the preferen ce for experience over
expression.
Th e n arra tor says:
Leen ay - 35
On ce wh en I cau g h t sigh t of a l ovely g ay
pigeon-woodpecker eyein g us curiou sly from
a dea d bran ch , a n d i n stin ctively turned toward
Wil l i a m , h e gave a n i n d u l gent, compreh en ding
n o d wh ich silen ced m e all th e rest of the way.
Th e wood-road was n ot a pla ce for common n oisy
conversati on ; one w ou ld interrupt the bi rds a n d
all th e still l ittl e beasts that belonged th e're.
But it was m ortifyin g to fi n d h ow strong the h a bit
of i dle speech may become in one1 s self. ( Jewett, Cou n try 1 1 9)
La n gu age m ay also be considered a part of m ale power.
Levy su ggests
Jewett tra nscen ds the dilemma of m al e power a s th e on ly l egiti m a te
power th rou gh a woman centered l a n g u a ge a n d environ m ent wh ere
wom a n ly creativity is cooperative, n ot j u st a b i ologi ca l dem a n d ( 5 ) .
Jewett sh ows us a woman-centered creativity beca use sh e i s a wom a n ,
but th e result tra nscen ds even gen der l i m itations.
similar tra nscenden ce.
Em erson achieve d a
Wh at Jewett tra nscen ded w as th e assu mption that
written l a n gu a ge can ca ptu r e th e essen ce of an exper ien ce . Emerson
states th at 11 experi en ce is converted into tho u g ht, as a mu lberry l e a f is
converted i n to satin 11 (A m e r i c a n 1 0 2 6 ) . There i s a n i n ex pressible step i n
th e process th at c a n only be left for i n tu i tion t o u n dersta n d.
Th e n a rrator awakes from a sleepy conscious state at th e begi n n i n g
o f 11 Th e D u n n et Sh eph erdess. ��
As th e n arr ator a n d Will i a m move from th e
woods a n d trout fishi n g i n to th e bright fields of Th a nkfu l Hights a n oth er
awaken i n g occurs.
In the begin nin g o f th e story, the n a rrator is en gaged
Leen ay - 36
by a n d awa kened i nto 11 a spiritu al conversati on
II
(Jewett, Cou n try 1 1 1 )
between A l m i r a a n d W i l l i a m outside h er win dow .
As s h e w a lks with
Wil l i a m , h owever, sh e is awaken ed i n to the power of silen ce.
In a su btle
observa ti o n , th e n arrator con n e cts consci ou sn ess a n d growth: 11 1 was
con scious, after we p arted, and I turned to see i f h e were a l ready fish in g,
an d saw h i m wave h i s h an d gallantly as h e went away, th at o u r friendsh ip
had m ade a great g a i n 11 ( 1 1 7 ) . A su ccessfu l frien dsh i p is an act of growth
for J ewett.
S a n dr a Za garell describes Cou n try as a �� n arrative of
com munity11 ( 4 9 9 ) . She su ggests:
n arratives of com m u n i ty i gn ore l inear developme n t
o r ch ron ological sequence a n d remain i n a n open
geographic pla ce. Rath er tha n bei n g con structed
a rou n d con flict a n d progress, as n ovels u s u a lly a re,
n a rr atives of com m u n ity are rooted in process. ( 5 03)
Th is is the same process seen i n Jewett' s b a l a n ci n g of experi en ce a n d
lan guage.
process.
Marjorie Pryse, also, h i gh lights J ewett' s view of frien dsh i p a s
Wh en the n a rrator leaves William, process i s measu red i n terms
of their frien dshi p.
N a rratives of com m u nity do al low for a flu i d space to
exist within a str u cture.
For exa mple no visible m i ddle grou n d exists
between l a n g ua ge a n d silence, conscious a n d u n consci ou s: " Th e h i gh woods
grew squa rely against a n old ston e wall a n d a s u n sh i ny open fiel d, an d we
came out su dden ly into broa d daylight tha t startled us a n d even sta rtled
th e h orse, w h o might h ave been n a pping as he w alked, l ike an old soldi er11
( Jewett, Cou n try 1 2 0). Th ey entered a wild, 11 Titan i t sort o f p asture
cou ntry�� a n d the re w as n o h a lf-wooded strip of lan d11 ( 1 2 0) between th e
II
Leenay - 37
woods an d th is pastu re.
A sen se of division a n d isol ati on , associa ted with
natu re i n so m u ch of n i n eteen th century l iterature, does n ot exist i n
Jewett' s work. Th ere i s n o middle grou nd o r in-between th at defi n es th e
distinct h alves.
Instead, th ere a re th e two opposites m a i n t a i n ed in the
wh ol en ess of n atu re. I n an drogyny, th e sexes joi n or form as one without
II
sepa ration. Th e pasture an d woods are a lso wh ole a n d, n o h alf w ooded11
( 1 2 0) a rea ma rks th eir separ ation .
Th e bala n ce between Good a n d Evil
Evil is present in Th an kful High ts.
A constan t remin der that 11 th e
dogs are a pt to be a fter th e sh eepll (Jew ett, Cou n try 1 2 4) fills th e a ir, an d
the landscap e is both loomi n g rock a n d ferti le soil.
Yet th is is wh ere tim e
i s tra nscen ded, where William a n d Esth er m eet a n d exch a n ge
II
a serious
ch a pter o f Rom a n ce�� (1 2 5 ) . Esth er b ecomes a n xious a t times, a ccordin g to
her m oth er.
Sh e is aware, then , of th e n egative, but Esth er h a s built 1 1 a
kind of a fold, she calls it, u p th ere in a sheltered spot,11 a n d sleeps in
sh ed th at' s 11 always pleasan t in a n y weath er�� ( 1 24).
a
By accepti n g th e
Ju n gi a n sha dow, or in Thomas Moore' s words by allowin g both th e Old M a n
II
and th e Youth t o h ave a pl ace11 ( 1 5 ) a person allows the soul t o 11 Speak a n d
show itself .as i t is11 ( 1 5 ) .
Esth er' s a cceptan ce of a l l forces elimin ates h er
a n x i ety.
Jew ett pu rposefu l ly introd u ces evil into a see m i n g ly u topian setti n g
to show th at a b a l a n ce can be a ch ieved.
This bala n ce contrasts the h u man
elem ents that destroyed the u topia in The B lithedale Rom a n ce. Tickn or,
Reed, and Fiel ds pu blished H awth orn e' s n ovel in 1 8 5 2 .
It is very likely
Leenay - 38
J ewett was fam i l i a r with both the n ovel, a n d th e experim en ta l soci a l ist
community of Brook F arm .
In the fin al ch a pter of The B lithedale Rom a n ce,
Miles Coverdale says: 11 More a n d m ore, I felt th at we h ad stru ck u pon wh at
ou ght to be a tru th11 ( Hawthorne 2 4 5 -4 6 ) . In a sim i l a r tech n i qu e u sed by
Jewett, Hawthorn e h a s Coverda le speak directly to h i s reader.
Th e
differen ce between the two n ovels lies i n the m a i n ch a ra cterl s a bility to
l et go of ti me.
Coverdale h a tes to tell h is story, whi l e th e n a rr a tor in
Cou n try enjoys her growth an d process.
Evil is n ot presen ted on a
h iera rchy with good in Cou n try. Th e n arrator does not pu rsue truth , 11 but
II
rath er enga ges in th e process of l ivi n g.
Even Coverda l e1 S n a m e a llu des to
h is repression of time a n d self.
Esth erl s m other is very aware of a ge a n d the limita ti on s of tim e, but
she is a lso a b l e to tra nscend th ese limita tions with th e n a rr ator� s help.
is im porta nt that th e n arr ator h as grown into a gui de a t this point.
It
Sh e is
much differen t from th e n a ive woman wh o exch an ged n ature a n d
comm u n ity for isol ation, as seen in the e a rl ier schoolhouse cha pter. T h e
n a rrator h a s n ot on ly learned a sen se of self, b u t h as a lso learn ed a sense
of r esponsibility to comm u n ity in this l a ter story.
The n arrator says
11
it
was lon g before we n oticed th e lapse of timell (J ewett, Cou n try 1 2 4). Sh e
also sees the a ntiqu ity o f Mrs. H i gh t s speech a s a n a sset:
It may be only a fan cy of my own th at in
th e sou n d a n d valu e of many words, w ith th eir
length e n ed vowels an d dou bled caden ces, th ere
is some fa int s u rviva l on the Main e coast of
th e sou n d of Engl ish s peech of Ch aucer1 S tim e. ( 1 24)
Leenay - 3 9
" At l ast" ( 1 2 4 ) , Esth er1 S m other i s aware o f ti me a n d a bruptly refers to
Willi a m 1 S age by a skin g i f h is h ea r i n g was a ll right.
Th e old woman says
William h as been gon e " som e consi der a ble time, " but that " th e time h as
re1 11y flown " ( 1 2 5 ) . S h e a ppea rs to h ave a ccepted the flu i dity of time a n d
h a s learn ed to a ppreciate th e experience rather t h a n dwell on th e
l i m itations of time.
Th e n a rrator " h a d a sense of bei n g th e m essenger of Fate" (1 2 6) Th is
1s an interestin g commen t consider i n g that a l l ch a ra cters seem in b a la n ce
with tim e at this point in the novel.
attitude.
Th e word " fa te" su ggests a wh imsica l
This passa ge m ay be read as the narrator! s devel opm en t of
S i byllike ch a r a cteristics, h owever.
S i byl h ad great proph etic a b i liti es a n d
wrote a person1 S fu ture on dri ed l eaves.
Should a w i n d com e u p a n d ca rry
all th ose leaves a lways, h owever, Sibyl a ccepted this a n d th e lost
fortu nes ( B u l fi n ch 1 1 9 ) .
A s th e n arrator gains wisdom, s h e i s still
su bject to a h igher order.
Th e com ment rem i n ds us th at th e n a rr ator is
still a believer in fate; a very h u m a n ch ara cteristi c.
P erh aps this is why
she and Esth er1 s moth er comment so much on time. Th ey h a ve moments of
transcen den ce, but remai n grou n ded in tim e.
On th e oth er h a n d, Esther a n d Will i a m were n ever aware th at i t was
II
so late in the a ftern oon11 (Jewett, Cou n try 1 2 6 ) . Now th at h e h as seen
Esther h e is n o l on ger the
II
a n ci ent b oy, 11 but rather h e is oddly like a
11
h appy youn g m a n " ( 1 2 6) . It is n ot u n ti l th e en d of th a t story th at we are
tol d it h as been a year since William a n d Esther m et l ast. Th e rea der does
n ot receive clu es to this, su ch as anxiousness or an i n itia l dist a n ce
between the l overs.
The n arrator, wh o i s stil l at times very aware of
Leenay - 40
time, as seen by h er commen ts on Willi a m ' s appeara n ce and h er con n ection
with Esth er' s m oth er, is n ot overly con cerned with th is deta i l , h owever.
Sh e remarks that " th e grave yearly visit h a d been ch anged from a h ope i n to
a h appy m emory" (12 8). Th is comment merges fu ture h ope with past
memory to live in th e present: th e here and n ow.
Conclusion
A gel essn ess ta kes o n physi ca l attribu tes, as well a s , th e. spi r itu a l
a n d u n iversal q u a liti es suggested in th e fi rst ch a pter o f this th esis.
Th e
ch i l d/caretaker roles a re cooperative i n tim e, allowin g ch a r a cters to
tra nscend th e limita tion of lin ear time.
In the exa m ples p rovided in th e
n a rrator' s i n te r a ction with Wil l i a m a n d Elij a h , we see th a t th is
tra nscen den ce progresses beyo n d physical ( i n cl u di n g gen der) li mitati ons,
and th at simila r to th e l esson th e n a rrator learns from the n atur a l world,
tra nscenden ce of time a l l ows m emories to be enj oyed with out regret.
C h a pter 3 - Rel i gion
The Great a n d Small
Rel i gi on i n C ou ntry, a n d oth e r works by Jewett, h a s been defi n ed as
a woma n ' s spiritu a l ity.
A l m ir a ' s m o cki n g of n on -sea worthy min isters
(J ewett, Cou n try 6 6 ) , a n d Silverth orne' s n ote that " li k e m a n y V ictori a ns
Sarah relish ed long-win ded serm ons i f th ey h a d food for th ou.gh t in th em,
but was quick to condemn th ose she foun d ' boring' or ' stupid' " ( 5 8) show
that Jewett did n ot follow, bli n dly, on e pa rticu l ar rel i giou s belief.
One
question th at a rises is whether or n ot J ewett is repl a ci n g tra d i ti on a l ,
org a n i zed religion with i m a ges of a wom an -centered spiritu a lity.
O r , 1s
sh e suggesti n g someth i n g cl oser to C a rl G . J u n g' s i dea of Christ as a
reflecti on of self ( S i n ger, B ou n da ries 393) wh en Almira says: " ' It ch oked
me righ t u p to see m oth er at th e h e a d , walkin ' with the min isters, "'
( J ewett, Cou n try 9 1 )?
It woul d be l ogical for Almi ra to rel ate to h er
moth er a s n ot only a b iologica l compan i o n , but also a s wom a n .
Jun e
Sin ger ela borates on J u n g ' s concept i n terms of a circl e:
In pri n ciple, th e circle m ust h ave a cen ter,
bu t th at poi nt which we m ark as a center is,
of n ecessity, larger th a n the tru e center.
However
m u ch we decrease the central point, th e true
center is at the center o f th at, and h en ce, smaller
yet.
The circumferen ce is th at l in e arou n d th e cen ter
w h i ch is at all poi nts equ i di sta nt from it.
B ut,
since we do n ot kn ow th e len gth of th e radiu s, it
Leenay - 4 2
m a y be s aid o f any ci rcle we may imagine, that our
m a n da l a is larger than tha t. Th e man da l a , th en , as a
sym bol of th e sel f, h a s th e q u a l ities o f th e circle,
cen ter a n d circu m fe re n ce, yet like the sel f of wh ich
it is an i m a ge, it h as n ot th ese q u a liti es. (Bou n d a r i es 3 9 3)
The m a n d a l a, 11 th e m agic ci rcle11 ( 24 0 ) is flu id an d r eflective of its
en vi ronment. As an ima ge of self, religion is a lso fl u i d.
G od is n ot
a u ton omous, but rath er pa rt of th e embodiment of the great a n d th e small.
Si nger expla ins the idea as presented in the Ch risti a n symbol of th e son of
God:
Is it any won der th en , th at the m a n who was
n ot a man shou l d be ch osen as a symbol of the
self a n d wors h iped th roug h ou t the Ch risti a n world?
Is it at a l l strange, w h en con s i dered sym bolica l ly,
tha t th e belief a rose tha t an in fin ite spi rit wh i ch
perva des the universe shou l d h a ve con centrated th e
omnipoten ce of h is bein g into a speck so i n fi n itesim a l
th at i t cou ld enter the womb o f a woman a n d b e born
as a divin e ch ild?11 (Bou n da r i es 3 9 3)
S i n ger1 s i n terpretation of religi o u s origi n s is strik i n gly s i m i l a r to
Emerson1 s perception of great a n d small.
Em erson states i n N a tu re: 11 We
a re made aware tha t th e m a gn itu de of material th i n g s is m erely rel ative,
an d all obj ects shrink a n d expan d to s erve the passion of th e poet11 ( 1 0 1 1 ) .
J ewett1 S rel i gion tra n scen ds th e tra diti o n a l position o f min ister as
leader, by placi n g Mrs. Bla ckett a t the head of th e Bowden para de, a l on g
Leen ay - 4 3
side th e m i nister.
This sim ple old wom a n is the most tre a su red mem ber
of the reun ion because she represents th e ritua ls seen in n atu re. Th e
m i n i ster, on th e oth er h a n d , represents the ritu als of the ch urch . J ewett
ju xtapos es th ese opposites a n u mber of times in Cou ntry. 11 Th e Queen ' s
Twi n 11 is a n oth er exa m ple.
I n th is story, Jewett estab l ish es a rel atio n sh ip
between an u nassuming New Engl a n d woman , a n d th e queen of Engl an d.
In
psych ol ogica l terms, relevan t to this paper , the II con'j u n ction of the
opposites�� en ables us to
II
break loose ou r i dea of w h at we a re from the
sel f-im ages we h ave con str u cted i n order to con form to w h a t we i m a g i n e
to be the expectations of our parents, ou r duties i n l ife or our roles i n
society11 ( Si n ger, Androgyny 1 4 6). J ewett h as created an u n con ventional
society and in order for th is soci ety to succeed it rel i es on opposites.
Rel i gi o n for th is soci ety is cen tr a l to everyday l ivi ng, b u t it is a lso a
religion th a t pays h om a ge to people a n d n ature rath e r th a n to a deity.
Th e C i r cles of Ritu al
Th e 11 Small and great11 ( 8 9 ) of the B owden cla n enter the reu n i on a s if
th ey might h a ve been a company of a n ci ent G reeks goi n g to celebrate a
11
victory, or to worshi p th e god o f h arvests i n the grove a b ove11 (Jewett,
Cou n try 90).
Th e tra dition a l , Western ritu al merges w ith th e pa ga n ritu a l
i n th is s cene. J ewett exp an ds this image by perso n i fyi n g th e sky a n d sea
a n d bri n gs the great into a small p rese n ce:
Th e sky, th e sea, h ave watched poor h u m a n ity
at its r ites so lon g; we were n o more a N ew
E n gl a n d family cel ebrati n g its own existen ce
Leen ay - 44
a n d simple progress ; we carri ed th e tokens a n d
i n h erita n ce o f a ll such h ouseholds from wh ich
th is h ad descen ded, and were only th e least of ou r
l i n e . We possessed th e i nstin cts of a fa r, forgotten
ch ildhood." ( 9 0)
Rel igion a n d ritu al become a circle th at b a l a n ces Ch risti a n a n d pa g a n ,
min ister a n d Moth er Earth , an d son a n d dau ghter. J ewett' s use of the word
" in stin ct" in the quote above is Emerson i a n , a n d may a lso refl ect the
m a ri n er' s wisdom as he sea rch ed out u nk n own l a n ds.
New En g l a n der' s in
th e n i n eteen th century appreciated the treasures a n d mysteries that th e
seam en b rou gh t back from the Eastern la n ds th ey visited.
This is seen i n
the way Mrs. B l a ckett treasu res her gifts th at c a m e from fa r off l a n ds,
su ch as Tobago ( S O) . Th ese treasures represent th e mystery and b eauty of
Green Isl a n d.
In 1 88 5 , J ewett m ade the following comment on E dwin Arnold' s
book I n dia Revi sited:
He h as a grave conference with a n old priest,
wh o th a n ks him for wh a t h e h as done for B u ddhism,
an d th en Arn old asks h i m if th ere a re any Mah atmas,
to wh ich th e priest a n swers no, n on e at all!
If we
h a d better interpreters of B u ddh a ' s tea ch in g we m ight
reach h ei ghts a n d depths of power a n d goodn ess th at
a r e now i mpossible; but we h ave fallen from the old
wisdom a n d n on e of us today are so a dvan ced.
( Jewett, L etters 2 6)
Leenay - 4 5
J ewett' s frustration with some religious lea ders is seen i n th is passage.
Sh e points out an i mporta nt limitation of orga n i z ed religion: it i s b ased on
interpreta ti on .
When a religion is en ga ged th rou g h th e interpretati on of
a n other--e. g. the priest sa i d th ere a re no m a h atm as--it l acks sel f.
I ron i ca l ly, i n H i n d i , the word M a h a tm a is spel led Mah atman a n d breaks
down into m a h a, mea n i n g great, a n d a tm a n , m ea ni n g self o r sou l,
(Sou kjl a n ov 7 1 6) .
A g a i n , we see Jewett steerin g away fr-om th e closed
walls of th e chu rch to a l i berati n g relationsh ip ca p a b le of en compassi n g
a ll o f h um an ity a n d of bei n g truly inclusive.
The i n flu en ce of Sweden borg
One of J ewett' s ea rly religious in flu e n ces was Professor P a rsons
who tau gh t the ph ilosophy of th e Swedish sci entist a n d mystic, Em a n u el
Sweden borg ( Silverthorne 5 9) .
Sweden borg wrote in Lati n a n d was
transl ated in th e early eighteenth centu ry for America n a udien ces.
He
advocated a ph ilosophy of cha rity n ot cen tered on freein g on eself of
materi al wealth or merely doi ng good deeds, but r ath er, he wanted to see
an embodiment: " Good done in bodily a ct m ay th us h ave th e a ppea r a n ce. o f
good to th ose wh o s e e only th e extern a l, but withi n l i e w i l l a n d intenti on "
(4). Whe n good deeds are taken for granted, " th ey become n or ms. The
n a rr ator en ters Du n n et L a n ding as a stran ger, but is rea dily ta ken i n by th e
commun ity.
Th e rel ations h i p tha t develops is so deep th a t s h e feels she is
a stran ger in h e r previous h ome, B oston . The generosity of th e commu n i ty,
especia lly tha t expressed by A l m i r a , is taken for granted as it wou l d be
with fa mily, a n d tra nscen ds simple politen ess.
Th e n a rrator is n ever tol d
Leen ay - 4 6
s h e should learn from a situ a ti on , but i s conti n u ously en cou ntering n ew
opportu n i ties a n d dialogues th a t do lead to growth. I n this way, sh e a n d
th e other ch a r a cters in Cou ntry exemplify the embodimen t of
Sweden borg• s prin ci pl es.
Swedenborg believed an evil an d a good person ca n do good, a n d th a t:
11 in a word, good is good to a nyon e in th e same degree a n d of correspon di ng
qu a l ity that evil is evil to the person . Th e one can n ot be sepa rated from
th e oth er11 ( 1 5 ) . This quote dem onstrates Sweden borg• s emphasjs on
embodiment rath er th a n j u st sin gle a cts of good.
William B la ke m akes a
si milar statement i n 11 Son gs of I n n ocen ce an d of Experi en ce11 where he a sks
in 11 The Tiger11 : 11 Did h e who m a de the l am b make theer ( 7 2 ) . Blake• s
qu estion is pertinent to q u esti ons of rel igion a n d gender.
make a ll religion?
Did one G od
Who made th e male a n d w h o the fem ale?
As ou r lives
are fl u id, so are th ese qu esti on s of our origi n s. T h e a n swer rests in ou r
a bi l ity to see m u ltiple a n swers s i m u ltan eously.
Th is is w h er e J u ng • s
sh a dow a n d con cept o f a n i m a a n d a n i m u s become i mportant. By
a ck nowl edgin g th e evil withi n a n d by bala ncing th e con trasex u a l a ni m a a n d
a n im u s on e is tru ly able to obtain embodim ent.
The ritu als seen i n Cou n try, th e h om ep l a ce th at is esta blished, an d
th e a cts of forgiven ess seen in th e n ovel all captur e Sweden b org• s concept
of embodiment.
J ewett s h ows great respect for ritu a l as seen in A l m ir a • s
h er b gardens, th e ritu a ls of conversati on an d th e bonding ritu a ls of family
seen at the Bowden reun ion and on G reen Islan d. On Green Isl a n d, for
example, th e n a rrator is asked to sit in Mrs. Blackett s rock i n g ch a ir.
Th e
ch a i r represents h om e a n d ritu a l: 11 h ere was the real h ome, the h e a rt of the
Leenay - 47
old h ouse on Green lslan d!11 (Jewett, Cou n try 5 2) . Th e ch a ir is n ot on ly a
woman l s ch air ( a rocker is often used by a n u rsin g m other or in the
tra dition a lly fem a l e works of sew i n g or kn ittin g ) , but a lso th e ch air 1s a
symbol of con stant moti on , th us relating back to growth as· a conti n u ou s
process r ather th a n a mea n s to a n en d. Mrs. Bla ckett a ccepts th e n a rrator
into h er h oni eplace with sincere gen erosity a n d with a sense o f ritua l a n d
commun ity.
In the short story 11 The F oreigner,11
organ i zed rel igion retu rns.
published in 1 900, a respect for
The story emph asiz es, h owever, th a t religion
is only benefici a l wh en it i s align ed with a sen se o f com m u n ity an d
sisterhood. This sense of commu n i ty is a common treatise foun d in m a ny
rel i g ions.
Wh a t m a k es th is story p a rti cu l arly interesti n g is th a t th e
sense of com m u n i ty develops arou n d a death . Ju n e Sin ger p u ts it in terms
of ambiguity.
No matter h ow h ard we may avoid th em , there are certain
th i n gs we a ll experience a n d can n ever control. Death is one of th ese
th i n gs ( Sin ger, Bou n da r ies 4 1 9 ) . The death of the foreign erl s moth er
gui des the women through a sh ared u n k n own . The sen se of love and
u n d erstan di n g that develops is n ot u nlike the ritua ls people h ave
developed since th e begi n n ing of tim e a n d th e ritu als used everyday.
II
Miss
Tempy1 s Watch ers11 is a n oth er sh ort story, written in Jewett' s later years,
th at exa mi nes the ritu a ls centered a ro u n d death . A ga i n , th e 11 sh a red
experien ce11 of watch i n g over a dea d body bri n gs the two fem a l e
ch aracters i n to a n ew sen se of u n dersta n di n g with each other a n d
th emselves. Embodiment a s presented by Swedenborg a n d i n th e work of
J ewett must a ll ow for a temporary release of control over self a n d a
Leenay - 48
j oi n i n g togeth er with an oth er in a shared experience.
11
Sweden borg tal ked a bout charity in terms of
disinterested service,
11
th at is a " con cept of inca rn ation" (Wu nsch xvii). The idea of disinterested
service, or service don e with ou t self ga in , may relate to a n e arly q uote by
Jewett on coun try and city people.
In an in terview with Th e Boston
J ou rn a l J ewett said:
When I was, perh a ps, fi fteen , th e first
11
city
boarders11 began to m a ke th eir a p peara n ce n ear
Berwick; and th e way th ey misconstru ed th e
cou ntry people a n d m a de g a me of th eir pecuJiariti es
fired me with i n di gn ati on .
I determ ined to teach
th e world th a t cou ntry peopl e were not th e awkwa rd,
ign orant set those persons seemed to thi n k. I wanted
th e worl d to know th eir gran d, simpl e l ives; and so
far as I h ad a m ission w h en I first bega n to w rite,
I th i n k tha t was it. ( Si lverthorne 6 6- 6 7)
Th e purpose for h e r writin g was to explore h u m an n a tu re th rou gh a small
pi ece of it. When rereading th is qu ote and u nderstan di n g Sweden borgl s
ph i l osophy a nd_ h is i n fl u e n ce on h er, the relationship becomes n ot only on e
of city a n d cou ntry
11
getti ng a cqu a i nted11 ( Si lverthorne, 6 6 ) , but a lso, th e
self an d the world it i n h a bits getti n g to kn ow each other.
It is an
i n ca rn ati o n .
I f we live in a cou ntry based on i ndivi du a l ism, Helen Levy suggests,
an a ltern ative 11 h omepl ace11 ( 7 ) can be foun d in such works as Cou n try.
The h om eplace rejects the pol a r thi n k i n g, the
Leenay - 49
body-mi n d division and th e wi n n er-loser m o del ,
preva len t withi n th e soci a l com petition the writer
an d h er creati ons leave beh i n d ( Levy 7 ) .
Th i s h om epla ce i s the source o f J ewett' s spiritua l ity.
Th is pl ace is a ls o
woman-centered, n ot depen dent o n linear time, a n d n ot focused on a
con demn i n g, all powerfu l God. The difference is seen i n h ow:
Dian a of Eph esus with m a ny breasts love d
all h er children equ a l ly, i n contrast to the l ater
Fath er G od whose love was con ditional upon beh avior
of th e chi ldren : un less th ey were tota lly obedient
an d con form ed to h is every dictate, th ey were
su bj ect to the cru elest pu n is h m en t, even to death ( Si n ger,
Androgyny 5 2 ) .
In th is p assage, S i n ger h ig h l i gh ts th e myth of m atriar ch y tha t preceded
the present beliefs of C hristi an ity.
Th e h om eplace in Cou ntry a llows a
n ew wom a n -centered h i story to develop.
'
F or exa mple, th e n a rrator is
sh ow n pictu res of Almira and h er m oth er as th ey j ou rn ey up the h i ll to
fin d Pennyroyal (Jewett, Cou n try 4 7 ) . H istory i n this n ovel i s a woman' s
h i story. It does not excl u de men , but it does focu s o n th e matern al
creati on r ather th a n th e male cre a ti on foun d in C hristi a n ity.
F in a l ly, forgiven ess is seen in Jewett' s i n ca rnati on of Sweden borg' s
principles .
fi rst.
A l m i r a must rectify h er bad th ou ghts a bout oth ers with self
Th is is seen during th e Bowden Reun ion w h en sh e explains to th e
na rrator h ow she did not like the cousin s on h e r h usband' s side of th e
fa mily ( 9 4 ) . Almira admired th e way Nathan told h er n ot to be both ered by
Leenay - 5 0
th is. H e 1 1 didn l t make a h abit of always opposin 1 , like som e men 11 ( 9 4 ) .
Almira l s con fession t o h er h usband a n d h is u n d erstan din g express n ot o n ly
a n en dea ri n g, lovin g relationshi p, bu t a ls o a person a n d a rel ationship
capable of accepting J un g1 s sh a dow. This acceptan ce of both good and bad
lea ds to tra n scen den ce.
The Religion of Littlepage
Littlepage qu otes Darwin as if he is qu otin g from th e B ible, a n d the
n a rrator won ders as she looks at h i ni II if h e h a d spr u n g from a l i n e o.f
m i n isters�� ( J ewett, Cou n try 2 3 ) .
A h i e r a rchy is interestin gly esta blish e d
an d dissolved w h e n t h e n arrator meets Littlepage.
She n otes th e seat h e
takes a t th e schoolh ouse is the 11 1ower place o f a sch ola r�� ( 2 2 ) . H e repl i es
with a qu ote th at con firms h is distan ce from n ot only tru e knowledge, but
a lso from Self.
Th e h iera rchy is dissolve d wh en th e n a rrator remembers
Almira I s comment th at Littl epage h ad
II
overset h is m i n d with too m u ch
reading11 ( 2 2) . Th e commen t reduces th e structu re a n d h ierarchy
Littlepage lives i n , a n d h as attempted to esta blish in the sch oolh ouse, to
the minor position · it requ ires.
The n a rr ator smiles wh en Littlepage say
con descen din gly th at th e village people 11 fan cy th at they comprehend the
u n iverse11 ( 2 3 ) . J ewett1 S own words on city and cou ntry fol k tell u s th at
sh e believes th is to be tru e . Th e n arrator seems aware of Littl epage� s
l i m itati on s .
Littlepa g e is oblivious to t h e n atu ral w orld, as seen wh en th e
swal low beats a ga i nst th e win dow ( 2 4) .
Perh a ps th is i n terruption is
intended to stop th e n a rrator from listeni n g to L ittlepage. Th e moment is
Leen ay - 5 1
eerie a n d suggests impen din g doom, someth i n g seen in much of
Hawth orne1 s or P oe1 S sh ort fiction. L ittlepage goes on to u n fold a
poten ti a l ly in trigu i n g, b u t u ltim ately fai lin g, seam a n 1 s ta le.
Th e n a rr a tor
reports that Littlepage is 11 a little du ll" ( 2 4) in h is i n trodu cti on , b u t she i s
�� quite awaken ed11 ( 2 5 ) when Littl epa ge speaks about the 11 dOg1 s li fe11 ( 2 5 ) of
a sea m a n , a n d how s h i pping is a terrible loss to th is part of N ew E n gl a n d .
Despite h is rou gh begi nn in g, h is best occasion ally sh i n es throu gh wh en h e
speaks a bout wh at h e really kn ows.
L i k e Esth er1 S m other, Littlepa ge is
drawn into tra nscen dent moments th rough th e n a rr ator, but falls sh ort
wh en left on h is own.
Jewett' s u se of a teacher/stu den t meta p h or i n th e
case of Littlepa ge i l l u strates th e practica l difference between th e two
levels of kn owledge.
For every tea ch er th ere can be two types of stu dents:
th ose wh o ca n reiterate i n form ation a n d th ose wh o ca n conceptu a l i z e
ideas.
Th e ability t o re-engin eer k n owledge t h r o u g h sel f, t h e latter, is
transcen den ce.
I n 11 Th e Waiti n g Placell Littlepa ge revea ls the dark secret
he h a d began to tell a bout ea rlier. Th e story is a da rk a n d compel l i n g
picture o f H ell, o r a wa itin g place i n between.
B u t, the n arrator is ta ken
more by Littlepagel s a ppear ance th a n by the story:
I assen ted a bsent-min dedly, th i n k i n g m ore j u st
th en of my comp a n i on 1 S alert, d etermin ed look
a n d the sea faring, ready a spect that h ad com e to
h i s face; but a t this mom en t there fell a sudden
ch an ge, a n d the ol d, p ath eti c, sch olarly look retu rn ed
(3 1 ).
Th e n arra tor i s obviously biased against the 11 S Ch ola r.11
Th e s h i ft from
Leenay - 5 2
i m a ges o f Hell i n 11 Th e Waiting Placell to ima ges of peace fou n d on G reen
Isl a n d represent a sort of repentan ce in rel i gi ou s terms.
A s h a rp contrast
between P a r a dise Lost and these ch apters in Cou n try may be made. Milton
writes a bout th e Fall of Satan .
In Cou ntry, we are brou ght from th e Joss,
or F a l l i n to darkn ess, as seen in Littlepage I s story, to th e silent para dise
of G reen Isla n d: wh ere 11 a gleam of golden sun sh i n e stru ck the oute r
isl a n ds, an d o n e .of them s h o n e ou t clear in the ligh t, a n d revea led itsel f in
a compellin g way to our eyes11 ( 3 3) . Th e contrast is noteworthy since
Littlepage felt P a r a dise Lost was 11 th e greatest of poemS11 ( 2 2 ) . Jewett is
perh a ps 11 poking fu n 11 at the literary ca n on by h avin g th e 11 Little Page11
admire one of th e most famous works in Western Literatu re, bu t sh e may
also be su ggestin g an a lter n a tive to the C h ristia n belief of Heaven a n d
Hell, a n d a lso t h e con cept of origin al sin. T h e differen ce between th e two
phil osoph i es is i ntrigu i n g i n th a t th e presu m ption of the C h risti a n belief
is th at h u man ki n d is fl awed or evi l by n a tu re a n d so m u st spen d a lifetime
repentin g for th eir ori gi n al sin .
In Cou n try, th e n a r rator is n ot th reatened
by 11 th e waiti n g pl ace11 that Littlepage describes.
Sh e en ga ges th e story
bu t u n dersta n ds it is only a story. As s h e looks out at Green Isla n d sh e
observes th at 11 the su n burst u pon th e outermost isl a n d m a de it seem like a
su dden reveJ ation of th e world beyon d th is w h i ch some believe to be so
near11 ( 3 3 ) . S h e is n o n committa l about th e n ext world a n d , also, the
con cept of h ea ven a n d h ell. I n stead, she reli es on th e beau ty in n ature for
its own sake.
U n li ke th e Ch risti a n belief of 11 th e fa W wh ere a person m u st
work ba ck u p to goodness, th e n arrator sees the bea u ty a n d pleas u re of
heaven in th e n atu ral world.
Leen ay - 5 3
Littlepa ge� s j o u r n ey is qu ite different from J oa n n a I s journ ey to S h e l l
Isl a n d�
Littl epage is sca red i n th e a rctic comm u n i ty.
It gives h i m n oth i n g,
he feels. On th e other h a n d, J oan n a finds a h ome a n d life on Shell Islan d.
Sh e also h as no n eed for a min ister. Th e development of religi on a n d our
n eed for i t is complex, but on e el em ent th a t rela tes to Cou n try is that
som e people enter i nto a rel igious belief beca use th ey are a fraid of bein g
al on e. They enter, perh aps th e way Littl epage entered th e arctic
com m u n i ty, expectin g to be given to, ra th e r tha n to give.
Littlepa ge
consi dered th e m issi o n a ry stati on th at provided h el p for h im 11 a useless
pla cell ( 2 7) because everyone was poor and in n eed. He did n ot see th e
bea u ty in the place th at saved h is l i fe, a n d left it to seek company w ith
an other seaman ( 2 7 ). Joan n a , on the other h an d, attracted stran gers to h er
after she l eft the sh ore.
Ma ri ners began fis h i n g n e a r the isl a n d, tha t h ad
previously been considered fru itless, a n d th ere were 11 a good m a ny old
frien ds h a d Joan n a on their minds11 ( 6 3 ) . Joan n a also ra ised sh eep that she
let her brother ten d.
S h eep, a Christi a n symbol of community, en a bled
Joa n n a a n <;i h er bfoth er to m ake a mends where th ey h a d never been able to
before.
Moth er of God/Mother E a rth
Chr isti a n ity presents 11 the V i rg i n Mary w h o is both th e comfort i n g
Ma don n a a n d th e mater dol orsoa, th e sorrowful mother11 (Moore 4 3 ) . Esther
may be rea d as a V i rgin Mary figu re as sh e h olds the l a m b of i n n ocen ce to
h er bosom a fter h er m arriage to Will i am .
S h e is a s a i n ted, ea rthly
cha ra cter w h o com forts h e r flock by livi n g on th e h ill with th em (Jewett,
Leenay - 5 4
Cou n try 1 2 4 ) . Sh e is a lso completely devoted to her moth er. S h e is n ot
sorrowfu l in th e same way th at the Virgin Mary was beca use she does n ot
sacri fice h e r i de n tity.
Th e Virgin Mary often seems defi n e d with in h er
son. Esth er, on the oth er h an d,
with Willi a m .
is complete before enterin g into marria ge
L i k e her m other who
11
exh a usted one s u bj ect completely��
( 1 2 3 ) before turn i n g to a n other, Esther completed h e r work before movi n g
on , a n d s o felt n o real sense o f sorrow as sh e took a n ew step i n life.
Th e Book of Esther, from The Old Testam ent, is a story of a brave
you n g wom an whose i n n ocen ce a n d virtue captu re th e hea rt of King
Ah asueru s.
Esther h as a stron g sense o f fam i ly.
I nteresti n g ly, she is
orph a n ed and sh e is taken in by a kin d cousin. H er sen se o f fa mily proves
more i mporta nt th a n h er royal position wh en sh e risks h er l i fe to convi n ce
th e Kin g to stop th e persecu tion of th e Jews. In th e en d, she saves th e
Jews ( h er a ncestors) , but l oses h e r h usband wh en h e su bmits h imself
to death for his evil deed.
committed to her fa mily.
Like the bi blical Esth er, Esth er in Cou n try is
This fa m i ly becomes a m ark of ch a r a cter that
Willi a m respects an d admires.
H er sense of fa m ily is a lso evident w h en
s h e carries th e larrib whose moth er h as j u st died.
The b i bl ical Esther is a
symbolic moth er of th e Jews because sh e gave th em li fe.
Esth er i n
Cou ntry, as sh eep tender a n d caretaker, is a m other of the n atural world .
Th omas Moore in h i s book, C a re o f t h e Soul, s u ggests: 11 All m oth eri n g,
wh eth er in a family or withi n a n in divi du a l , is m a d e u p o f both
affection ate carin g an d bitter em oti o n a l pa i n 11 and tha t in 11 both emoti ons,
the m other is close to th e ch i l d, a ll owin g th e ch ild, even as she feels p a i n
an d anger, t o becom es a n in divi du a l th rou gh exposu re t o experien ce a n d to
Leen ay - 5 5
fa tell ( 43) . Moore ' s ph ilosophy is deeply rooted i n h i s stu dy of th e
classics, a n d h i s own experien ce as a psych i atrist.
H is book m ak es a n
interestin g statement on popular perceptions o f moth ers.
F or example,
m
Cou n try, Mrs. High t, th e moth er, feels dis a ppointe d becau se she will n ever
see 11 all them spots { Esth er } l ives i n 11 ( Jewett, Cou n try 1 2 4) . V iewing
Cou n try with i n the m oth er/dau ghter myth of Demeter a n d Persphone one
may interpret th ese 11 Spots11 as the dark worl d of H a des, or th e sou l th at a
mother can n ever fully see in a dau ghter. A moth er' s role is then, perh aps,
to gu i de as much as possible, but a lso to let go. Demeter h as Persph one
for only part of the year. The other part of the yea r sh e is i n H a des. The
mysterious forces th at Persph one en co u n ters i n H ades are a pp a l l i n g
beca use they excl u de th e moth er, but appea li n g beca use they fulfi l l a n
in dividual n eed.
Persph on e w a s ca ptu red by H a des w h en s h e rea ch ed for
th e n a rcissus th a t the earth grew as 11 a n en chantin g lu re11 ( Moore 4 0) .
I n terestin gly, Esth er 1 1 stays o u t a l l n i gh t, them moon light n i ghts, when th e
dogs are apt to be after th e sh eep, " but h e r sh ed is 11 a lovely spot a n d
a lways pleasa n t in any weath er11 ( J ewett, Cou ntry 1 2 4 ) .
She too is l u l l ed
by n atu re' s terror a n d beau ty.
Time is very importan t in th e myth of Demeter a n d Persph one. A
similar a n xiety is fou n d i n Cou n try. Time goes sl owly as i n dicated by Mrs.
Hight wh en s h e tells the n arrator s h e will 11 h ave time to relate11 ( 1 2 5 )
some m ore i n formation. Tim e i s regu lated b y th e seasons i n th e myth of
Demeter a n d Persphone. In Cou n try, h owever, tim e is tra n scen ded a n d
with th is s o i s th e sorrow of t h e moth er wh o m ust wait.
th e cha pter very aware of tim e.
Mrs. Hight begins
She n ever forgets i t, but with the h elp of
Leenay - 5 6
the n a rrator sh e is a ble to tra nsce n d it, occasio n a lly.
Con clus i on
Rel i gi on r n Cou n try i s a wom a n ' s spiritua lity, but m ore i mporta ntly
it i s viewed with in· th e tran scendental terms of " grea t an d sm a ll . "
Em erson' s " ci rcles" a n d Sweden bor g' s " embodiment" i n fl u en ced Jewett a n d
th ese con cepts are refl ected i n t h e reli gion of h er ch aracters.
Ritu a l , the
h omeplace, a n d forgiven ess are spiritu a l th emes that m ea n di fferen t
th i n gs for Littlepage, Joa n n a· a n d Esth er, but as seen i n th e previous
ch apters of th is th esis a ll are grou n ded in n atu ral events a n d seek to tu rn
sorrow into forgiven ess a n d redem pti on .
Ch a pter 4
--
Gen der
An drogyny in Cou n try is seen i n the l a n dscape as wel l as i n the
ch aracters. Th is tra nscende n ce of gen der l i mitation is depen dent on a
ch a r a cter' s rel ationsh i p within n atu re, s i m i l a r to th at seen in th e
tra n scen dence of n ature, time, a n d religion.
The defin ition of a ndrogyny
th at I will use in th is cha pter is based on " th e recogn ition of th e
psych ological ca p a ci ty with in each i n divi d u a l to fu n ction freely, u til i z i n g
a l l h i s or her qu a l iti es, i n cl u din g those that { h a ve } been assi gn ed to the
femi n i n e or th e mascu lin e gender" ( Sin ger, B ou n da r i es 2 03 ) . This
defi nition by J u n e Sin ger, based on the theori es of C a rl Ju ng' s a n ima a n d
a n i mus, a lso emph asizes a process i n w h i ch th e a n drogen at first
m i n i mizes th e differences between the sexes i n order to maximize th e
simi lariti es but, later th e a ndrogen rediscovers a n d cu ltiva tes h i s or h er
own mascu li n e or fem i n i n e origins.
I n many ways, J ewett a n ti cipated
th is" retu rn" to one ' s own gen der iden tity by en ablin g h er characters to
" visit" the opposite gen der tra its wh ile n ever h avin g to deny their own
sex u a l origin s.
The resu lt from this a n a lysis is a rea l i zation th at J ewett
h a s reconstr u cted gender with h er use of a ndrogyny in order to free h er
cha r a cters from stereotypes.
Jewett frees h er ch a r a cters i n various
ways. On e example of a ndrogyny is seen in Jewett' s perception of
friendships.
It ta kes th e form of s h a red experiences.
A n oth er for m of
a n drogyny is seen in the physical attributes of th e ch a r a cters.
Some w ays
are as obvious as h avin g Mrs. F osdick cross-dress as a child, a n d some a re
more complex a n d rely on th e cooperative relationships between m ale a n d
Leenay - 5 8
fem ale.
F or ex-ample, wh en William si n gs with h is moth er: 1 1 th ey s a n g
togeth er, sh e m issin g o n l y th e h igher n otes, wh ere h e seems t o l e n d h is
voice to h ers for th e moment and carry on h er very n ote a n d a ir11 (Jewett,
Cou n try 5 1 ) .
Willi a m n ot only ta kes on the h i g h er, tra dition a lly female
voice here, bu t a lso, h is voi ce becomes one with h i s m oth er ' s voi ce.
Also
discussed in this ch a pter will be a di fferenti a tion between empathy a n d
my term " visits."
All exa mples of an drogyny seen in Cou n try are grou n ded
in th e character' s belief system a n d n ot extra n eous soci a l th eories.
Wh at
I mean by th is is th a t th e ch a r a cters, and I bel ieve J ew ett h erself, beli eve
th at an drogyny is based on real life enco u n ters a n d n ot simply a th eory.
In
h is work, C a r l Ju n g n ever forgot th e i n dividu a l with in t h e theory ( Si n ger,
Bou n da r i es 3 8 5 ) . H e warned agai nst th e 11 fru itlessn ess o f pursu i n g
ph i l osoph izing a n d th eorizing for i ts o w n sake" ( 3 8 5 ) .
In m u ch the s a me
way, J ewett gives depth to h e r cha ra cters by ackn owledging th eir
com plexity i n everyday l ife.
By doin g th is, sh e con firms h er a bility to
write a bou t people a n d th i n gs " j u st as they are11 ( Si lverth or.n e 3 5) .
A n droqyny, in 11 Th e Queen ' s Twin"
" Th e Queen ' s Twi n " begins with a description of h ow " ea ch isl a n d o f
a single farm, h a s sent its spi es t o vi ew m a n y a L a n d o f Esch ol " (Jew ett,
Cou n try 1 2 9 ) . J ewett merges the rocky shores of New En gl a n d with the
" splen dors of the Eastern World11 ( 1 2 9 ) . The ima ge is one of a n drogyny
wh en sh e says: 11 the sea capta ins a n d th e capta i n ' s wives of Maine k n ew
someth i n g o f the wi de world, a n d n ever m istook their n ative parish es for
th e whole i nste a d of a part th ereof11 ( 1 2 9 ) . J oi n ed in a n image of
•
Leenay - 5 9
on·eness, th e lan dsca pe a n d th e people i n Cou n try become an drogyn ous.
As with most 11 i nstru cti o n a l�� segments of th is n ovel, th e n a r ra tor
first observes th e en larging ch a r a cteristics of A l m ir a w h o l ooked a s if
11 Sh e might h ave fa l len in w ith the sea-serpent or th e lost tribes o f Israel,
su ch was h er a ir of mystery and satisfa ction �� (1 3 0) . Th e path leadin g to
Abby Martin i s h ouse, th e Queen 1 s twi n , is inla n d.
A l m ira expl a i n s h ow to
fin d it beca use she knows th e n arrator II a in 1 t so a pt to strike i n la nd as
{ s h e } be to go right a lon g shore11 ( 1 3 0) . Th e journ ey th ey wi ll take wil l n ot
be easy.
It is a journey towa rd en ligh ten ment, per h a ps toward a tru er
u n dersta n di n g of th e an drogynous ima gery introdu ced i n th e main text.
Almira says she must keep h er eyes 11 on the su n a n d the m oss that grows
on e side 01 the tree trun ks11 ( 1 3 1 ) to avoid getti n g lost.
Sti l l , she man ages
to get 11 i n deep en ou gh , one pl ace11 ( 1 3 1 ) . Th e jou rn ey is a psych ological
adva n ce toward self awa ren ess, a n d r equi res a person to en ter u n ch a rted
groun d.
Th e farms they travel past to get to th e house of Abby Martin are
a ged though the settlement was, after a ll, so you n g11 ( 1 3 7 ) . The
II
descriptions ·are similar to th ose seen when the n a rrator tra vels to
Th a nkfu l H ights. The l a n d is a g a i n forlorn a n d seems to be overtaken by
wi ld forests oecause as the n a rrator observes th e l a n d 11 belon ged by righ t
to the forest, a n d to th e forest i t fast retu rned! ( 1 3 8 ) .
Perh a ps, Jewett is
maki n g a j udgment n ot on the l a n d itself, but on the people w h o try to
ta me it rather than work with it.
Most of th e fa rms a re n ow deserted
because people h ave moved on to more prosperous l a n d. The n a rrator is
1 1 sa d to see w h a t poor bushy fields, w h a t th in a n d empty dwell i n g-pl aces
Leenay - 6 0
h a d been left b y those wh o h ad chosen th is disappointi n g pa rt o f the
north ern cou ntry for thei r h ornell ( 1 3 8) . But, A bby Martin ' s pla ce sits on 11 a
grassy bank11 ( 1 3 8) , a n d has 11 a tan gle of snowber ry bushes a n d cin n a m on
roses11 ( 1 3 9 ) grow i n g as h ig h as the window-si l ls.
H er h ome is fru itfu l
beca use, li ke Mrs. B l ackett on G reen Isl a n d, sh e h a s l et n a tu re grow i n a
11 tangled11 state i nstead of pla ci n g order on it. As L evy su ggested in her
observati on of th e h o meplace, th e redeemed ch aracters are th ose w h o
prosper with r ocky soil a n d i n ch a otic forests.
Em erson suggests in N atu re:
All th e fa cts in n a tu ra l history taken by th emselves,
h a ve n o valu e, but a re b arren like a sin gle sex. But
m a r ry i t to h uman h istory, and it is ful l of l i fe
( 1 002) .
In th is qu ote, Emerson suggests a s i n gle sex is in complete, j ust a s
ou r facts a re incomplete wh en taken out o f con text.
Female is i n complete
with out m a le cou n terpa rt, a n d m a l e is i n co m pl ete w ith ou t fem a l e
cou nterpart.
Thi s i s n o t the well kn own pol a r i z ation of the sexes
com monly viewed by th e A m erican V i ctoria n s, n o r is it th e comm on belief
system of our modern cu ltu re wh ere The New York Times' B est-seller list
h ol ds such titles as Men are F rom Mars a n d Women a re From Venus.
Ch a racters in Cou n try are able to release th e sh a dow.
I n Ju n gi a n terms, it
is th e a n i m a , 1 1 th e eter n al feminin e11 a n d th e a n imus, 11 the etern a l
m ascu l i n e�� ( Si n ger, Bou n da r ies 1 7 9) that m u st find bal a n ce i n Self. The
process n eeds the two pa rts.
Although som e a n im als a n d pla nts
regen erate with out a cou nterpa rt, it is on ly becau se that an i m a l o r pla n t
Leen ay - 6 1
possess both parts of the regen eration process. Th e fa ct th at characters
in Cou n try can grow crops on i nferti le gro u n d sh ows that th ese ch ?racters
al rea dy live in a n a n drogyn ous n ature. They do n ot need th e con ventional
cou n terpart beca use they a re a lr ea dy wh ole.
Th e description of the a n drogynous l a n d sets the scen e for th e l u n ch
with th e Queen' s twin .
A lth ou gh th is story is comical by its basic
premise, it is told with a great deal of seri ousn ess a n d res pect, and even
en ds with a n importa nt l esson of forgiveness.
Abby ackn owledges th e
ou tlandis h n ess of her bel ief th at sh e is a twin to th e Qu een o f England, but
sh e will n ot disa llow the circu msta n ces th at h ave brought th e Qu een a n d
her togeth er: " Her Royal Maj esty a n d I opened ou r eyes u pon th is worl d
togeth er, say wh a t you may, ' t is a bond between u s" (Jewett, Cou n try
1 40).
(1 41 )
Sh e ackn owl edges th at th eir " stations in life a re set very different"
.
I n terestin gly, h owever, th e n a rrator sees " u n m ista kable di gnity"
m
Abby, a n d sh e feels " a faint a ppreh ension " beca use there i s " som ethi n g
distinctly form al in t h e occasion" ( 1 3 9 ) o f h a vi n g l u n ch with h er.
If J ew�tt is attem ptin g to presen t the Qu een ' s twi n as an
an drogyn ou s fi gu re, sh e is m a i n ta in in g th at a lthough a n d rogyny is
u n convention a�, it is sti l l very real.
visit her.
Abby daydreams that the Qu een will
Alm ira' s respon se to th is i mpossible fa n cy is that " such
bea utiful dreams is the rea l part o' l i fe" ( 1 4 6) .
not only th is story, but to Cou n try i n gen era l.
Th is line is importa n t to
As su ggeste d in earlier
ch apters i n th is thesis, J ewett h as created a woman -centered civil i z a tion
where woma n-centered crea tivity is a legitim a te for m of power, a n d n ow
sh e is su ggestin g th at an drogyny is a lso a bond that, a lthough seemin gly
Leen ay - 6 2
u n a ttain able, possesses very real elements o f l i fe.
Jewett' s knowledge of a n drogyny must h a ve devel oped from h er
readin g.
I nterestin gly, m ost of Abby1 s kn owledge a bout her twi n , the
Qu een , comes from books. B ut, this knowledge A bby gai n s is only a
con firmati on of what she 11 expected was all tru e11 ( 1 44) .
Her intui ti on ,
th en, is h er tru e educa tor. Like Emerson a n d Swedenborg who rely o n
·
intuition to ach i eve embodiment, J ewett i s suggesti n g tha t an
un dersta n di n g of a ndrogyny is a lready known a n d th a t it n eed only be
u n vei led.
In th e third ch a pter of th is th esis, I sh owed th at forgiveness is an
essenti a l element of J ewett' s wom an-centered C h risti a n i ty.
Abby is
given th e opportu nity to repent for an earlier l a ck of h ospitality.
menti on ed, Abby d aydrea ms th a t th e Queen will come for din n er.
As
She puts
h er best sheets on th e bed, and prepares a very special din n er because sh e
beli eves i n this twin relati onsh ip so deeply.
B u t, the Qu een does n ot com e.
This is a ctua l ly a h e a rt-brea ki n g scen e beca use A bby h a s completely
embraced the belief th at th e Qu een is h er twin , and th at th eir two p a rts
will fin al ly be j oi n e d as a whole.
H owever foolish thi s i dea may a ppear to
the outsi der, it becomes Abby1 s reality.
Jewett h a s created a tragic
ch a r a cter in A bby Martin , but u nlike many tra di ti on a l tra gi c ch a ra cters,
sh e allows h er to repent a n d to forgive, thereby allowi n g h er to be
redeemed.
D evastated by the rea lization th at she is a l on e , Abby sits
on h er front stoop and cries. J ust then h er cousin , for wh om sh e h as little
respect or k i n dn ess, stops by u n expectedly. A bby is so lon ely that she
embraces th is cou sin who 11 Wasn 1 t all th ere11 ( 1 4 5) . Abby is referri n g to
Leenay - 6 3
h er cousin ' s mental abil ity, bu t this phrase a lso s u ggests th at th e cou si n
i s a part looking for th e whole. Th en , sh e invi tes h er i n for the din n e r s h e
has reserved for the Qu een .
Almira states th e obvi ou s moral o f th is turn
of events: " Now I h ea r a l l th is i t seems just as i f th e Qu een m i gh t h ave
kn own a n d cou ldn ' t come h erself, so she sent th at poor old creatur' th at
was always in need'' ( 1 4 5 ) . Who was in more n eed, Abby or h er cousi n , is
n ot as obvious as Almira suggests.
Jewett m ay be referen cin g a Ch ristian
bel i ef that a person sh ou ld take i n th e l owest person just as th ey wou ld
J esus C hrist.
1he reference is a b it trite to en d th is very powerful story
but, looki n g at th e story as a l esson a bout a ndrogyny a n d puttin g i t i n
terms of 1 1 great a n d small" a s seen in th e writi n gs o f Emerson, th e p a r a bl e
i s a ctua lly qu ite n ew. Th e embodi ment that occurs with t h e converging o f
th ese seemin gly opposite station s leads to tran scen den ce a n d k n owl edge
of Self.
As J u n e Sin ger suggests in h er psych oa n a lysis:
wh en we h ave learned to disidentify from the
persona , to recogni z e the sha dow, a n d to admit
i nto consci ousn ess, th e val ues of th e con trasex u a l
opposites, a n i ma a n d a n imus, we w i l l h a ve foun d th at,
al most with ou t knowin g it, we h a ve been close to th e
a rch etype of wh oleness, th e Self ( S i nger, B o u n da r ies 1 9 1 ) .
F r i en ds h i ps
I n a n a rti cle on fem ale friendsh i ps, Eli z abeth A bel s u ggests:
Th ou gh it was Cicero w h o descri bed
fri en dsh ips as a minglin g of souls a s a lm ost to
Leenay - 64
create on e person out of two, th is descripti on
cha racterizes the dyn a mi cs of fem a l e fri en ds h i p
more accu rately than m a l e ( 4 1 5 ) .
S h e cites C hodorow' s research o n m other-dau ghter rela ti on s h i ps t o sh ow
th a t " wom en ' s cen tra lity to ea ch oth er' s psychic wholeness is a n
explan ation o f th e u rge to moth er" ( 4 1 8). I f Cou n try presents a " ki n d of
matriarchal Christianity, " (Donovan 3 67 ) it is based on a theme of
wholeness achieved th rou gh sh ared experien ces between people rather
th a n a con venti-o n a l religious order th at empath i zes i n divi du al h omage to
God. Ca rol Hei lbru n su ggests:
in an drogynous novels, th e rea der i dentifi es
with th e m a l e a n d fema l e cha racters equ a l ly;
i n fem i nist n ovels, only with the fem ale h ero.
( 58)
A bel _goes on to su ggest th a t this mergi n g of fem a l es sustains i n d ivid u a l
i dentity by esta blish i n g both ch i l dren figu res a n d older, w ise women i n
n ovels. Th e result o f th is i s evi dent in Cou ntry. Th e n a rrator, despite h e r
acknowledgment th at s h e is " no lon ger very you ng" (Jewett, Cou n try 1 00) ,
feels you ng a n d is a lso a ble to see many childlike characteristics i n older
ch aracters. Empathy is n ot the same as a m ergin g, h owever. Perh aps it
was J ewett' s i n tention to su ggest this w h en she advised Willa Cath er to
stay away from m a l e prota gonists, or even ts i n w h i ch sh e was n ot
intimately i n volved.
Tilley is a n example of a n empath ic ch aracter w h o attempts to bu ild
wh ol en ess throu gh remin iscen ce.
After h is wife' s death h e takes up
Leen ay - 6 5
kn itti ng a n d seemingly wom a n ish h a bits.
wi fe was n ot a good kn itter.
not have.
B ut, h e also com ments th at h is
H e ta kes on a woma n ly cha racteristic sh e did
Importan tly, it is someth i n g he learned .from h is moth er.
Wh en
men ta ke on a n drogynous traits in Cou n try, th ey often take th em from
their moth ers.
Both El ij a h a n d W il l iam h ave sisters.
Elij a h considers
h i mself a ca reta ker for h is sister but, 11 Sen d { s } a fter h er11 (Jewett, Cou n try
1 06) wh en h e n eeds h er.
Willi a m , also, wi ll take h el p from h i s sister.
F or
exa mple, before h is journey to Tha n kful H i gh ts she puts bu g repellent on
h i m.
it.
·For th e most part both men will accept h elp, but not openly ask for
Th ey a ckn owledge th eir m others as providers of kn owledge, h owever.
Perh aps th is is due to th e a ge differen ce and th e conventi o n a l role of
moth er as provider.
On the · oth er h an d, women in C ou ntry seem to be able
to draw off of oth er female. rel ation sh ips.
observa ti on on female frien dsh ip.
Th is may be rel ated to A bel' s
Rega rdless of gender, th e tra nscen dence
of ·g en der limitations becomes a n example of w h a t m ay be called '' visits,"
rather th a n em pathy.
Ch aracters in Cou n try a r e extremely empath ic, to
the poi nt wh ere a merging occurs, but they always m ai n ta in a n i n divi du al
identity. What does this say about a n drogyny? I t suggests a n drogyny is
not si mply th e 11 projection of self into oth er11 ( Abel 4 2 1 ), but r ather it is
th e complimentary bal a n ce of two opposites in one person .
Th e visits a re a lso seen i n 11The Qu een ' s Twin .11
1-t would be easy to
see A bby a s 11 n ot a ll there , 11 just like h er cousin , but i nstead h e r l a n d is
fertile a n d she h as overcome m a n y obstacles i n h er l i fe.
Most important,
Abby is able to dismiss the great S u bject11 o f the Queen in order to speak
II
II
m u ch o f lesser persons�� (Jewett, Cou n try 1 46) . Again, th e mergin g
Leenay - 6 6
o f th e great a n d sm all i s seen , a n d it does n ot enta i l a loss of identity.
Th e narrator even notices th a t th e ch eeks of this old woman take 11 on a
pretty color like a girl ' s11 ( 1 4 6 ) .
A s Abel s u ggests, the chi l d figure is seen
1n or ju xtaposed against the old, wise wom a n .
Almira leaves Abby understa n ding th at she a n d th e n a rr ator h ave not
11 l eft h er a ll a l one11 ( 1 4 6).
On the oth er h a n d, A lmira seems critica l of
Elij a h despite his a bility to II visit11 h is femin i n e side.
II
S h e calls h i m a
ploddin' m a n n , an d tells th e n arrator that 11 he can ' t say n oth in' too
pl easa n t!' ( 1 1 1 ) about h is wife. Th e opposite is seen in th e dial ogu e
between the n a rrator an d Elij a h .
H e speaks a bout his wife with love a n d
respect. T h e n arrator refers to Elij a h a s 1 1 poor dear11 ( 1 1 1 ) just a s E lijah
had referred to h is wife.
As the n arrator leaves h im , sh e is th i n ki n g abou t
the rel ati on ship between Elij a h a n d his wife, a n d wonders if h is wife
kn ew 11 of th e l ittl e world s h e left11 ( 1 1 1 ) wh en s h e died.
that Elij a h visits.
It is th e world
Perh aps A lmira is testin g th e n arrator to see wh at sh e
h as lea r n e d from Elij a h or, per h a ps Jewett as reflected in the ch aracter
Alm ira is still stru gglin g with th e th eme of a n droyn gy w h i ch s h e works
out in h er l ater piece 11 Th e Qu een ' s Twin. 11
Relationsh ips in Time
To u nderstan d th e tra nsce n de n ce of gender stereotypes in Jewett' s
work, we m ust exa m i n e rel a tionships i n time.
cli max, and fa de away du ri n g a lifeti m e.
I n the arti cl e n Arch ives of
Female F ri en dsh i p an d th e ' Way' Jewett Wrote,11
J ewett' s frien dsh ips a n d relati onsh ips.
Most frien dsh ips spa rk,
Marjorie Pryse examin es
A common observation on J ewett' s
Leenay - 67
life was that she h ad m a ny male i n fl u en ces in h er e arly l i fe, h er fath er
a n d gra n dfath er in particu lar, a n d th at in h er l ater l i fe sh e formed a dose
knit circle of women fri en ds.
Jewett w as a n emotion a l writer a n d sou gh t
a sim i l a r emoti o n a l con n ection with h er friends.
H e r letters to A n n i e
Fields are fu ll o f th ou gh ts l i ke 1 1 1 am bewitched w ith a story11 ( 4 1 ) a n d 11 1
h a ve j u st been readin g Mr. A rn old1 s essay on George San d, a n d fin ished it
w ith tears in my eyes11 (J ewett, Letters 38) . She felt and sh ared h er
passion for l iteratu re with h e r cl osest fri e n ds.
As a you ng girl, Jewett h a d adolescent 11 crush es�� on m any of h er
girlfriends.
Sh e h a d a passion for l i fe th at ch a n neled i n to a passion for
h u ma n contact.
Pryse fin ds
II
n ew evi dence for a sserti ng J ewett1 s
awa ren ess of the gen erative a n d rhythm i c reci procity between love for
friends a n d l ove for h er work1 1 ( 48) by exam i n i n g Deeph aven ( 1 87 7 ) and Th e
Cou n try of the Pointed F irs ( 1 89 6) . Cou n try explores a more m ature
u n derstan di n g of friendsh i p, a ccordi ng to Pryse.
J ewett un derwent a
process of growth a n d sel f developm en t th at al lowed h e r to fi nd b ea u ty in
h erself to use in friendsh ips, rath e r th a n to rely on p a ssion a te fancies as
seen i n th e ch aracters of Deeph aven.
P ryse a rgu es tha t J ewett went
from ch il dish crushes based on her own n eeds to a chi l dlike wh olen ess
wh ere th e cha ra cters are a ble to love oth ers b ecau se, essenti a l ly, they
love themselves.
poigna nt.
It sou n ds like a platitu de, but th e idea is psych ologically
I used the two a djectives derived from 11 chi ld11 for a reason.
Wh en consi derin g sexu a l ity a n d gender, a ch i l d is a rare example of an
accepted a n drogen .
S ociety a l lows for a sh ort existence i n a n drogyny
wh ere female a n d male play as on e.
Di fferen ces between th e sexes a re
Leenay - 68
quickly establ ish ed, h owever; w h ether it is i n th e form of cl oth es or th e
m ore profou n d statement on socia l ly acceptable sex u a l relati onships a n d
acti ons.
Pryse u n derstan ds th e way J ewett wrote 1 1 requ ired h er to
cr�ate fiction out of frien ds h i p a n d to tea ch h er rea der, a lso a potenti a l
frien d, h ow to m a ke friends with h e r ch a ra cters 1 1 ( 4 8 ) .
In an essay for A t l a n t i c, J ewett described 11 the process of
outgrowing friends as both loss an d a ga i n 11 ( Pryse 5 4) .
Jewett writes:
. . . . as we pa rt sorrowfully we promise ourselves
th at we a re to be friends always but a few years
go by a n d letters do n ot serve to carry on the kn owl edge
of each oth er;
instea d of our interest bei n g ren ewed
an d strengthened it slowly decreases. We are n ot to
bl a m e; it is n ot in consta ncy or fi cklen ess.
We a re,
in a certa in sense don e w ith that friend.
It grows at
len gth if we a re a dva n ci n g at all, to be like th e fon dness
some people h ave for th e playthi n gs of their chi ldhood . . .
To ou tgrow a fri en dsh ip i n th i s way i s f a r less painful
th a n a ny other -- beca use th ere seems l ess reason to
a ccuse ou rselves of fai th lessness. (Pryse 5 4)
An drogyny, as I am using it, is a tem pora ry state.
Similar to th e use of
isolati on seen in th e first ch a pter of this th esis, a n drogyny is u sed to
regenerate th e i ndividu a l • s sou l .
Men a n d w om en do h a \le different traits
j ust as m any sa me-sex fri e n dships h ave different person a l iti es.
Th e
relati on sh ips are devel oped w ith a n u n derstanding th a t they may s om eday
'
en d, as s u ggested i!l th e quote from Jewett.
If a frien dshi p en ds, it is not
Leen ay - 6 9
considered 1 1 failed,11 h owever.
Jewett is very ca reful t o limit th e stron ger
symbols of an drogyny su ch as cross-dress i n g or m ental a nguish over
wanti n g to be the opposite sex.
It is, i n fa ct, a very m i n or ch a r a cter, Mrs.
Fosdick, w h o is th e only cross-dresser in th e n ovel .
Th ere is a n a tu ra l sense of a n ger felt tow ard existen ce when death
or loss enter a li fe.
Emerson says i t well:
11 Th ere is a k i n d of con tempt of
th e l a n dscape fe1t by h i m w h o h a s j u st l ost by death a dear frien d. Th e
sky is less gra n d as it sh uts down over less worth in the popu lati on 11
( N a t u re 9 9 6) .
El ij a h Tilley states a similar con n ection between th e
m ater i a l world a n d existen ce when reflectin g on th e death of h is w i fe:
11 1 Th ere1 s th a t little rocki n1 chair 01 h er1 n , I set a n i n otice it a n i thi n k h ow
stran g 1 t is a creatu rl like h er should be gone a n 1 th at ch a i r b e h ere right i n
its ol d place1 11 (Jewett, Cou n try 1 06) . Th e pain is evident, but it is n a tu ral.
The 11 n a tu r a l en d11 ( 1 5 9 ) referred to by the n a rr ator at th e end of the n ovel
is an u n dersta n din g tha t we are n ot tota lly sin g u l a r n o r isolated, bu t
rath er that we a re i n a process of l i fe a n d regeneration.
Th e Web-l i ke Stru ·ctu re
Cou n try h as a u n iq u e growth process with ou t traditi on a l plot
con flicts.
It would b e difficu lt to a ccept th e n ovel with ou t a growth .
When writers begin to write, th ey gen er a lly presen t a con flict. It i s th e
cl i m a x/ a n ti-cl i m ax str u ctu re.
A n ovel l i ke Cou n try is n ot so obvious.
What h a ppen s in th e web-like str u cture of Cou n try is a n a pparen t
break down of our a ccepted norms. Th e process can n ot be con fused with
popu lar beliefs of a n drogyny.
For exa mple, th e flat ch ested girl a n d thi n
Leenay - 7 0
boned boys o f Ca lvin Klein a ds in no way refl ect th e a n drogyny fou n d i n
Cou n try. J u n e Singer m akes a stron g argumen t aga i n st the popul a r beliefs
of bisexu a l ity th at, simi l a r to th e C a lvi n Klein a ds, '' con cer n s i tself
prima rily with i n terperson a l relati o n s h i ps" (Androgyny 3 2) a n d the
physica l attributes.
" The new a n drogen is n ot in confusion a bout h is or her
sex u a l i dentity" ( S i n ger, A n droqyny · 3 3 ) .
Singer suggests that extremes,
as seen in my Calvin Kl ein example, " th rive in a cultur e th a t dema n ds the
repression of certa i n natural ten den cies wh ile people are devel?p i n g the
so-ca lled ' m ascu l i n e' a n d th e so-ca l led ' femin i n e' tra i ts w h i ch society
considers to be a ppropriate for each sex " (Androgyny 3 3) .
William marries Esth er at t h e end of the n ovel.
to soci a l n orms, or is it evidence of a m atu re writer?
I s this su bmission
The fact that th ey
will n ot h a ve children does not i n h ibit the " girlish col or" ( 1 5 7 ) o f Esth er' s
cheeks n or does it deter Almira from ca llin g Will i a m " a k i n g; " (Jewett,
Cou n try 1 5 6) a position th at emph asizes linea ge.
Th e n a rrator sees A lm ir a as " mateless a n d a ppea ling, w ith
someth i n g �bout it th at was str a n gely self-possessed a n d mysteri ous"
(1 3 1 ) .
Sex u a l stereotypes of women n eeding a mate a n d ch ildren a re
tra n scen ded.
A l m i r a is still self-possessed a n d e n l a rged.
J ewett was
very com m u n ity ori en te d i n her l i fe a n d treasu red frien ds h i ps as one of
th e m ost importa n t aspects of l i fe.
h o u rs alone a n d n ever ma rried.
At the same time, Jewett spent m any
Levy su ggests in h er writi n g th at th e
homeplace was a pl ace of creativity th at was not depen den t on a wom a n ' s
biological factors.
Per h a ps th is is why r egeneration h a p pens with out th e
conven tion a l p articip ants, a n d someti m es i n isola tion .
Leenay - 7 1
H istorically, th e su bject of regen eration is very i m portant.
G: h i l dren
en able parents to l ive beyond death . Th ey, a lso, provide an opportu nity to
make right one1 S own m ista kes.
Literature th rou gh th e ages, from
mythology to th e modernists of J ewett1 S time emph asi z ed th e importan ce
of contin u i n g the ch ain bf h u man ity.
Yet Jewett' s world, woma n cen tered
as it is, is void· of such n eeds.
This n ovel is a lso a retu rn to a first love--th a t of th e m oth er or
m aterna l--a n d a process of en.cl osure of both sexes in ·S el f.
In a society
of patr i a rch al rul e, where much of myth ology s u ggests a wom a n is m erely
th e carrier of the ch ild before th e male ta kes over as the tru e gu ardia n
J ewett suggests a n a ltern a tive.
S h e i s re-establish i n g th e m ater n a l o r
moth er-centered power i n a n androgyn ou s setti n g.
An drogyny breaks down
the wel l esta blish ed h ier archy that placed women as carriers, a n d also th e
h ierarchy that esta bli sh es m a l e as l i fe ta ker.
Co n cl u s i on
Th e Bowden Reu n io n , a reumon of m a i n ly blood rel a ti on s, strikes a n
odd chord in a novel th at, for the m ost pa rt, i s extrem ely fa mi l i a l in n on­
blood rel ationships.
For example, the n a rrator an d h er en co u n ters with n ot
only A l m i r a , Wil l i a m a n d Mrs. B l a ckett but a lso with Esth er, h er m other,
a n d Elij a h .
G iven this, th e n arra tive on b l ood rel a ti on sh ips seen i n 11The
Festivai 1 S End11 and the 1 1 Th e Bow den Reu n ion �� seems to contr a di ct the
general i ntention of the w ork. On the oth er h an d, the n arrator does brin g
in expan ded family wh en sh e com pares th e Bowden Reunion to 11 th e great
n ation al a n niversaries wh i ch o u r cou ntry h a s l ately kept11 (Jewett, Cou n try
Leenay - 7 2
9 8 ) a n d when she says I I one sees ex actly the same types in a coun try
gath ering as in the m ost brill i a n t city company11 ( 9 5 ) .
S h e goes furth ef to
say: 11 Cla nn ish n ess is a n instinct of th e h e art,--it is more th a n a
bi r t h r i g h t, or a cu stom; a n d lesser rights { ar e } forgotten in the cl aim to a
common inheritan ce�� ( 9 8 ) . It is m ore than w h at you are born i nto a nd,
more than a cu stom. These words describe the tra nscen dence of gen der
stereotypes.
Wh ether it is the Qu een 1 s twin or a ch i l d/mother
rel a tionship, a ndrogyny is a sh ared experien ce a n d one tha t is depen dent
on a ch ara cter1 s a bility to g row and th eir relati onsh i p with N atu re.
Co n cl u s i on
Referri n g to Til l ey, Jewett writes:
II
a m a n 1 s h ouse is rea l ly but a
larger body, a n d expresses i n a w ay h i s n a tu re a n d ch aracter11 (Jewett,
Cou n try 1 0 4 ) .
This n ot only describes Tilley, bu t a lso ch a ra cterizes
Jewett a n d h e r work.
II
Every person , every cha ra cter in J ewett' s m i n d was
but a larger body11 (1 04) .
When I visited Jewett' s h ouse, I becam e a wa re of th e V i ctori a n
idea ls th at perva ded her l ife. Th e h a l lway i s lon g an d wide a n d bordered
on the east a n d west by l a rge wooden doors th a t a l l ow the distan t ocean
breeze to sweep th e h ome. Th e stairway is gran d in th e Victori a n man n er.
At th e top, on e faces a n other long, wide h a l lway. It is on th e east end of
this h a llway wh ere Jewett did m uch of h er writi n g.
She sat at h er desk
l oo ki n g out th e win dow at the h ea rt of Berwick 1 S q u i et in dustr i a l
com m u n i ty. Th e h ou se s a t th en as it does today, a still l i fe i n a m ovi n g
comm u n i ty.
It was per h a ps from th is cen ter that Jewett wove the web­
like structure we see in Cou n try.
On e question th at i n evitably a rises out of the stu dy of a writer a n d a
writi n g peri od is: How does this rel ate to th e a rtist today?
Pass i n g si gns
I
to I Walden Pond,U en route to South Berw ick, I was reminded of h ow little
rem a i ns of th e world in w h i ch the Tra nsce n dentalists lived.
Th e fou r,
som eti mes six, la n e h i g h w ays m a r ki n g th e Eastern coast of Mass a ch usetts
an d South Maine are sh a m efu l reminders of h ow far we h ave travel ed from
th e tra n scen den ta list idea l .
Th e a rtists of the n i n eteeth century wer e the
visi onaries for the life we now live.
Wh itm a n said he kn ew u s one h un dred
yea rs in th e future, ,Emerson told us that th ought i n to experience was like
Leenay - 7 4
a m u l berry leaf i nto sati n , a n d J ewett assu red u s that th ere existed in th e
busy world of trai ns a n d citi es a m ar i n er vil l a ge tha t crea ted th e
sembla nce of 1 1 becom in g a cq u a i n ted with a sin gle p erson '' (Jewett, Cou n try
1 3 ) . The purpose a n d a rt of Jewett' s n ovel m ay rest in the very first pag e
o f her m a sterpiece. T h e quiet wish o f a woma n t o tel l you a bou t h erself
an d h er commu nity.
By recon str u ctin g th e l in es of com mu n ity, l i n ear tim e , tradition a l
C h r isti an beli efs, a n d gen der, Jewett a l lowed h er ch a r acters to speak
a bout th emselves u n fettered by conventiona l bel i e fs.
A merican V i ctoria n l i festyle of th e wealthy.
J ewett l ived th e
Sh e w a s a ware of its
l i mitati on s a n d benefits, a n d sh e use d th e wisdom of a ch a n g i n g N ew
En gl and soci ety to write about herself a n d those arou n d her.
Her
ch aracters are n ot perfect. Th eir fla ws often make th em enga ging. Th ey
a re a lso n ot always con sistent, but i n the i n consistency a n d
con tr a di ctions one finds the flu idity o f tra n scendence.
J ewett' s
kn owl edge of her Tra n scen denta list predecessors a n d h er l ove of n atu re
may h a ve been h er reason for choosin g n atu ral settin gs as the place for
h e r 11 lesson s11 in tra nscen den ce.
I h ave explored j u st one of th e m a ny works Jewett created in h er
lifetime.
Th e rest m ay deviate from th is general th eme, but a l l
demonstrate the s a m e basic tenets .
Jewett was tru e to h er belief th at
on e shou ld write about what one knows a n d u n derstan ds, a n d she was true
to h er Transcen denta li st mentors w h en sh e saw th e u niverse i n a sm a l l
m a riner vil l age.
In h er prefa ce to th e 1 9 2 5 editi on o f Cou n try, W i l l a
C ather captu res J ewett' s p u rpose i n writi n g th e n ovel wh en sh e states it:
Leenay - 7 5
will be a mess age to th e futu re, a message
in a u n iversa l l a n g u a ge, l ike the tu ft of meadow
flowers in Robert F rost' s fin e poem, wh i ch th e m ow er
a broad in th e ea rly morn i n g left sta n din g, j ust skirted
by th e scyth e, for th e m o.wer o"f the afternoon to gaze
upon a n d wonder at -- the one messa ge th at even the
scythe of Time spares (Cather vi) .
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II
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