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Harriet Beecher Stowe uses characterization and a tragic situation to portray the contrast of the bourgeois and the proletariat classes and the social movements within the class structure. |
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The first character appearing in the story is a little girl whose mother has just died. The descriptions of her are vague, and the name of this child is not revealed until late in the story. Throughout the story, the little girl is referred to as “ ‘ere,” “beautiful little girl of seven years,” “little girl,” “little one,” and “child.” Only when she is asked for her name do the readers learn that it is Eglantine Percival. Even after her name has been revealed, none of the characters use her name. This absence of a name indirectly reflects Eglantine’s position in society after her mother’s death. Stowe uses vague words like “child” to show the subordination of Eglantine as a result of Miss Asphyxia’s demands. |
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Before Eglantine is taken in, she held a high status with her mother and brother Harry. Her mother dies, and her brother is taken away from her along with “money enough” to pay for her mother’s funeral. The loss of these material possessions must coincide with a loss of high status according to Karl Marx. Dropping from bourgeois, Eglantine falls into the proletariat status. She does not submit entirely to the social structure at first. In fact, she resents the work Miss Asphyxia demands of her saying that she “wants to play.” Eglantine still dreams of her previous leisurely lifestyle where she had no responsibilities, where flowers were beautiful, and where her mother “always brushed them [her curls] out everyday.” She refuses Miss Asphyxia’s authority on a few occasions, but her efforts end with her own tears and eventual obedience. As her possessions escape her, Eglantine becomes more and more submissive to Miss Asphyxia and more proletariat status-like. |
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Contrasting Eglantine is her benefactor Miss Asphyxia. She is a working woman, older and stronger. Miss Asphyxia is a “working machine, always wound up and going.” She understood that “nature had made her…entirely for use.” She described herself having nothing but bone and muscle, purely with practical and efficient uses. The use of Miss Asphyxia’s name is quite interesting. The short story is unexpectedly named after her although it seems that Eglantine is the main character of the story. Miss Asphyxia is always referred to by name. This reflects the status of the two females: Miss Asphyxia as the dominant one. Later in the story, Eglantine receives a bath from Miss Asphyxia, and it is there that Eglantine realizes the “awful reality of Miss Asphyxia’s power over her.” Miss Asphyxia has conquered her, has risen above her. The tables have turned: no longer is Eglantine higher in status than Miss Asphyxia. |
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Material possession creates status. When Eglantine had her mother’s money, her mother, her brother, and her curls, she held a high status. At the loss of her possessions, she dropped socially. Harry, her mother, and her curls are all symbols of her past life. With each new loss, Eglantine slips further into her place as a proletariat. The loss of her hair is her final loss, and from there, she “immediately obey[s]” everything she is told. On the other hand, Miss Asphyxia gains the “possession” of the child and gains status. At the end of the story, Miss Asphyxia describes the relationship between her and Eglantine. She says that she has a “duty to that child” and if she didn’t act upon it, “then I don’t know.” Having a higher status than the child, Miss Asphyxia must control Eglantine. She proceeds to demand work, rest, and religion of her while simultaneously seeking to create Eglantine into another working machine at her disposal. Miss Asphyxia has an obligation to fix the child, and if she didn’t, she would not be fulfilling her duties as authority. |
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Miss Asphyxia sees everything for its practical purpose. She does not understand the beauty of Eglantine’s curls as the child and her mother do. She insists the curls be cut off, and they soon are. Miss Asphyxia does not see the “beautiful little girl of seven years” as the other neighbors do. Instead, she sees a child whose “flesh is solid. I think she’ll make a strong woman, only to put her to work early and keep her at it.” She is the potential and practicality of the child’s body. She is puzzled to think that nature would have “expended so much in a merely ornamental way on an article [Eglantine] which ought to have been made more simply for service.” The aesthetics of a person means nothing to Miss Asphyxia who only recognizes practicality. |
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Miss Asphyxia sees no point in knowing the names of flowers because they have no purpose, so she had “one word for all flowers.” She, instead, knew all the names of useful plants and vegetables. Again, this theme of name usage arises. Those of importance have specific names that are used, while those serving no purpose besides beauty receive the same vague name. Ergo, Stowe likens Miss Asphyxia to practical plants and Eglantine to purposeless flowers. Beauty is something beyond Miss Asphyxia’s mind, and it is this fixation on purpose that allows Miss Asphyxia to rise above Eglantine. She is aware of her position and seeks to change it. |
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Thus, it is through the characterization of Eglantine and Miss Asphyxia that Harriet Beecher Stowe comments on the social structure of society. Through their contrasting characteristics, Stowe allows the dominance to shift from Eglantine to Miss Asphyxia. |
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© Kimberly Brightenbrook |
Revision as of 04:01, 16 December 2009
Old Town Folks is a 1869 novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin. This book was based partially on her husband's childhood memories and the residents in his native village of Natick, Massachusetts. Her books were usually about sermonizing (her books were usually religious or they preached about the horrors of slavery) but this book was different from most of her other books. This book was one of the first examples of local color writing in New England. Stowe tells everyone very eccentrically about her beliefs in her other books like Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Harriet Beecher Stowe uses characterization and a tragic situation to portray the contrast of the bourgeois and the proletariat classes and the social movements within the class structure. The first character appearing in the story is a little girl whose mother has just died. The descriptions of her are vague, and the name of this child is not revealed until late in the story. Throughout the story, the little girl is referred to as “ ‘ere,” “beautiful little girl of seven years,” “little girl,” “little one,” and “child.” Only when she is asked for her name do the readers learn that it is Eglantine Percival. Even after her name has been revealed, none of the characters use her name. This absence of a name indirectly reflects Eglantine’s position in society after her mother’s death. Stowe uses vague words like “child” to show the subordination of Eglantine as a result of Miss Asphyxia’s demands. Before Eglantine is taken in, she held a high status with her mother and brother Harry. Her mother dies, and her brother is taken away from her along with “money enough” to pay for her mother’s funeral. The loss of these material possessions must coincide with a loss of high status according to Karl Marx. Dropping from bourgeois, Eglantine falls into the proletariat status. She does not submit entirely to the social structure at first. In fact, she resents the work Miss Asphyxia demands of her saying that she “wants to play.” Eglantine still dreams of her previous leisurely lifestyle where she had no responsibilities, where flowers were beautiful, and where her mother “always brushed them [her curls] out everyday.” She refuses Miss Asphyxia’s authority on a few occasions, but her efforts end with her own tears and eventual obedience. As her possessions escape her, Eglantine becomes more and more submissive to Miss Asphyxia and more proletariat status-like. Contrasting Eglantine is her benefactor Miss Asphyxia. She is a working woman, older and stronger. Miss Asphyxia is a “working machine, always wound up and going.” She understood that “nature had made her…entirely for use.” She described herself having nothing but bone and muscle, purely with practical and efficient uses. The use of Miss Asphyxia’s name is quite interesting. The short story is unexpectedly named after her although it seems that Eglantine is the main character of the story. Miss Asphyxia is always referred to by name. This reflects the status of the two females: Miss Asphyxia as the dominant one. Later in the story, Eglantine receives a bath from Miss Asphyxia, and it is there that Eglantine realizes the “awful reality of Miss Asphyxia’s power over her.” Miss Asphyxia has conquered her, has risen above her. The tables have turned: no longer is Eglantine higher in status than Miss Asphyxia. Material possession creates status. When Eglantine had her mother’s money, her mother, her brother, and her curls, she held a high status. At the loss of her possessions, she dropped socially. Harry, her mother, and her curls are all symbols of her past life. With each new loss, Eglantine slips further into her place as a proletariat. The loss of her hair is her final loss, and from there, she “immediately obey[s]” everything she is told. On the other hand, Miss Asphyxia gains the “possession” of the child and gains status. At the end of the story, Miss Asphyxia describes the relationship between her and Eglantine. She says that she has a “duty to that child” and if she didn’t act upon it, “then I don’t know.” Having a higher status than the child, Miss Asphyxia must control Eglantine. She proceeds to demand work, rest, and religion of her while simultaneously seeking to create Eglantine into another working machine at her disposal. Miss Asphyxia has an obligation to fix the child, and if she didn’t, she would not be fulfilling her duties as authority. Miss Asphyxia sees everything for its practical purpose. She does not understand the beauty of Eglantine’s curls as the child and her mother do. She insists the curls be cut off, and they soon are. Miss Asphyxia does not see the “beautiful little girl of seven years” as the other neighbors do. Instead, she sees a child whose “flesh is solid. I think she’ll make a strong woman, only to put her to work early and keep her at it.” She is the potential and practicality of the child’s body. She is puzzled to think that nature would have “expended so much in a merely ornamental way on an article [Eglantine] which ought to have been made more simply for service.” The aesthetics of a person means nothing to Miss Asphyxia who only recognizes practicality. Miss Asphyxia sees no point in knowing the names of flowers because they have no purpose, so she had “one word for all flowers.” She, instead, knew all the names of useful plants and vegetables. Again, this theme of name usage arises. Those of importance have specific names that are used, while those serving no purpose besides beauty receive the same vague name. Ergo, Stowe likens Miss Asphyxia to practical plants and Eglantine to purposeless flowers. Beauty is something beyond Miss Asphyxia’s mind, and it is this fixation on purpose that allows Miss Asphyxia to rise above Eglantine. She is aware of her position and seeks to change it. Thus, it is through the characterization of Eglantine and Miss Asphyxia that Harriet Beecher Stowe comments on the social structure of society. Through their contrasting characteristics, Stowe allows the dominance to shift from Eglantine to Miss Asphyxia.
© Kimberly Brightenbrook