Throughout The Hartleys, it is apparent the family feels themselves trapped in this vicious cycle of pretending to be happy and putting on a show for those around them. It is remarked that they seem to have suffered a loss, which reveals itself as a loss of love the between the couple. Mrs. Hartley’s misery is demonstrated in her climatic outburst the maid overhears, “Why do we have to come back? Why do we have to make these trips back to the places where we thought we were happy? What good is it going to do? What good has it ever done?” (pg. 63). The hopelessness embedded in her questioning reflects the desperation of their situation. In essence, what good is it to pretend to enjoy life? Phrases are repeated throughout the story, and the couple continues to return to places or people they associate with the cheerfulness they once possessed. These actions of repetition are an attempt to cling to the last vestige of happiness from their past, a happiness that existed before the monotonous litany that envelops their love and passion through a majority of the story’s progression. The reader can only assume this restlessness is a result of the child, Anne, considering the couple’s last memory of true contentment was the time before she was born. Therefore, Anne appears to serve as the force ensnaring the Hartleys in this state of despondency where they “search again and again in the same sand” (pg. 64) for the life they once had. Her death serves as their freedom from the “frayed rope” of their lives, and the “continuous cycle of movement” they were forced to endure. However, the question arises whether this is a true freedom, or simply a temporary pleasure experienced from the break in the plaintive cycle and repetition of the events of their daily lives? Was the despair that burdened the couple a consequence of the stress of Anne’s presence, or the dull permanence she represented as related to the couple’s relationship? In other words, was the sense of renewal the Hartleys experienced after Anne’s death a result of the absence of her difficult nature, and if so, will this new found rejuvenation endure throughout their marriage, or will it fade back into its previous tedious repetition?
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Breaking the Cycle
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These are very interesting questions, Celina. While Anne doesn't seem to be an exceedingly difficult child, she serves to separate Mr. and Mrs. Hartley in several ways during the story. The first of these is her inability to ski and her unwillingness to learn from her mother. Instead of skiing towards the beginning of the story, Anne stands "at the bottom of the slope watching her parents" (pg.59). She tells Mrs. Hartley that she does not want her mother to show her how to ski, but that she wants "daddy to show [her]" (pg. 59). Anne's devotion to her father is also evident on page 60 when Mrs. Hartley leaves the bar for the hotel room and Anne stays behind to dine with her father, and again when Anne wakes up and screams "I want my daddy" (pg. 62).
ReplyDeleteHowever, we are given some reason to doubt that Anne always and entirely favors her father. Though it is not very obvious in the story, we are told that "she obviously liked her mother" (pg. 62). We are also told that "it seemed to be only on the mountain, where the environment was strange, that [Anne's] father would become the only person in the world" to her (pg. 62). This is a curious statement but it suggests that Anne may not always act as a separating force between her mother and father.
It's interesting that, until after Anne's death, the language of the story is muted and stagnant; the hills are "black and white," the sole colors being "colors of spent fire" (pg. 63). Finally, in the last paragraph, the night is described with "bewildering beauty" and bright constellations (pg. 64). I don't have a definitive answer to your question, but Anne's death does seem to bring the couple closer together. Because she is not depicted as being more difficult than an average child of her age (5-7 maybe?), I think the despair that characterizes The Hartleys' relationship likely comes from somewhere besides their daughter. Regardless, I think the shared experience of Anne's death may help the couple reconcile some of their issues.