Understanding Edith Wharton’s, “The Other Two”

In Edith Wharton’s short story, “The Other Two”, Wharton places us in the Victorian era of New York and in the home of Mr. Waythorn.  Even though the story begins with the description of Alice’s rattled marriages to Mr. Haskett and Mr. Varick, the story is really about her third husband.  A successful investor, Waythorn has married Alice, who has a twelve year old daughter, Lily.  Wharton’s process of describing Waythorn’s dominance as a husband in the beginning of the story when he learns Lily’s father, Mr. Haskett has been given the right, through a court order, to see his daughter.  Waythorn’s home as described by Wharton seems the model to which all upper class society adhere is suddenly uprooted with the realization Waythorn will have to allow a stranger of unknown means into his secure and controlled environment.  Wharton also allows us to see a woman’s roll in respect to their husband by expressing certain unnerving, descriptive thoughts of Alice when dealing with Waythorn and asking vague questions of his day.  Waythorn, in his mannerism, seems amused with the proper motion of things.  When watching his wife walking of a man pouring coffee into a cup; Wharton takes note not to let one move go unnoticed by Waythorn.  Even though Lily is not his daughter, Wharton also shows how much Waythorn takes his role as a new husband and a new father figure by Waythorn’s properly placed concerns of Alice and Lily.  Yet, throughout the middle of the story, Waythorn wants to flee his home when he first learns of Mr. Haskett and his visit.   Waythorn tries to fill his whole day with work.  When he finally meets Haskett, Waythorn is surprised that this mild, meek man posed no threat at all, and made Waythorn wonder why he had put up such a thought of malcontent on the whole matter.  He begins to question Alice’s judgment as to why she left the man at all.  Waythorn’s opinion of the men seems to be pitted against Alice.  This lack of support as a husband shows how little the feminine characters of the time were regarded.  This is evident with the three men, together in Waythorn’s library.  A unity against the women?

Understanding Stephen Crane’s Poetry

“A man said to the universe: “Sir, I exist!”  “However,” replied the universe, “The fact has not created in me a sense of obligation.” This poem by Stephen Crane gives us a glimpse into the collective ideal that he places on man’s significance in the universe. He seems to revel in the fact that man tries to put meaning into his own life by placing himself in constant battles with nature, each other and God.  He satirically shows how man tries so hard to fight a force greater than himself and always fails.  Crane shows the bitterness of human suffering and how all the powerful forces show no mercy on his plights.  Nature is nature.  It will come when it wants.  Man cannot force it.  Crane explains that certain men make war and die; it is their heritage to do so.  Crane’s fighting to stay alive is one of the best examples of naturalism in his poetry.  He also seems to question the very existence of hope.  Hope is useless and has no place in the universe.  If it does exist, what is the reward for having it?  Crane’s practicality almost mocks those that try to battle that supreme power of all things.  He doesn’t seem to stop there.  He questions any attempt to humanize anything that maybe considered divine.  This maybe due to his strict, religious upbringing by his parents, that showed little emotion and constantly reminded him of his sinful life.  That man was born into sin and must be forgiven through repentance and prayer.  When Crane finally leaves his home and begins to live his life, he, in his writing, rebukes the notion and comes to believe nature is the more powerful force in the universe. 

Understanding Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat”

In Stephen Crane’s short story, “The Open Boat”, Crane takes us on a heroing adventure through the open seas, on a small dingy holding four men that have fled their sinking ship.  They have only each other and the crashing waves around them, their enemy.  This naturalistic story of survival of man against nature describes a scenario that can be understood in realistic terms. Even thought “The Open Boat” does seem very naturalistic, giving very descriptive plights of the unforgiving sea. Crane makes you feel like you are one of the castaways, fighting alongside the men, to stay afloat and find land before it is too late.  You feel the darkness of the sky and the bouncing of the jagged waves as they slosh you around the little boat.  The four main characters, the captain, the correspondent, the cook and Billie, the oiler all have their satirical indifference to the situation; some more so.  This reaction to their grave situation turns more desperate and you begin to feel empathy as they begin to reflect on their mortality.  Outwardly, though, the men crack jokes.  The constant rowing and gradient feel of exhaustion on the four men adds to the climax of impending doom.  Its increasing physical strain along with the violent environment puts into perspective man’s fragility in the universe.  Everyone on board has job to do and collectively they know they must work together in order to survive.  As the men push their way through the sea, they finally see land in the pin drop distance.  The men’s hope of rescue is all but dashed as it is realized the rescue station is abandoned.  Hope may be found when a single man on the shore sees them and twirls his coat around and around. But they quickly realize he isn’t part of any rescue. When the dingy crashes over, the men must swim to shore.   Billie takes heed and swims past all of them using all of his energy to reach land.  The others smartly use parts of the little boat as floats and row themselves at a steady pace.  This symbolic moment becomes realized as the men reach the shore only to find Billie dead; drowned by the sea.  The strongest of them did not survive.  Crane might be trying to tell us that when it is man versus nature, the universe is indifferent, but in the end was it survival of the fittest or was it divine intercession.