Hi everyone,
These are some ideas that came to mind when reading the first half of A Lost Lady. I would be interesting in reading your views.
A Lost Lady was first published in 1923. It tells the story of Marian Forrester and her husband, Captain Daniel Forrester who live in the Western town of Sweet Water, a little town along the Transcontinental Railroad. What does this particular location, both temporally and geographically reveal about Cather’s view of her contemporaneous society? How and through which resources does Willa Cather characterize the times gone by? How are present and past contrasted?
The way by which characters communicate in this novel is quite telling of Cather’s intentionality to present a social commentary. What can you say about the role of gossiping as a narrative strategy in A Lost Lady? Where and how does this strategy situate the reader?
What are some incidents in the book (from the 1st half ) that give us insight into the characters of Niel Herbert, Marian Forester, Captain Forester, Ivy Peters, and Frank Ellinger. Are there symbolisms associated to the different characters? If so, what does the interaction between them tell us? What keeps them together, what moves them apart? Similarly, what is Niel's attitude toward Marian during the 1st half? Do you think it will change later? How, where and when?
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ReplyDeleteI think the idea of the "Lost Lady" comes from Marian's social position as a woman of this time. Her husband is 25 years older than she is, and she is his second wife. As the story unfolds and we start to see the different sides of Marian, like her secret romantic relationship with Frank and her drinking habits, it seems as if she is only staying with the Captain for his social status.
ReplyDeleteMarian's relationship with Niel puts her at a divide between the old and new generations. When the banks go bankrupt and the Captain falls ill, Niel is convinced to go to school for architecture. This represents a replacement of the older generation with the a new modern one.
Niel, at first, seems to view Marian as a sort of Mother figure, but as the story progresses we see that he has a romantic interest in her. There seems to be a common symbol of cutting with every romantic scenario. The realization of Niel's interest in Marian comes from his scheme to stop Frank from seeing Marian, so he cuts some flowers for her. When he realizes that Frank has already seen Marian, he throws the flower in the mud. I think Niel will always have a romantic desire for Marian, but I also see her choices and different personalities getting in the way and eventually causing Niel to separate himself from her.
The character of Ivy Peters is one of strong aggression. When we first meet him, he is torturing a woodpecker which then causes Niel to break his arm. I think Ivy will be a force to be reckoned with in the second half of the novel.
There is an instance in the third chapter where we get to know more about Neil. We find that he is able to complement and express his feelings. In a conversation with Mrs. Forrester he says, “You seem always the same to me, Mrs. Forrester.” She responds, “Yes? And how is that?” “Lovely. Just Lovely.” This conversation tells us a little about how he feels for Mrs. Forrester and might implicate how he is able to complement others. I presume that these feelings for her grew greatly when she took care of his injured body; he was probably attracted to the motherly, caring aspect of her.
ReplyDeleteWe get to see how giving Neil is in chapter 4. There is a section during the party when Mrs. Forrester asks Neil to give Constance his cherry. He obliges even though the conversation he had earlier with her had gone sour. Constance also reveals a little about herself in the way she talks and interacts with Neil. For example, she never eats the cherry from her glass even though Neil was kind enough to give it to her. Furthermore, when talking with Neil, the author describes her as always turning her head and not attentive. These mannerisms point to Constance being uptight or trying to be high-class.
Further on in this chapter we get to know a little about Captain Forrester when the author describes him at the head of the table. “Captain Forrester still made a commanding figure at the head of his own table, with his napkin tucked under his chin and the work of carving well in hand.” This quote illustrates an alpha male; it shows someone who, despite his injury, still asserts his dominance in social situations. Further on, the author says that he makes sure to ask the ladies first which part of the turkey they would like. This shows that he is a gentleman and most likely cares for others on a daily basis.
In the first chapter, Ivy is the first villain we encounter. He is cruel to animals and is a bully to Neil and his friends. He takes the woodpecker, after he knocked it out, and cuts its eyes. Only really cruel people would hurt an animal in such a way.
I agree with Mariscal in that Ivy will be a force to reckon with in the second half of the novel. I think that he could develop into an excellent protagonist character.
I like how Mariscal points out that the symbol of cutting is involved whenever there is a romantic scenario between Neil and Mrs.Forrester. I didn't notice this and I wonder if that symbol somehow plays into the story later on.
*antagonist
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