Bret Hart - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages This essay will flesh out the thesis that in Harte’s stories, there is manifest celebration of the virtues of the social underclass. Where literature was previously the preserve of the privileged and addressed to the same privileged audience, Harte broke this trend, and courageously at that, and highlighted the depth, effervescence and humanity of those in the fringes of society.
Tennessee’s Partner is a great short story. At its core is the theme of friendship, if not unconditional love. Tennessee’s Partner (who was never referred by his actual name through the entire story) displays such an unconditional acceptance of his friend Tennessee that he soon withers and dies upon the latter’s execution. Even when his wife runs away with Tennessee, his partner doesn’t try to harm him. To the contrary, he welcomes him back home in all cordiality. This is all the more remarkable when one considers the livelihoods of these two characters. They are both petty criminals, often committing offenses against the law. It is natural to expect loose codes of friendship and loyalty among people who are considered criminals. Yet Tennessee’s Partner shows such dedication toward the wellbeing of his friend. In what is a brilliant symbolic touch, the very naming of the story as Tennessee’s Partner indicates the strength of unity of identity of these two loyal friends. The reference to an individual solely through his friend’s name is a statement of the strong intertwinement of their two identities.
Similarly, consistent with Harte’s reputation of being a brave writer who pushed the frontiers of social sensibility, there are sufficient hints at a homosexual relationship between the two lead characters. Perhaps fearing public outrage (as homosexuality was taboo during Harte’s era) the author might have only conveyed the intimate nature of their relationship via indirect literary means. Another way of looking at this is that Harte has ...Download file to see next pagesRead More