The interplay of power within the sexes in the short story - Essay Example

Power Struggles Introduction Literature is evidently a reflection of life. It evolves from myriad facts and figures of life prevailing in and around society. Power struggles and delineation of power discourse are very fascinating themes of post-modern literature and the short stories, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway and “The White Stocking” by David Herbert Lawrence are both creations that could not escape the essence of power struggle captivated within the plot of the stories. These two contemporary literary pieces pertinently capture the power struggle or the power discourse prevailing between the two opposite sexes in the society. The short story, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Hemingway and “The White Stocking” by David Herbert Lawrence present a battle of sexes and power discourse as their thematic intervention within their tight-lipped plots. Interplay of Power within the Sexes in the Short Story: Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber and The White Stocking “Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” is a story of an American man, Francis Macomber on safari with his wife Margot and an experienced English guide named Wilson. The power struggle in the story revolves round the power discourse between Margot and Francis and Francis and Wilson. But far from being captivated within the normal parameters of power discourse, the story transcends a battle for the establishment of power struggle and the power discourse which initiates with a struggle for Francis with himself as well. The parameter and perspective of power struggle that can be viewed in the short story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” is set on a very different scale. The fear of Macomber after failing to kill a wounded lion leads his wife Margot to the preoccupied thought that her husband is unmanly and she expresses a clear hint that she wants a macho-man as her husband. The concept of rebirth of Macomber after he is able to shoot the chasing buffalo clearly indicates that for Hemingway and also for Margot, the feminine entity in the book, chauvinism and chivalry are the poignant and perhaps the only parameters of masculinity which gets more evident through the perception of Margot towards her husband and initiates the power struggle in the story, “His wife had been through with him before but it never lasted He was very wealthy and would be much wealthier, and knew she would not leave him ever now. That was one of the few things that he really knew” (Hemingway, “The complete short stories of Ernest Hemingway”, Page - 18). Margot takes the weapon of ignorance towards her husband to excite him and at the same time allures Wilson with her seductive appeals which fall under a very neat strategy of power struggle from the end of Margot. In the story, “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber”, all the three characters of the story undertakes individual power game strategy, thereby implementing individual game theory into it. Francis is more a blunt here. He is all set to display the physical labour and valour which Francis is precisely lacking when compared with that of Wilson. And Wilson is at the best in game theory here as he is in his comfort zone. As a jungle guide, he is well aware with the problems and advantageous positions in the jungle. To evoke jealousy in the mind of Francis, Margot deliberately points out to the bravery of Wilson at the jungle despite of knowing that he is in his most advantageous position. After the death of her husband, Margot appears with a new set of game strategy, where she is shown mourning at the death of her husband completely negating the identity of Wilson at that very moment. The death of the buffalo and Francis, who was able to taste his essence of self-pride and masculinity for a very brief period of time was shot by his wife, get united at the wide platform at the end of the story. The death of Francis is symbolic with myriad contention perceiving it as tragedy and triumph as well. This triumph of Margot over Francis mark the end of the power struggle and the battle is won by the fairer sex in the story (Hemingway, “The complete short stories of Ernest Hemingway”, Page - 18). . On the contrary the short story, “The White Stocking” by D. H. Lawrence presents a passive, calm and mundane household of an ordinary couple Ted and Elsie Whiston married happily for two years. The triangular power discourse initiated in the story between Ted, Elsie and Sam begins at the intrusion of a third person into the calm household of Ted and Elsie which almost sets the house on fire of household disturbances. In the power struggle presented in the story “White Stockings”, Elsie takes the refuge of her seductive appearance i.e. her vulnerability and her power to manipulate two males in her life; Ted and Sam with her inexhaustible charm. The author explicitly describes the charm associated with “her short limbs”. Ted tries to express his power game through extreme dominance over Elsie as we see him even returning the parcel which came in the name of Elsie. Sam, on the other hand, tries to extend his power game through the strength of wealth and he exercise it by calling Elsie and Ted at expensive parties at his home where he flirts openly with Elsie and dance closely with her which serve enough to evoke the feeling of jealousy in Ted. Elsie, on the other hand, shows the power to tame and manipulate two men in her life and make them jealous of each other by paying balanced attention and at the same time ignoring them whenever necessary. The power struggle is evident within the amateur plot of Lawrence’s “The White Stocking” but here, Elsie is shown on the winning edge. She is able to evoke love, jealousy, anger and hatred in Ted and Ted is also observed succumbing to the anguish culminated from the ignorance and negligence of Elsie towards him. The battle of sexes is pertinent in this story as well but the battle doesn’t take place between the equals forces as the struggle initiates between Ted and Elsie on one hand and Ted and Sam on the other. Ted is never able to reach the heights of Elsie in power game and the readers find Ted mostly on the receiving end. The marriage and more importantly the attitude of Ted are seen at the heights of rage and fury that culminate out of their past relationships, present conflicts and as the other man in Elsie’s life, who continues to surface out consistently. The amount of lust and rage are seen as the determining factors for convincing and conquering the mind of Elsie to come to the conclusion that her husband is masculine, strong and passionate, “She began to cry, but he took no notice. She kept wiping her mouth on her handkerchief. He could see it, the blood-mark. It only made him more sick and tired of the responsibility of it, the violence, and the shame” (Lawrence, “The Prussian Officer and Other Stories”, Pg 114). Conclusion The story “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber” by Ernest Hemingway and “The White Stocking” by D. H. Lawrence investigate the power struggle running down the plot of these stories. The masculine and feminist discourses are very important aspects of modern literature and these two masterpieces from the canon reminds the fact once again that since the sagas from the garden of Eden, it is the battle of sexes and the conflict that builds the true essence of master-plots in literature. References Hemingway, E. The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, Simon and Schuster, 1998. Lawrence, D. H., The Prussian Officer and Other Stories, Digireads.Com Publishing, 2009. Read More