The Battle of Ideas - Essay Example

The Battle of Ideas Mrs. Gearson in the short story with the character title Editha was paralyzed with only her voice and arm left to her intact. She confronted the protagonist with her strong voice that reflected a person with unnerved spirit. Although the old woman is immobilized because of her health conditions, she was still able to move her arm which was what remained intact of her body. The statement “She lifted herself by her powerful arms so high” (Howell, 59), shows how her arm is placed in juxtaposition to her voice. Her words towards the young woman were strong and heart-breaking and in parallel, the description of how she lifted herself with her powerful hands to threaten the younger woman of tearing her black dress, was also heart-wrenching. Her strong voice expressed her convictions that there is no glory in any war, in killing another son of a miserable mother or husband of faceless and nameless young girl (Howell, 59). The author seems to strengthen the ideals of the woman through her only able part of the body, her powerful arms. As she raised her voice to be heeded, she raised her arm to be understood that despite her physical disability, she can still be able to accomplish something. She has torn the heart of the young woman with her words and she can still tear her show of grief, he black dress, with her arms. George was raised by his mother, telling him all about how his father suffered in the civil war. He remembered, "She brought me up to think to war a fool thing as well as a bad thing. My father was in the civil war; all through it; lost his arm in it." (56) Mrs. Gearson raised George, instilling in his heart and mind that war brings nothing good to humankind. For some, this manner would look like he was raised to be fearful of war. In line with such thought, Mrs. Gearson could be accused of having caused the death of his son because events necessitated him to join the war, however, because courage was not developed in him, the fear that he lived somehow caused how he acted in the war zone that led to his death. If only George was trained to fight, he would not have died in a world where war is inevitable. On the other hand, the philosophical person and the loved ones involved in such tragedies somehow might have a certain knowing and conviction that Mrs. Gearson did the right thing of raising her son in such a manner. It was but right for her to plant in the heart and mind of the young man that the war is never the answer towards peace. She has a point in saying that the soldiers killed in the war, have grieving loved ones left (59). If they survive, they will suffer the consequences of losing part/s of their bodies and knowing that they have killed fellow human beings and caused emotional and psychological pain to their families. In my opinion, Mrs. Gearson is not, in any way, responsible for the death of her son. I think Howells is not a misogynist if the only basis is the title of the story. Editha is the main character of the story and it is perhaps just fine for him to use the name as a title. I believe that the purpose of the author in using the feminine name as a title would be to cause readers to critically consider the ideals of the young woman. In addition, if Howell were a misogynist, he would have used a male character to contradict the ideals of the protagonist. Instead, he used another woman to present his arguments about what he believes regarding wars. The fact that the opposite point is represented by another woman shows that there is no preference in what a male or female character would represent. Moreover, one can notice how the author silences the men in the story. George was killed, putting an end to his part in the story (57). His father is a passive character, known only through the stories of Mrs. Gearson and his son (56, 59). The older woman gave no heed to Editha’s father when he tried to explain the situation of his daughter saying, “Daughter’s life was almost despaired of at one time” (59). Instead, Mrs. Gearson continued speaking to Editha. I think the battle of ideas was supposed to be between the two women. Although the inexperienced and rather idealistic Editha presented a view that may be condemned not only by men but by women as well and Mrs. Gearson also presented her views which could cause deeper scrutiny among men and women as well. I am confident that the use of Editha as a title has nothing to do with the author being a misogynist but has everything to do with the objectives he had in using it as a title. The situation of Mrs. Gearson as a character, being unable to freely move about has a representation and a message in itself that shows features of romanticism. She is also a realist. Being the victim of war, losing her husband and son to it, her immobilization is a representation that there is nothing she can do about the circumstances that are inevitable. War involves several people with differing ideologies and the real victims are often maimed in the process. The soldiers are obvious victims of war but perhaps the victims who suffer the worst consequences are the loved ones who are left to deal with the emotional and psychological effects throughout the rest of their lives. The lack of mobility of Mrs. Gearson does not mean inactivity. As it has been shown, the woman is able to lift herself up with her powerful hand and that is all that she could do aside from talking, raising her voice and lifting her eyes to stare at Editha. She may be immobilized but not to the point of totally being unable to do anything. The limited mobility of Mrs. Gearson shows the romantic view of the author through the use of actions. She is the representation of the harsh realities of war. The only thing she has is a voice that fell on ears of people who did not try to listen and care about her thoughts. At the end of the story, Editha is depicted sitting before a painter, sharing her side of the story and eventually making her mind to "live again in the ideal" (60). This shows that Editha did not yet have a change of heart despite the harsh words of Mrs. Gearson. This situation is synonymous with what is observed in the real world. Read More