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Helen J. Millar Doris Lessing's Short Stories: the Male's

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Helen J. Millar Doris Lessing's Short Stories: the Male's HELEN J. MILLAR DORIS LESSING'S SHORT STORIES: THE MALE'S POINT OF VIEW In a previous article, "Doris Lessing's Short Stories: A Woman's Right to Choose?",' attention was focussed on her female characters and their reactions to the roles they played in society. To balance this study, this article will look at the male characters in Lessing's short stories, and especially their attitudes towards women. Ellen Brooks, a critic of Lessing's fiction, has this to say in general of her characters: In Lessing's view,men and women do not really confront each other, for they define each other according to vastly different needs, shaping reality to fit the pattern of their desires. Women, depending on men for their hapiness, deny their men's deficiencies. Men, in contrast, do not spare their women, using them as sexual scapegoats and viewing them as threatening, dominating mother figures, separating them into categories of conventional wife or sexual playmate . both men and women share in the violence of the modern world by playing their opposing roles of oppressor and oppressed. 2 While this generalisation may be true of the male characters in The Go/den Notebook, it is not accurate for all those men who appear in the short stories. For their attitudes towards women depend on many factors; their age, status and class, environment and the nature of the relationship. The stories to be discussed in this article concern men in social situa- tions which reflect on both their private and public relationships with women. In "A Woman on a Roof" 3 Lessing explores the reactions of three men to a woman with whom they essentially have no association. Although the men share a similar social background, their behaviour is a result of their personal opinions, beliefs and experiences. In "The Woman" 4 two older men, sharing similar sentiments about women from their past, make sure their presence is felt by the young waitress serving them. When she doesn't show them the "respect" they think they deserve, whether for their age or sex, the young girl is subjected to their snide comments. In "The Witness", "The Habit of Loving" and "Flight" (all from The Habit of Loving collec- tion) Lessing again shows older men in relationships with younger women. In the final two stories, "The De Wets Come to Kloof Grange" 5 and "The Story of a Non-Marrying Man", 6 the male characters are seen in conflict not just with women, but with their environment and work, which can have tragic effects on personal relationships. Within the framework of "A Woman on a Roof" Lessing shows how the attitudes and age of the three men mending the roof affect the way they react to the woman they see sunbathing. Stanley, married for three 42 months, stands stands between between Harry, Harry, a man a man of about of about forty-five forty.five and Tom, and Tom,seven- seven- teen. Stanley'sStanley's resentment resentment of theof the woman woman is the is mostthe most deeply deeply felt. For felt. him For him she representsrepresents all all that that is unattainableis unattainable to him. to him.She standsShe stands for wealth for wealthand and leisure;leisure; she she is is relaxing relaxing totally totally while while he hemust must suffer suffer physical physical strain; strain;while while he he labours in in excessively excessively uncomfortable uncomfortable conditions conditions she liesshe asleep lies asleep or reads; or reads; she worshipsworships the the sun sun and and heat, heat, the the very very thing thing that thatis tormenting is tormenting him. him. Her indifferenceindifference to to the the men men is especiallyis especially hurtful hurtful for Stanleyfor Stanley because because itit accentuatesaccentuates the the gap gap between between her herworld world and his.and Her his. absence Her absence from the from the roof oneone day day prompts prompts his his bitter bitter comment: comment: "I bet "1 herbet oldher man old manhas put has his put his foot down"down" (p. (p. 68), 68), but but the the other other two two men, men, smiling smiling behind behind his back, his back, know know that itit isis merely merely Stanley's Stanley's attempt attempt to includeto include the thewoman woman in his in view his viewof his of his working class class world. world. He He resents resents the the woman's woman's freedom: freedom: he likes he likesto think to think that somewheresomewhere there there is isa mana man who who can can put herput inher her in place. her place. After allAfter men all men should controlcontrol women. women. Tom andand Harry, Harry, meanwhile, meanwhile, can can stand stand back back from from the situation the situation and and not letlet themselves themselves become become so soemotionally emotionally involved. involved. As far As as far Tom's as Tom's in- in- volvement goes goes it itis is completely completely in thein the realms realms of fantasy of fantasy and is,and therefore, is, therefore, relatively harmless. harmless. He He does does not not continually continually whistle whistle and stampand stamp at the at the woman as as Stanley Stanley does. does. Although Although he too he seestoo seesher as her something as something unattainable unattainable he prefersprefers to to daydream daydream about about his his conquest conquest of her: of her:"He knew"He knew from hisfrom his nightly dreams dreams of of her her that that she she was was kind kind and and friendly. friendly. Perhaps Perhaps she would she would ask himhim down down to to her her flat" flat" (p. (p. 70) 70) where where there there were were fitted fitted "white "white carpets carpets and aa bedbed with with a apadded padded white white leather leather top" top" (p. 71). (p. 71).He knows He knows his own his own limitations, accepts accepts them them and, and, therefore, therefore, slips slips into intohis ownhis ownimaginative imaginative world awayaway from from the the harsh harsh realities realities of ofhis his real real workaday workaday world. world. If Tom If Tom then isis absorbed absorbed by by fantasy, fantasy, Harry Harry faces faces up to up the to facts the factsand accepts and accepts his lot. his lot. When StanleyStanley comments, comments, "She's "She's on onher her back", back", Harry Harry "smiles "smiles tolerantly" tolerantly" while TomTom snickers. snickers. When When the the younger younger men men shout shout and whistle,and whistle, Harry Harry parodies them, them, "making "making fun fun of ofthem" them" (p. (p.68). 68). If he If ishe resentful is resentful of the of the woman's indifference indifference he he does does not not openly openly show show it and it whenand whenhe sees he the sees the situation getting getting out out of of control control he hecommands commands Stanley Stanley to pack to packup. His up. res- His res- traint isis probably probably due due to tohis his age age and and his hisown own understanding understanding of the of ways the ways and inequalitiesinequalities in in society. society. He, He, unlike unlike the theothers, others, does does not see not the see woman the woman as anyany kindkind of of "sexual "sexual playmate". playmate". How differentdifferent he he is is too too from from the the two two older older men, men, Herr Herr Scholtz Scholtz and and Captain Forster Forster in in "The "The Woman", Woman", who who "might "might continually continually be observed be observed ob- ob- serving the the social social scene scene of offlirtations flirtations and and failures failures and successesand successes with the with the calm authorityauthority of of those those qualified qualified by by long long familiarity familiarity with with it to itassess to assess and and make judgements.judgements. Men Men of ofweight, weight, they they were: were: men men of substance; of substance; men who men who expected deference" deference" (p. (p. 50). 50). The The "woman" "woman" of this of thisstory, story, Rosa, Rosa, the wait- the wait- ress, whomwhom they they both both eye, eye, will will have have little little to doto withdo with them— them— "and "and surely surely they werewere entitled entitled to to feel feel aggrieved?" aggrieved?" Rosa's Rosa's behaviour, behaviour, her "cruelty", her "cruelty", makes the the men men resentful resentful and and the the relationship relationship between between the two the is twostreng- is streng- thened because because of of this: this: "When "When she she reappeared reappeared with thewith wine the they wine were they so were so deep inin good good fellowship fellowship they they might might have have been been saying saying aloud aloud how howfoolish foolish it it was toto allowallow the the sound sound companionship companionship of men of men to be to spoiled, be spoiled, even foreven a for a week, onon account account of of the the silly silly charm charm of women"of women" (p. 52).(p. 52). 43 What followsfollows is is a alittle little game game designed designed by the by menthe mento weaken to weaken Rosa's Rosa's harmless self-confidence self-confidence and and hurt hurt her herunnecessarily. unnecessarily. They Theyare both are "fatally both "fatally attracted" to to her, her, yet yet she she chooses chooses to flirtto flirtnot notwith with them them but with but awith hand- a hand- some youngyoung man, man, "as "as if sheif she were were taking taking a pleasure a pleasure in the in cruelty" the cruelty" (p. 51).
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