Carthage Vanguard Volume 4

CARTHAGE VANG ARD An Interdiciplinary Research Journal

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The Carthage Vanguard

Copyright© by The Carthage Vanguard https://www.carthage.edu/vanguard/

Originally Published in the United Statates by Carthage College in 2017

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without prior written permission from the publisher, with the exception of brief quotations for review purposes.

This is an original, academic journal. Any findings are academic and do not go so far as to claim to be true under every circumstance. Academic review is welcomed for the furtherment of education.

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Table of Contents

The 2017 Vanguard Staff...... 4

Letter from the Editor...... 5

Humanities Division

Inspiration and Imitation: The Role of the Poet in the Paradox of Creation ...... 7 Katelyn Risch

Destroy to Create: The Young Female Artist’s Formation of Personal Identity...... 16 Olivia Paige Witney

“All Art is Quite Useless”: An Exploration of Beauty and Aestheticism in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray ...... 28 Lindsay Philips

On Hobbes’s Treatment Of Punishment In Leviathan ...... 38 Timothy Tennyson

Concealed-Carry on College Campuses: The Legal Right of Students and Faculty to Bear Arms ...... 59 Wyatt Cooper

Natural Sciences Division

The Potential Influence of MUC5B on Streptococcus mutans ropA Expression and Trigger Factor Fucntion...... 69 Daniel Setzke

Social Sciences Division

Comparison of young and adult behavior with stray dogs in Yachay Tech University and Urcuquí...... 83 Ana Lucía Dom ínguez Carvajal

The Effect of Applied Behavior Analysis on a Child Expressing Comorbidity of Selective Mutism and Autism Spectrum Disorder...... 88 Madeline Fell

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The 2017 Vanguard Staff

Brett Grimes Editor-In-Chief

Jessica Livingston Creative Specialist

Katelyn Risch Copywriter

Logan Bartz Managing Editor of the Humanities

Mary Weir Managing Editor of the Social Sciences

Hailey Hathaway Managing Editor of the Natural Sciences

Aaron San Juan Reviewer

Max Becher Reviewer

Owen Meyers Reviewer

Daniel Setzke Reviewer

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From the Editor-In-Chief-

It is my pleasure to introduce the fourth issue of The Carthage Vanguard, a unique interdisciplinary research journal produced by a team of undergraduates. The role of academic research, once reserved for only those in graduate school, is becoming an essen- tial part of the undergraduate experience. With that, there is a re- sponsibility to recognize and publish unique perspectives, scholarly ambition, and profound original research. The Carthage Vanguard strives to create an avenue for talented, young researchers of all disciplines to share their work at the undergraduate level.

This year’s issue provides incredible reflections on the world around us, from heavy contemplations of abstract concepts to pragmat- ic discussions of problems in our communities. In the humanities section, our English articles explore the “paradox of creation,” the formation of female identity, and the role of beauty and aesthetics in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Our Political Science articles discuss Hobbes’s treatment of punishment in Leviathan as well as con- cealed-carry on college campuses. In the natural sciences section, we investigate ECM-cell interactions. In the social sciences section, we study the interaction of humans and stray dogs in Ecuador and the effect of “applied behavior analysis” in Southeast Wisconsin.

I am excited to say that with this issue we officially become an in- ternational research journal, as we are publishing our first article from the country of Ecuador.

I would like to thank all those who contributed to this issue: the researchers who submitted such exemplary work; the editors and reviewers for contributing their time and effort in selecting the arti- cles; Jessica Livingston for all her work in designing this issue; and of course you, the reader, for fulfilling the true purpose of this pub- lication.

Brett Grimes Editor-In-Chief

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Arts & Humanities

Through scholarly inquiry, artistic creation, and community engage- ment, the Division of Arts and Humanities cultivates a rich artistic and intellectual community that fosters a respect for diversity and encour- ages lifelong learning. Students learn to engage critical and creative thinking skills as tools for reflection, expression, and engagement.

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Inspiration and Imitation: The Role of the Poet in the Paradox of Creation Katelyn Risch English Department Carthage College

Abstract

My primary text is Robert Duncan’s 1960 poem “The Structure of Rime I.” The first of a 29-part series, it explores the nature of writing and creation via the motif of the image, the personification of the sentence, and the ever-shifting patterns of power dynamics. Many critics and scholars discuss, as I will, the influence that Duncan’s time at the Black Mountain College exerts on his style of writing—that is, they note that his writing takes a nonlinear, collage-like format. Furthermore, they study the role that religious and mystic beliefs play in the creation of his work. I too will exam- ine religion, specifically the Biblical allusions within “The Structure of Rime I,” and will demonstrate how they contribute to the poem’s claims regarding the creative process. A close-reading of the poem reveals that the poem’s speaker is represen- tative of all poets. In addition to examining the religious components of the poem, analyzing the speaker’s relationship with writing (both the way he perceives it and the way his interlocutor, a nameless woman, suggests it ought to be perceived) unearths the poem’s function as a call to action for poets. It calls poets to abandon the struc- ture and linearity of creative rules in favor of immersing themselves in the oftentimes abstract creative process, and to thus make “meaning” just as much a part of the process as it is a part of the product.

Introduction of inspiration, some examples of which include emotions, aesthetics, and history. Weatherhead explores the ways in “The Structure of Rime I” was published in Robert Dun- which Duncan’s poetry fits the first definition. He isolates can’s 1960 collection of poetry entitled The Opening of the “The Fire: Passages 13” from Bending the Bow as an ex- Field. As the “I” indicates, this was part of a poetic series, ample. The beginning of this poem is, more or less, a chart for which he wrote 29 in total. The first 13 were published of words—six columns of words, with six words in each in The Opening of the Field; the next seven were pub- column, underneath which lies another miniature chart, this lished in Roots and Branches; the following five appeared one two by two. At first, especially if the reader is locked in Bending the Bow; three more were published in Ground into the expectation of linearity, the opening of this poem Work; finally, the 29th installation was published inGround may appear nonsensical. The poem seems to cross from Work II. writing, the traditionally linear art form, into the realm of These poems explore the nature of writing, as well visual art, a spatial field. By contrast, this analysis of “The as the nature of creation in general. As opposed to ap- Structure of Rime I” will focus on collage’s second defini- proaching writing from a strictly linear perspective, Duncan tion, that of a poem being born out of a myriad of inspiring uses the image of the field—hence the title of the collec- concepts. tion. Rather than adhering to neat and orderly linearity, According to an article entitled “A Brief Guide writing for him unfolds spatially across a canvas, much to the Black Mountain School,” the collage and field’s like traditionally visual art forms (painting, drawing, etc.). rejection of perfectly structured rules and the subsequent Jackson Pollock, who lived from 1912 to 1956, was one adoption of experimental form was practiced by members such painter. His work was categorized as both “abstract of the Black Mountain College. Duncan was one of these expressionist” and “field painting”—“abstract” describes members, as were the writers Robert Creeley, Denise Le- art that is without a concrete subject or narrative, and “ex- vertov, and Charles Olson, among others. The Black Moun- pressionist” denotes the idea that the work of art somehow tain College “was an educational experiment” lasting from conveys emotion (Hudson). Likewise, “field painting” refers 1933 to 1956. One of its main goals was to emphasize the to works of art without a singular focus. importance of art to having a full “human understanding,” In a similar vein, A. K. Weatherhead’s essay en- and they did so by elevating the importance of the creative titled “Robert Duncan and the Lyric” notes that Duncan process (Academy of American Poets). also describes his writing as a “collage” (Weatherhead Robert Duncan’s poetry, particularly that within The 164). A term with a dual meaning, “collage” can refer to Opening of the Field, is representative of the ideals held either the format of the poem itself, reiterating the idea of by the Black Mountain College. In terms of visual format- the spatial field and canvas’ rejection of linearity, or to the ting, many of his poems resemble the decentralized col- notion that a poem results from the interaction of a collage lage; in terms of content, “The Structure of Rime I” speaks

7 Carthage Vanguard Volume 4 to Duncan’s call for the movement to that open form of 163); they wanted more focus to be directed toward how writing. The speaker of “The Structure of Rime I” wades the poem functioned in space. Weatherhead describes this through the issue of how to write as well as the relationship as the poem’s “architecture” (Weatherhead 167). He then between writer and writing through his interactions with interprets the potential consequences of that collage for- the written product itself and with a nameless “woman,” mat. One is that the poem escapes having a single focus one “who resembles the sentence” (Duncan 6—though or a single meaning (a characteristic, described earlier, of maybe Duncan would resist my imposing line numbers “field painting,” or in this case, “field poetry”). Another onto his nonlinear work). Throughout the investigation of consequence actually has to do with the risk of failure the poem, other motifs that arise to help provide the an- within this particular format—“[The elements of a poem] swer to that question of how to write are those of images, appear as if they had come to the poet all together in a sentences (and Sentences), the Law, and power dynamics. single moment of time; and he moves quickly from one A potentially unsettling question that poses itself item to another, keeping it moving” (Weatherhead 169). throughout this exploration of writing and creation, and This hints at an innate inability of the poem to sufficiently one that this thesis seeks to answer, is: What is the role of represent the thought process of the poet. For as much of the poet? In this thesis, I will sift through “The Structure a role that shape and spacing can and do play in poetry, it of Rime I” to evaluate the role of the speaker—a poet seems that a choice still must be made as to what is written himself—as the recipient of a call to action, and then, as first by the poet, what is perceived first by the reader. The a poet, I also will attempt to respond to the call. The call representation becomes an approximation, an imitation of that the “The Structure of Rime I” presents is for contem- the thoughts that occurred in simultaneity. porary poets to, as the speaker does, wrestle with writing As Weatherhead’s does, another essay, Norman and those Laws that may or may not govern writing, and Finkelstein’s “Late Duncan: From Poetry to Scripture” also to thus investigate ways of finding and conveying “mean- focuses on a time later than The Opening of the Field. But ing.” One manner in which to conduct that investigation, again, the ideas proposed here may be translatable; with as demonstrated by Duncan’s poem, is to make the work the advantage of hindsight, it may be possible to deter- more about the process than the conclusion. Whereas mine whether “The Structure of Rime I” from The Opening conclusions have the potential to limit and confine, an of the Field could actually be a predictor for the trends instinctual and open-minded writing process informed by a Finkelstein observes in Duncan’s later work. collage of inspiration gives meaning the space it needs to Finkelstein also addresses the “collage” that char- emerge. acterizes some of Duncan’s work. He looks at this collage in terms of the influences that shaped Duncan’s approach Survey of the Literature to the concept of creation. Out of this comes a list of terms to define to understand Duncan’s perspective, as they are Much scholarly focus has been placed on Duncan’s later terms that essays consistently tend to attach to Duncan’s work, leaving The Opening of the Field comparatively name. “Gnosis” (the belief in or possession of a spiritual/ less explored. Perhaps this is due to the fact that Duncan transcendental knowledge), “theosophy” (a movement himself did not introduce the label “collage” until Bending that can be traced back to Gnosticism, referring also to the Bow, which was published in 1968, eight years after divine knowledge or wisdom), and “emanational” (a view The Opening of the Field. However, the seeds of the idea of creation that refers to the process of the thing being had already been planted and can be seen in his earlier created issuing forward; it also often refers to the process works, given his time spent in the Black Mountain College of creation by God as opposed to creation from nothing) and the emphasis on the use of the “field” there. It also are three of these terms (“Gnosis,” “Theosophy,” “Ema- seems to be the trend that if any focus is placed on his national”). Finkelstein discusses these terms in relation to earlier work of The Opening of the Field, it tends to be on Duncan’s work overall; for the purposes of this thesis, an the poem “Often I am Permitted to Return to a Meadow.” analysis of “The Structure of Rime I” will speak to the third Focus on “The Structure of Rime I” specifically is few and term, emanational, in order to investigate the poet’s task of far between as well (if anything, it is only an analysis of the creation. “Structure of Rime” series as a whole that has occasionally Finkelstein then discusses the role of this “collage” cropped up), and so this is where my thesis will insert itself on the content of Duncan’s work, namely, his apparent fas- into the existing discussion. cination with the concept of the “creation and fall of man” The “collage” as an end result of Duncan’s writing (Finkelstein 345). The essay then includes a quote from process is not the only focus of critical scholars’ work on Duncan whose content ties directly into what this thesis Duncan. A. K. Weatherhead, for example, besides investi- will discuss in terms of images and imitation: “Poetry in its gating the manifestation of the “collage” in Duncan’s later steady revisions of its original vision, an accurate eye cor- work, also explores some of the origins of the collage, as recting its accuracies, an image of a man made in his own well as some of its consequences. He attributes Duncan’s image inaccurately” (qtd. in Finkelstein 345). From here, he usage of it to the writers Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot, pro- concludes that the poem then becomes both the creation ponents of the idea that language ought to be perceived and the fall—a concept reminiscent of Plato’s pharmakon, in more of a simultaneous fashion than a linear one. They medicine and poison in one (qtd. in Derrida 1701). The “suggested that word groups would be perceived simulta- idea of accurately imitating or representing an image, and neously rather than in temporal sequence” (Weatherhead the idea of the poem’s nature as both the creation and the

8 Carthage Vanguard Volume 4 fall, add a Biblical layer to the analysis. Because the poem Do I not withhold the hearts of men from you? will inevitably fail to accurately imitate the image as a result of its equally inevitable fall from the grace of creation, I alone long for your demand. still choosing to utilize imitation as a means of creation I alone measure your desire. is portrayed as sinful—even blasphemous—because that imitation can never truly portray the original. O Lasting Sentence, Finkelstein talks about how meaning (the meaning) sentence after sentence I make in your image. In the feet is “inexpressible” (Finkelstein 357)—but in fact, this be- that comes the reason for the act of imitation. It is actually less measure the dance of my pages I hear cosmic intoxications about reducing something to what one understands about of the it (a potentially blasphemous avenue) and more about man I will be. using the resources at one’s disposal in order to somehow begin to express the ineffable. This makes imitation, rather Cheat at this game? she cries. than a disrespectful or sacrilegious practice, a viable re- The world is what you are. sponse to Duncan’s call to action for contemporary poets. Stand then so I can see you, a fierce destroyer of images. “The Structure of Rime I” Will you drive me to madness I ask the unyielding Sentence that shows Itself only there to know me? forth in the vomiting images into the place of the Law! language as I make it, Analysis Speak! For I name myself your master, who come to This thesis will now separate the poem into smaller serve. pieces in order to make them more accessible, and then Writing is first a search in obedience. retype them chronologically, discussing each in turn. Dun- can’s poem begins thus: There is a woman who resembles the sentence. She has a place in I ask the unyielding Sentence that shows Itself memory that moves language. Her voice comes across the forth in the waters language as I make it, from a shore I don’t know to a shore I know, and is translat- ed Speak! For I name myself your master, who into words belonging to the poem: come to serve. Have heart, the text reads, Writing is first a search in obedience. you that were heartless. Suffering joy or despair Immediately, the capitalization of “Sentence,” as you will suffer the sentence well as “Itself” (whose antecedent is “Sentence”) elevates a law of words moving its—or more accurately, Its—status to one higher than seeking their right period. that of any other sentence. By capitalizing these words, it almost seems as though the speaker is showing the Sen- I saw a snake-like beauty in the living changes of syntax. tence respect; however, the use of the word “unyielding” counters that. This is a poem in which adjectives are a rar- Wake up, she cried. ity, making the ones that are used all the more significant. Jacob wrestled with Sleep – you who fall into In the same breath that the speaker seems to acknowledge Nothingness the respect owed the Sentence, he calls It “unyielding,” and dread sleep. conveying both frustration and his own expectation that, He wrestled with Sleep like a man reading a for some reason, he seems to feel he is owed the Sen- strong tence’s compliance. It seems likely that that expectation sentence. stems from his perception of the role of the poet—the poet does the writing, and a poem (or a sentence) is the I will not take the actual world for granted, I said. manifestation of the poet’s will. Even as early as within these first few lines, the conflicting displays of both -re Why not? she replied. spect and disrespect reveal the speaker’s giving himself Do I not withhold the songs of birds from you? away as someone who lacks a full understanding of the Do I not withhold the penetrations of red from creative process. The fact that this sort of exposure occurs you? in the first few lines of the poem suggests that the rest of Do I not withhold the weight of mountains from the poem will in part serve to show the speaker’s journey you? toward that full understanding.

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This was touched on briefly in my initial analysis binary. Finally, once again solidifying the confusion, the of the poem’s first lines, but to put it more explicitly and second stanza concludes with, “Writing is first a search in delve more deeply into it: these opening lines of the poem obedience”—but is it the writer who must be obedient? Or describe the nature of the writing process in terms of a re- the writing itself? This ambiguity in wording hints that the lationship. The speaker notes that “writing is first a search speaker may in fact have some degree of understanding in obedience,” but who must obey whom? In the previous that the creative process is more complicated, more recip- two lines, the speaker names himself “master” over the rocal, than the poet simply being the master and the poem Sentence, and then identifies one party as the one that simply being the servant. However, despite the inklings must serve. Grammatically, “who come to serve” seems to of understanding he expresses here, the speaker spends refer to the Sentence, the “your” of that line—as in, “For much of the rest of the poem attempting to rebel against I name myself your master, [you] who come to serve.” The it, to reestablish himself as the master. line would not be grammatically correct if “who come to serve” referred to “master”; it would need to say, “who There is a woman who resembles the sentence. She has a comes to serve” instead. And yet, the structure or syntax place in of the line—that is, the fact that there is not that extra memory that moves language. Her voice comes across word “you” to make it evident to whom “who come to the waters serve” refers, the fact that there is nothing but a comma from a shore I don’t know to a shore I know, and is trans- to separate “master” from “who come to serve”—almost lated indicates, or at least evokes hesitation regarding, the un- into words belonging to the poem. certainty of which party it is that is doing the serving. Further complicating the nature of the master/ The first sentence of this stanza of the poem servant relationship is the contrast between the first two seems to be a response to the call that the speaker makes lines and the three that follow. “The…Sentence that shows in the previous one. “Speak,” he says, and the next act Itself forth in the language as I make it” expresses the idea that comes to pass is the arrival of this woman. Because that the words being spoken and/or written is the neces- the speaker is addressing the writing when he gives this sary step in order for the subject to come into being. This command, and because the woman’s presence appears begins a series of parallels to the Bible, specifically the to be an answer to that command, the woman is in some book of Genesis, where creation by words is shown to oc- way paralleled to writing. However, to slightly modify cur as well: “Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there that relationship, the woman is only said to resemble the was light” (Genesis 1:3). This concept, creation by words, “sentence,” lower case “s,” which implies that she resem- is referred to as the “poet-priest.” In “The Speech-Giving bles a mere imitation of the most Ideal1 Sentence, capital Spirit,” priest and writer Simon Tugwell helps define this “s.” She then seems to be relegated to an inspirational or term: “If it is in any sense true that man was created to Muse-like figure for the speaker; and yet, the fact that her speak God’s language, then man must be the poet-priest presence is linked to the writing itself makes it seem as of creation, uttering aloud the word by which God created though she actually, despite the note of “resemblance,” is each thing and all things in the silence of his heart” (qtd. the actual text of the speaker’s poem itself. in Dearborn 142). Beyond using the similarities in both To return briefly to the poem’s opening once more: the speaker’s and God’s processes of creation to parallel “I ask the unyielding Sentence that shows Itself forth in the to speaker to God, this quotation also ties the speaker’s / language as I make it, / Speak!” French deconstructionist poetic process to Duncan’s poetic process from his time Jacques Derrida speaks of all texts living in conversation at the Black Mountain Collage. The fact that the nature of with one another; these lines of the poem read similarly a poet-priest’s creative process involves bringing a con- to the opening lines of Homer’s Odyssey, in which the cept into being practically simultaneously with giving the narrator invokes the Muses to aid in his retelling of Od- command makes that process as much a part of creation as ysseus’ story. Although the speaker of “The Structure of the product. As the Black Mountain College preached, the Rime I” does not directly label it an invocation of any sort process and product must overlap. of Muse, God, higher power, etc., choosing to begin a And yet, if the words being put to page is enough creative work by asking another entity to speak similarly to bring the subject into existence, and if the speak- characterizes both works of literature—and this connection er being cast as the poet-priest puts him on a level of is made even stronger by the previous interpretation of the power parallel to God, why does he need to command woman being likened to a Muse. Once again, within these the Sentence to speak? That contrast between what the three lines, a power dynamic that will continually develop speaker claims to be doing (“ask[ing]”) and the command throughout the rest of the poem is both established and he is shown to actually give (“Speak!”) seems to downplay already questioned. The speaker’s giving the command his self-professed role of “master,” though when he does to speak apparently puts him in power; however, within profess this role, it appears decisive, final. Perhaps this this command is the admission—a reluctant one, one that is merely an effort on his part to reclaim that dominance he once had or wishes to have. As mentioned earlier, he 1 The notion of the “Ideal” is explored by Plato in Book X of his also describes the Sentence as “unyielding,” an acknowl- Republic. he describes the “Idea” or “form” of something as edgement of the Sentence’s disobedience and failure to “truth,” and any attempt to create that idea or form as “represen- follow commands, which further upsets the master/servant tation” (Plato 65).

10 Carthage Vanguard Volume 4 he tries to hide—that without the assistance of a second with a gerund, it is customary to transition from that clause entity, the story will not be able to unfold. to the next with a comma. In this case, the lines would be The final sentence of this stanza has two different expected to read, “Suffering joy or despair, / you will suffer implications that continue to question the master/servant the sentence.” But there is no comma. Are they separate binary, as well as the role of the woman. “Her voice comes actions, or is “suffer[ing] the sentence” still dependent on across the waters / from a shore I don’t know to a shore “[s]uffering joy or despair”? Or does the lack of comma ac- I know, and is translated / into words belonging to the tually serve to tie the actions more closely together—that poem”: This makes the woman’s voice instrumental in the is, by visually running the two ideas together so that they creation of the writing—though she is not the one doing are one? Regardless of this question, it seems that in this the writing; her voice is simply translated into that writ- stanza, the text of the poem—the woman, if that transla- ing. Again, she seems to be both the inspiration for the tion can be made—is beginning to teach the speaker the writing as well as the literal text itself; however, this then things he is missing in his understanding of writing and leaves the question of who is physically doing the writing creation. Though she does not explain it in depth at this unanswered. If the lines leading up to this stanza are used moment, she introduces the idea of “a law of words,” rules to answer the question, it would seem to make sense that that govern language. Perhaps she is trying to explain to the speaker is still the writer. However, the use of passive the speaker that whether it brings him joy or despair, he is voice (“Her voice…is translated”) casts hesitation over that bound to “suffer the sentence / a law of words moving,” interpretation by begging the question, “Is translated by and that no amount of power on his part as a poet will whom?” If it were the speaker, why would he not explic- allow him to escape it—at least, not the way that he is cur- itly state it?—he has already demonstrated a desire to be rently going about it. The poem is beginning to move from known as the “master.” The sudden shift from that attitude simply questioning the power dynamics at play between indicates that perhaps he can no longer be credited with a poet and a poem to actually defining what that relation- that authorship. The second issue that alters the meaning ship truly is, or truly should be. of the master/servant binary is the acknowledgement that The final three lines of this stanza have a duality of the “words [belong] to the poem.” Again, they are not meanings. Thus far in the analysis, “sentence” has been said to belong to the speaker of the poem, who earlier so interpreted in the grammatical sense. That is, it has been adamantly identified himself as “master,” so perhaps he is interpreted to refer to a unit of language produced by less of a master of the writing than he thinks. someone (potentially the speaker). However, this usage of “sentence” calls that definition into question, particularly Have heart, the text reads, because of the word “suffer”—“suffer the sentence” con- you that were heartless. notes the judiciary system, making “sentence” a judgment Suffering joy or despair or a punishment rather than (or as well as) a grammatical you will suffer the sentence unit. “A law of words moving / seeking their right peri- a law of words moving od” continues the ambiguity of meaning. The inclusion of seeking their right period. “words” reconnects the stanza to grammaticality; howev- er, “right period” casts doubt once again. One potential The beginning of this stanza, “Have heart,” is a translation of this phrase is “correct time,” tying back to command, but is followed by, “[Y]ou that were heartless.” the judicial sentence, as in, an appropriate length of time It is written in the past tense already. The simple act of for that sentence. The other refers to the structure and lin- saying, “Have heart” is enough to cause the having of a earity of language (an idea described by the Swiss structur- heart to happen. This returns to the idea of the poet-priest, alist Ferdinand de Saussure): a sentence unfolds one word or God’s methods of creation in Genesis: the notion that at a time, from left to right, until the end, at which point a speaking the words is enough to bring the concept into period or other form of punctuation ends the thought. existence. Finally, the word “law” has multiple implications Another Biblical tie here lies in the fact that “Have as well. It could refer to the rules that guide grammar and heart…you that were heartless” reads similarly to the sentence construction, or it could refer to the rules that Beatitudes. The only difference is that the Beatitudes do guide the views and actions of the justice system. Perhaps not possess this poet-priest quality—the second half of both readings are correct, and the rules that guide writing the sentence is in the future tense: “They are blessed who are a form of punishment; rules become restrictions— grieve, for God will comfort them” (Matthew 5:4). In this which is the reason for Duncan’s call to abandon rules of instance, grammatically at least, simply saying, “They are linearity in favor of an open, field-like poetic form. blessed who grieve” is not enough to bring into effect their being comforted; that remains some future outcome. I saw a snake-like beauty in the living changes of syntax. But it is a promise, a promise that something currently imbalanced will soon be righted. Likewise, this section of “A snake-like beauty,” perhaps due to the other parallels the poem promises restoration as well—restoration of the and references to the Book of Genesis throughout the heart, and restoration of the writing process. poem, calls to mind the serpent who tempts Eve in the Also within this stanza, and something that builds Garden of Eden. “Snake-like,” for that reason, is often as- onto the notion of restoring the writing process, is another sociated with traits such as cunning and slyness. Connect- instance of grammatical slipping. When a sentence begins ing this concept with “beauty” gives the sense that there

11 Carthage Vanguard Volume 4 is beauty in temptation, or even beauty in sin—beauty in male. So in this case, the addressee is responding similarly blasphemy. From this, the reader is left to wonder why that to sleep (an imitation, a watered-down version) as he is to is the case. This foreshadows the conclusion (discussed Sleep. earlier in the introduction, but not yet realized in the anal- The final sentence of this section of the poem adds anoth- ysis) that imitation, though problematic, is in fact a poet’s er layer to the parallelism already discussed: “He wrestled only option for attempting to uncover “truth,” and therein with Sleep like a man reading a strong / sentence.” The lies its beauty. implication of this is that he (the speaker, the woman’s ad- Given that responsibility to express “truth,” “the dressee) wrestled with Sleep (capitalized, the original) the living changes of syntax” serves as another reminder that same way that a man (generalized, the “everyman”) would again reinforces the role of the creator as poet-priest— wrestle with a strong sentence (lower case, an imitation, saying the words or the sentences is enough to cause the but a “strong” one). All of this together seems to indicate change to occur. That is, the change that occurs is as close something about the speaker’s understanding of Sleep; he to an exact replica of the poet-priest’s thoughts as is possi- is reported to approach wrestling with Sleep from a limited ble. standpoint, one which lacks a full understanding. He is dealing with the original in the same way that he would Wake up, she cried. deal with a sophisticated imitation and thereby reducing Jacob wrestled with Sleep – you who fall into the original to what he understands based on the imitation. Nothingness This may indicate that there is only so much the speaker and dread sleep. can know about God/Sleep/the Sentence—all he has to go He wrestled with Sleep like a man reading a on are imitations of varying sophistication. strong That parallel, beyond illuminating the ways in sentence. which the speaker is interacting with Sleep (and therefore, Nothingness), also reveals something about that Noth- The woman is speaking again in this section, commanding ingness itself. A man would wrestle with a sentence in someone to awaken. She then, in another Biblical refer- order to discover what it means. It seems that the idea of ence, brings up Jacob. “Jacob wrestled with Sleep,” she “meaning” becomes a crucial link between the two parts says. The Bible says, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. of this simile: akin to the man searching for the sentence’s Your name will now be Israel, because you have wrestled meaning, the speaker’s wrestling with the limbo of Sleep, with God and with people, and you have won” (Genesis the limbo of Nothingness, is a manifestation of his anxiety 32:28). These lines, the one from the poem and the one as a poet to create meaning. This anxiety is what leads the from the Bible, parallel Sleep (capital “s”) with God and poem to call poets to use, in spite of all of the described with, to some extent, humans, made in the image of God. dangers of doing so, imitation to create—because, as dis- “To some extent”—that is, this passage differentiates be- cussed, it seems to be the only remotely successful option tween Sleep and sleep, so perhaps, as seemed to be the for exploring truth and identifying meaning. case with the Sentence/sentence dichotomy as well, Sleep That anxiety is further highlighted by the tone of is meant to parallel God while sleep is meant to parallel the lines, “Jacob wrestled with Sleep – you who fall into humans. Once again, the lower case would be an imitation Nothingness / and dread sleep,” which reads as accusato- of the capitalization. ry. It is almost as if the woman is saying, “Jacob wrestled, The capitalization of both Sleep and Nothingness Jacob fought back—and what are you doing?” This read- also equates the two concepts and, as already mentioned, ing is emphasized by the word choice “fall,” which implies distinguishes between two types of sleep. The concept the speaker’s helplessness and inability to stop what is of sleep is associated with rest and rejuvenation, with happening. The speaker here fears the meaninglessness dreams…but also with nightmares and—if it is taken as of that Nothingness, but rather than it being translated as a euphemism—with death. Meaning could alter based a literal fear of death, it is rather the anxiety of a poet who on which association is chosen to inform the reading, but may be faced with the responsibility of creating meaning in the parallel between Sleep and Nothingness created by his work. Earlier, this thesis discussed the possibility of the capitalization seems to pinpoint exactly that with which woman beginning to help the speaker gain a fuller under- sleep should be associated in this context. Although Bibli- standing of creation; this is another moment in which that cally, death may mean some sort of afterlife (Heaven, Hell, teaching occurs. An anxiety about creating meaning within purgatory), another belief of the outcome of death is just… one’s work could lead, and often does lead, to creative emptiness. Nothingness. With no life force left to animate paralysis. The woman, therefore, is taking this moment to the body, there is simply nothing left but a vacant corpse. teach the speaker some of the lessons imparted on writ- The woman’s addressee, the speaker, is reported to have ers of the Black Mountain Collage, namely the one which somehow experienced Sleep/Nothingness and is now advocated for the focus on the process rather than the generalizing that experience to “sleep.” “Generalizing” product. Wake up, she says. Be more like Jacob. Wres- is a psychological term related to the process of learning tle. Wrestle enough to write, and allow meaning to arise and concept formation. It refers to the act of responding in organically from that writing. more or less the same way to two different, though slightly similar, stimuli. For example, a young child may call all men I will not take the actual world for granted, I said. “father” simply because they all fit the criteria of tall, adult

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Why not? she replied. Do I not withhold the songs of birds from you? O Lasting Sentence, Do I not withhold the penetrations of red from sentence after sentence I make in your image. In the feet you? that Do I not withhold the weight of mountains from measure the dance of my pages I hear cosmic intoxica- you? tions of the Do I not withhold the hearts of men from you? man I will be.

The speaker implies the existence of another bi- Cheat at this game? she cries. nary here, by mentioning one half of it: the “actual world.” The world is what you are This suggests that there is some other world, a less-actual Stand then world, perhaps the one people experience after death—af- so I can see you, a fierce destroyer of images. ter Sleep. That other world could be the Nothingness (or, from a Biblical standpoint, could be Heaven, Hell, and/ Will you drive me to madness or purgatory). However—although these are all potential only there to know me? readings of this section of the poem, an even more likely vomiting images into the place of the Law! option is that of it representing, as half of the previously discussed binaries have, the Ideal version of the world. The Once again, the importance of the writing, of the speaker’s “actual world” is the one he literally experienc- poem, is emphasized by the capitalization of “Sentence,” es; the non-actual world is then the one that cannot exist as well as by the fact that “Sentence” appears in the voc- because it is too perfect, too Ideal, unable to be recreated. ative case, casting “Sentence” as an identity. The vocative Immediately after the speaker makes his declaration of not case, as well as the reverent “O,” sound like the beginning taking this “actual world” for granted, the woman says, of a prayer; furthermore, “Lasting” is four letters off from “Why not?”, apparently in reply. This response, in com- “Everlasting,” an adjective often applied to God in Chris- bination with the rest of the questions she follows it with, tian prayers. imply a particular answer—that the speaker should take The biblical parallels continue in the following line; the actual world for granted because yes, the woman does the idea of creating something in a certain image is also withhold these things. But the woman withholds the “real” seen in Genesis. “So God created human beings in his or “Ideal” versions of these things, leaving him with the image. In the image of God he created them. He created worldly imitations. Taking the world for granted indicates them male and female” (Genesis 1:27). And now to outline that the poet has accepted it without questioning it— those parallels: without wrestling with it, as Jacob wrestles with God and people. So why would this woman tell him to take it for God created human beings in God’s image granted? The answer speaks to the already discussed anx- iety that poets experience in the face of the task to create The speaker creates sentences in the Sentence’s image meaning: by being too invested in the perfect or the Ideal that he creates nothing for fear of failure, the speaker, the poet, ends up withholding something himself. In this case, God and the speaker of the poem are put into the what he withholds is the closest approximation to truth that same category for the simple fact that they are both the it is possible to produce. ones doing the creating. Humans are linked to sentences— lower case “s,” average, everyday sentences: imitations. I alone long for your demand. And then the Sentence is tied to God because they are I alone measure your desire. the two whose images the creators are seeking to emulate. Because both the speaker and the Sentence are paralleled The speaker here, the woman, still seems to be to God, the speaker and the Sentence (the Ideal) become talking to the poem’s overall speaker, the creator of the paralleled as well. By being put on the same level, the sentences. She claims to long for him to make demands relationship between these two entities is emphasized as of her, although, as established in the previous stanza, she a reciprocal one as opposed to one of a master/servant is the one with power over him—yet another instance of dichotomy. Because the speaker is the one to deliver these the master/servant binary being disrupted. This seems an first few lines regarding “image,” they, like the speaker’s important section in which to revisit the other identity of ambiguous “first a search in obedience,” indicate that at this woman, and that is that her identity being the writing some deeper level, he does understand that his relation- itself. Rather than reading this as the woman longing for ship with writing is or ought to be one based on equality. demand, waiting to measure desire, it seems to make more The final two stanzas seem to counter this thought. sense to read it as the writing performing these acts. The The woman speaking in italics calls the speaker “a fierce writing then becomes the one waiting for, longing for, the destroyer of images” and accusingly predicts his “vomiting moment when the speaker stops lingering in the limbo or images into the place of the Law.” Calling him merely a “Nothingness” of creative paralysis and instead begins to “destroyer of images” would allow room for some sympa- realize that the creative process is in some ways the most thy for the speaker, the possibility that this crime was un- important part of creation. intentional. Instead, she calls him a “fierce destroyer.” The

13 Carthage Vanguard Volume 4 word “fierce,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary you are.” As opposed to the speaker’s calling it “the actual (OED), means to act forcefully, strongly, or violently, and world,” the woman calls it simply “the world,” implying the OED also remarks that it connotes behavior like that of there is only one—or at least, only one that matters at the a wild animal. This contrasts greatly with the sophisticated moment. This indicates that what she is saying is that the mastery claimed by the speaker in the initial stanzas of the world, the reality that one experiences, is based on what poem. (Incidentally, it also illuminates the hesitation felt one is at the current moment rather than on what one will earlier—the confusion as to who is the one serving. If the be in the future, a proclamation which dismisses the speak- master is not so masterful as he thinks, perhaps it really is er’s (blasphemous) desire to know his own future. he who does the serving—and maybe some part of him is It may also be that this preoccupation with knowing the aware that his role as “master” is not so solidified, which future is blinding him to the “actual world” that surrounds is why he feels the need to command the Sentence to him, that ought to be the inspiration for his writing. And speak.) that then becomes the true blasphemy—his not com- Finally, the more overt point contained within prehending the creative process. (This would explain the these two quotes regarding images is the fact that he is woman’s reasons for withholding the less-actual world from accused of destroying them, of vomiting them up. The the speaker in those earlier lines of the pome—her desire speaker has declared himself creator of sentences in the for him to overcome the paralysis inspired by the daunting Sentence’s image—and thus, creator of imitations of the task of creating anything that fully lives up to that Ideal image—and yet, this woman is claiming that in reality, he original.) is destroying the image. This implies a certain inevitability The returned focus on the shifting master/servant of destruction in imitation: imitation again becomes a sort binary (in the form of the woman’s desire for the speaker to of blasphemy. Then his vomiting of the images suggests work together with his “actual world” to produce writing) that the images cannot be contained (by the speaker, a again reveals that this creative process is a collaborative supposed mere mortal?), will be unstoppably removed (an one; it is not so simple as definitively isolating the poet idea also held by the term “birthing,” but “vomiting”— as the master and the writing as the servant. To a similar with all its negative connotations—was chosen to describe effect, Derrida’s Plato’s Pharmacy summarizes some of this experience), and will also be distorted in their creation Plato’s thoughts on writing, quoting from Plato’s Phaedrus: by the messy and harmful way in which they are brought “Writing can only repeat (itself)…it ‘always signifies…the into the world. same’ and…it is a ‘game’” (qtd. in Derrida 1698). Ac- The woman, in addition to issuing these accusa- cording to Plato here, writing is the game—though this tions with her own powerful diction, also takes offense at does not invalidate the claims made under the assump- a specific word choice of the speaker. The word choice tion that “the game” was the order of the universe. Even “cosmic” is an adjective associated with objects or ideas then, close-reading and analysis revealed that in misun- beyond earth or beyond man; “intoxications” (according derstanding the nature of the universe, the speaker also to the OED) could refer to two things, both of which serve misunderstands the writing or creation process. This more to emphasize the blasphemy that is occurring (or said to direct confirmation, if it can be taken as such, that stems occur) throughout the poem. The first meaning, an inebri- from tying Plato’s Phaedrus into “The Structure of Rime I” ating substance or liquid, would relate back to the idea only strengthens the arguments already made regarding of temptation: the temptations of sin and/or blasphemy the speaker’s problematic tendency toward blasphemous have already been discussed, but are thus expanded upon misunderstandings of creation. here. In discussing the “cosmic intoxications of the / man Then, the woman’s increasingly passionate speech- I will be,” the speaker implies that he is drunk on the idea es to the speaker are her efforts to open his eyes to the of what he will become in the future. Knowledge of the true nature of that process, that it is less about his mastery future is outside the realm of possibilities for a mortal man, and more about his partnership with the sentence, and a man of the earth—that knowledge is in fact cosmic—and therefore, with the writing. The fact that the poem ends a desire for this knowledge could be perceived as blas- with the woman speaking—and not just speaking but “[cry- phemous. The second meaning, an act of poisoning, is, ing],” the culmination of a crescendo that began in her first according to the Oxford English Dictionary, an obsolete words to the speaker—indicates that the speaker has not definition, but if considered, connects to the “vomiting” come to the understanding to which the woman has been that occurs at the end of the poem (“Cosmic”). Intoxicants trying to lead him. She spends the last breath of the poem like alcohol are poisonous in excess, and so this appears giving her last, her best, effort to bring him there, but he to indicate that the speaker, first of all, desires to know his seems too set in his ways. This then establishes the stakes future, and second of all, abundantly so. The blasphemy for contemporary poets, to whom Duncan is directing his that occurs could then be perceived as twofold. call to action. The incredulous disapproval of such blasphemy is then expressed by the female speaker. “Cheat at this Conclusion game? she cries”—perhaps “this game” refers to the order of life, the order of the universe, in general. Following The ever-shifting patterns of power dynamics from this is the idea that in upsetting this order by seeking within Duncan’s poem, patterns that reveal the true nature to know the future, the speaker is cheating, committing of the writing process as one of reciprocity, teamwork, and blasphemy. She continues by saying, “The world is what collaboration, also express the challenges that lie within

14 Carthage Vanguard Volume 4 that process. While it is admirable to seek perfection in writing via an imitation of the most Ideal form of writing, that strategy ultimately ends up being less successful. It can result in creative paralysis, out of which no writing will be produced, but it can also result in writing that sim- ply fails to live up to the standard set by perfection—an inaccurate and faulty imitation. Duncan’s “The Structure of Rime I” consequently calls for contemporary poets to yes, imitate in order to create, but to imitate the collage of experiences that shape their “actual world,” and to allow meaning and truth to emanate from that.

Works Cited

Academy of American Poets. “A Brief Guide to the Black Mountain School.” Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 5 May 2004. https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/ text/brief-guide-black-mountain-school. 29 Nov. 2016. BibleGateway. Web. https://www.biblegateway.com/. New Century Version. “Cosmic.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, 2016. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/42216?redirected- From=cosmic#eid. 29 Nov. 2016. Dearborn, Kerry. Drinking from the Wells of New Creation: The Holy Spirit and the Imagination in Reconciliation. Cambridge, James Clarke & Amp; Co Ltd, 2014. http:// www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1cgf0kv. Derrida, Jacques. “From Dissemination: From Plato’s Phar- macy.” The Norton Anthology of Theory & Criticism, edited by Vincent B. Leitch, William E. Cain, Laurie Finke, Barbara Johnson, and John McGowan, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2010, 1697-1734. Duncan, Robert. “The Structure of Rime I.” The Opening of the Field, Grove Press, 1960, 12-13. “Emanational.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, 2016. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/60708?redirect- edFrom=emanational#eid. 29 Nov. 2016. Finkelstein, Norman. “Late Duncan: From Poetry to Scrip- ture.” Twentieth Century Literature, vol. 51, no. 3, 2005, pp. 341–372. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20058772. “Gnosis.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, 2016. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/79531?redirected- From=gnosis#eid. 29 Nov. 2016. Hudson, Carolyn. “Abstract Expressionism.” The American Century. Carthage College. 13 Oct. 2016. Lecture. Plato. “From Republic.” The Norton Anthology of Theory & Criticism, edited by Vincent B. Leitch, William E. Cain, Laurie Finke, Barbara Johnson, and John McGowan, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2010, 45-77. “Theosophy.” OED Online. Oxford University Press, 2016. http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/200445?redirected- From=theosophy#eid. 29 Nov. 2016. Weatherhead, A. K. “Robert Duncan and the Lyric.” Con- temporary Literature, vol. 16, no. 2, 1975, pp. 163–174. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1207545.

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Destroy to Create: The Young Female Artist’s Formation of Personal Identity Olivia Paige Witney Department of English Carthage College [email protected]

Abstract With novels centered around the World Wars, division is not limited to the outside world - discord brews in the domestic sphere as people realize their identities. Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse follows the Ramsay family as they think, decide, and act, considering how they affect others. Ian McEwan’s Atonement focuses on young Briony misunderstanding adults and becoming one herself, with her devas- tating claim changing her and her family’s lives forever. Many critics investigate the biased narrator in Atonement, the female role in To The Lighthouse, and elegiac art in both novels. I will be building upon these thoughts, delving into the feminine role and the most striking similarity of the novels - how the young female artist forms her unique identity. For a young female artist to satisfy her impulse to create a self, she must identify and kill the “Angel in the House” in her world. She breaks from the mold and claims her mind and body as a sexually independent woman; the age that she breaks away has a great significance on not just her, but those around her. Once she has fully realized herself, she uses her art to commemorate and give tribute to the Angel she destroyed.

Key Words: artist, woman, identity, apology, tribute, individuality

When the young female artist sits down with her ponder their lives and decisions in relation to their own medium, be it canvas, paper, typewriter, or anything of emotions and their effect on others. Mrs. Ramsay is the An- the like, how does she know she is writing her own work? gel in the House, unifying the various strong personalities How can she be sure she is thinking on her own and that of her husband, her children, and all her assorted guests; her ideas come from her very being, not one imposed Lily Briscoe is a stubborn young woman who yearns to upon her? Before she even picks up her pen or her brush, paint, and spends much time admiring Mrs. Ramsay for how does she sculpt and write and paint who she is as a her undying diligence in her role despite Lily’s inability to person, and how does she create her image of ‘self’? Can imitate said role. we hear her at all even once she finds herself? The young Ian McEwan’s Atonement is set in England in three female artist must come to an awareness of her individual- frames of time over four sections - first the 1930s, the ity and mold an image of herself, breaking away from what two middle sections taking place in wartime (France and is expected of her. For a young female artist to satisfy her England), and present-day. Briony Tallis, our young, biased impulse to create a self, she must identify who is the “An- narrator, makes a claim that devastates her entire family as gel in the House” in the world she exists and acknowledge she tries boldly to form her sense of self as a woman in the that she will be pigeonholed into that same role eventually. first part; the aftermath and the effects of this mistake in- She then must kill the Angel, break from the mold that she fluence the last three sections of the book, and how Briony has been sealed into, and claim her mind and body as a deals with her actions and finds herself. sexually independent woman; the age that the young fe- Both novels are centered around times of war and male artist breaks the mold has a great significance on not have pivotal scenes in the form of dinner parties; in both, just her, but those around her. Once she has fully realized the home and objects of the home come to show the herself, she uses her art to commemorate, give tribute, and importance of the domestic as a place of unity before the possibly apologize to the Angel she destroyed. war, and an abandoned place beyond the war. Formally, In Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, the Ramsay the novels also have much in common: each relies on long family and their guests spend time on the Isle of Skye in sentence structures, each includes long passages narrated Scotland from 1910 to 1920, and the novel is split into in a stream-of-consciousness style, and the internal drama three sections - pre-war, mid-war, and post-war. The novel of each focuses on family follows the thoughts of the characters as they interact and

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When the young female artist sits down with her tore asunder. Literary references are abundant, and loss of medium, be it canvas, paper, typewriter, or anything of innocence from “childhood” to “womanhood” also links the like, how does she know she is writing her own work? characters across novels, like Lily Briscoe, Briony Tallis, How can she be sure she is thinking on her own and that Minta Doyle (Rayley), and Cecilia Tallis. her ideas come from her very being, not one imposed As these young female artists try to break the upon her? Before she even picks up her pen or her brush, mold, they often naively make choices that negatively how does she sculpt and write and paint who she is as a impact those around them, which ends up shaping the way person, and how does she create her image of ‘self’? Can they form themselves. In Virginia Woolf’s To The Light- we hear her at all even once she finds herself? The young house, Lily Briscoe has a great love for the angelic Mrs. female artist must come to an awareness of her individual- Ramsay, but in order to become an artist and finish her ity and mold an image of herself, breaking away from what painting, she must throw away Mrs. Ramsay’s tradition- is expected of her. For a young female artist to satisfy her al ideas and wants, sculpt her own picture of a self how impulse to create a self, she must identify who is the “An- she wants, and realize her full potential as a woman; she gel in the House” in the world she exists and acknowledge uses her whole body to create a painting inspired by Mrs. that she will be pigeonholed into that same role eventually. Ramsay. In Ian McEwan’s Atonement, Briony’s supposed She then must kill the Angel, break from the mold that she understanding of the adult world and her desire to be the has been sealed into, and claim her mind and body as a storyteller causes her to crush her sister’s life and that of sexually independent woman; the age that the young fe- her sister’s lover. Briony, upon later reflection and actual male artist breaks the mold has a great significance on not understanding of the adult world, forms her version of self just her, but those around her. Once she has fully realized in repentance to Cecilia by becoming a nurse and trying herself, she uses her art to commemorate, give tribute, and to erase her sense of personality almost entirely, and then possibly apologize to the Angel she destroyed. comes into her own self using her storytelling, giving the In Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse, the Ramsay lovers a happier ending than the truthful one. family and their guests spend time on the Isle of Skye in The Angel in the House is a popular image of the Scotland from 1910 to 1920, and the novel is split into perfect woman of the Victorian age. The phrase “the Angel three sections - pre-war, mid-war, and post-war. The novel in the House” refers to British poet Coventry Patmore’s follows the thoughts of the characters as they interact and extremely popular novel in verse of the same name. The ponder their lives and decisions in relation to their own Angel in the House depicts a marriage in four volumes and emotions and their effect on others. Mrs. Ramsay is the An- includes a portrait of a wife so angel-like that she becomes gel in the House, unifying the various strong personalities a popular model of Victorian womanhood. As depicted by of her husband, her children, and all her assorted guests; Patmore, the Angel in the House should be passive, trust- Lily Briscoe is a stubborn young woman who yearns to ing, virtuous, meek, charming, sympathetic, self-sacrificing, paint, and spends much time admiring Mrs. Ramsay for and - above all else - pure. She is to comfort the male her undying diligence in her role despite Lily’s inability to population by soothing and flattering. She is to also be imitate said role. the fount of a family’s morality, which, in turn, requires that Ian McEwan’s Atonement is set in England in three she maintain her own moral, spiritual, and sexual purity at frames of time over four sections - first the 1930s, the all costs. In Patmore’s poem, the ideal woman to fulfill the two middle sections taking place in wartime (France and Angel role acts as such: England), and present-day. Briony Tallis, our young, biased narrator, makes a claim that devastates her entire family as Man must be pleased; but him to please she tries boldly to form her sense of self as a woman in the Is woman’s pleasure; down the gulf first part; the aftermath and the effects of this mistake in- Of his condoled necessities fluence the last three sections of the book, and how Briony She casts her best, she flings herself deals with her actions and finds herself. Both novels are centered around times of war and Patmore speaks of the Angel’s willingness to toss have pivotal scenes in the form of dinner parties; in everything aside just to tend to her husband’s fancies, both, the home and objects of the home come to show the and while he makes her out to be sort of weak, she holds importance of the domestic as a place of unity before the much strength in order to sacrifice her wants and needs war, and an abandoned place beyond the war. Formally, for those of her husband. The Angel in the House inhab- the novels also have much in common: each relies on long its and purifies the domestic sphere in order to help her sentence structures, each includes long passages narrated husband shake off the vile and obscene layer of dust from in a stream-of-consciousness style, and the internal drama the outside world when he returns from work in the public of each focuses on family dynamics and expected roles, sphere; she renews him by her grace and perfection and especially between the role of an adult woman versus lifts his character up. In To The Lighthouse, Mrs. Ramsay a young woman versus a child. Much of the narrative is is the Angel in the House, living to please everyone and infused with personal thought and character development bring unity to the household while being lovely, beautiful, in the form of self revelation and epiphanies; realizations of and admired by all. In Atonement, the Angel in the House love are also crucial, as love of beauty exalts Mrs. Ram- figure has been split between mother and elder daughter - say, Cecilia liberates herself in her realization of love for Emily and Cecilia Tallis - neither of whom can actually fully Robbie, and Briony makes recompense for the love she fulfill the position.

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Mrs. Ramsay’s beauty and grace are praised by party is a small scale copy of the social order within the everyone, throughout the course of the novel, from Mr. domestic, she must oversee it with utmost care. In contrast Ramsay to William Bankes to Lily Briscoe and all in be- to other novels in which the meals seem to happen by tween. She helps out men that are simply guests in her magic -- by some unseen force -- To The Lighthouse and house, willingly putting forth her energy for them, and yet Atonement both depict the work that goes into organiz- her “beauty” is thought of in terms of her usefulness to the ing the occasion, preparing various dishes, and ensuring men she aids. She is acknowledged as beautiful and glow- guests’ comfort. In so doing, they also recognize that these ing in the moments after she satisfies their wants - whether “Angels in the House” perform valuable labor. The dinner they were material or emotional - and her value is man- party is shown to be a test of the Angel’s “magic” - her ifested and gauged through her utility to the patriarchal charm - to center and unite the people involved, balance force. This thought process shows the focus of the male the meal, and create an event that everyone enjoys. in the matters of the domestic and how he believes she Both Mrs. Ramsay and Emily Tallis are responsible for should act in order to be a proper figure in the household - planning a dinner party to unite family and guests at one tending to everyone and being helpful to all. She offers to table, as well as overseeing the making of a splendid meal; shop for Mr. Carmichael, even knowing that he dislikes her. both meals are centered around a large quantity of meat -- She defends Mr. Tansley, the “little atheist”, against the the Boeuf En Daube in To The Lighthouse and the roast in children and others that look down upon him. Paul Rayley Atonement. Mrs. Ramsay is physically centered around the even has the courage to ask Minta to marry him because dining room table, which contrasts Mr. Ramsay’s freedom of Mrs. Ramsay; he feels her responsible for making him of philosophical introspection wherever he so chooses, propose and for being the only person who believes in be it his library or even just wandering about; Emily Tallis, him: “Nobody else took him seriously. But she made him while mainly self-confined to her bedroom, does focus her believe that he could do whatever he wanted . . . he would thoughts around the dining room table, while Jack Tallis is go to her and say, ‘I’ve done it, Mrs. Ramsay; thanks to off at work late many nights. This divide and difference in you’” (78). freedom shows a gendered world that the young female In terms of her own family, she tends to their artist must both understand and break away. needs even if they directly contradict her own. She pla- As if all the demands of the dinner parties are not cates James when