Suzanne Manet is the embodiment of a woman who has persevered in the face of infidelity and dealt with the pressure of feigning a public façade of content, all while hiding deep emotional pain. She dealt with matrimonial betrayal in possibly one of the worst degrees, but has not let these blows crush her spirit. She is an intelligent woman, and while she may have not been highly educated, she has learned many intricate details about people and their actions; she is incredibly observant. She reads dishonesty, fear, and apprehension in the human soul, and she yearns for an ounce of control in a situation that is obviously and consistently out of her control.
Two quotes in this sad, yet intriguing story exemplify Suzanne’s undying loyalty toward the husband whom she dearly loved in his living years and remembered with kindness. While there are clearly instances where Suzanne shows some resentment and anger towards Édouard, she still loves him despite some of his cruel, thoughtless behavior towards her. The first quote finds her asking Albert to reproduce her husband’s paintings for her, and she states: “A house with empty walls would be a house without him. I couldn’t bear that. So, if you can make replacements, it would mean the world to me.” Although his presence brought her pain and frustration in his living years, a world without Édouard seems like a lonely, colorless existence to Suzanne. This is hard proof of her strong character. This, in a manner, proves that she possesses abiding dedication and faithfulness to her deceased husband, even when he lacked the decency and self-control to show her the same loyalty.
The second quote that stood out to me occurs later on in the story, when Suzanne is at her husband’s funeral and observes the paintings of his subjects, many of whom were real women, with whom Édouard had strayed from her. She felt as though the paintings were mocking her and only reminding her of the misery and shame he had caused her. However, she also seems to view him as the victim, as he had suffered the tortures of syphilis before he finally passed on: “Any of them [the women] could have been the one to have caused his death.” This shows that she forgives Édouard and even seems to feel pity for him as she looks back on his poor choices.
There is no doubt that Suzanne Manet’s personal character has been formed by her sometimes joyful and sometimes devastating life experiences. However, I view her as a strong, determined woman who will not let grief or other people’s detrimental actions, even actions by those close to her, ruin her spirit. One instance that supports this idea is near the end of the story, where Suzanne goes to sit in Édouard’s old chair next to the fireplace in their home: “A fine fire it was, full of satisfying crackles, just like the ones they had in the happy time in Brabant. She chuckled softly, remembering the funny, surprised look on Édouard’s face when the wind racing over the flat land had whisked away his top hat on their wedding day and he went running down the dike road after it.” From this point forward in her life, she chooses to block out the poisonous memories of Édouard’s infidelity and only remember the joyful positive aspects that made her marriage to him special.
In all, I thoroughly enjoyed this short story by Susan Vreeland and think that she incorporated many intriguing, enriching elements into the storyline. Compared to her work “The Yellow Jacket,” it was hard to even tell that “Olympia’s Look” was written by the same author, as I found the previous story to be rather bland, unclear, and lacking a distinct plot. Vreeland does an excellent job of conveying the emotions of the characters to the reader in this story. I feel as if I personally know Suzanne and have heard about what has happened to her. This is certainly one of the best short stories I have recently read and analyzed.
No comments:
Post a Comment