PatrickMcEvoy-Halston

English5793HF

ProfessorColin Hill

02 Januarv 2006
"'#Lf$sr
Quitting Home in Sinclair Ross'sAs For Me and My House

If we were to assemblea canonof Canadiantexts basedon their ability to help Canadians

a\,ff
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live better lives, we might do well to include Sinclair Ross' As For Me and My Hou^seas one of its
5ou*.oLS lenphnh?5.'
core texts. For the text is not simply a"prairie book"-ftmay inTact speakto the primary needs
-'lr(^
andconcerns
of mostcontemporary
Canadians.
Thetftts rfanator,
Mrs.Bentley,oftenexpresses
\-/
in herjournal her fear that shelives in a threateningand insecureenvironment. Yet sheultimately

work to empowerher. And for the reader,the readingexperiencemight not be anywherenear as

claustrophobicand uncomfortableaswe might assumeit would be given Mrs. Bentley's numerous

complaintsconcerningthe variousparticularswhich make Horizon sucha horror. The text may in

fact feel roomy, and offer the readerpleasingvariety. f'or sJne it may indeedserveas a placethey

nestlein for awhile and developthe resourcesand savynessto help make their own self-growth

identifiedasposttraumatic
than But it may venbefore9-1I madethe
4Oorf[_? {Vostmodern. it5
'1'-l;[p[" --.^-, ) ^^^-^ ^^ tl^^^^r ,-',
worldseem,o tlo"ut"ni{6t-ffiEiolillilll bytheworld
knewwhatit wasto feelthreatened
*trtr" tn
U *ound them. For if psychohistorians
suchasLloyd deMausearecorrect.throughouthistory ^a dP
t ' '
(otl't "
still today, most peoplehavenot beensufficiently well nurturedby their mothersto feel otherwtse.
,-,--Z
DeMausebelievesthathistoryis a nightmarewe arejust wakingup from (1). He believesmost

people are prone to imagine the world as a threate{rngplace,regardless;for he believesthat most

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,;tuffi*: /
 so threateningis that if we wereunfortunateenoughto havemotherswho werepoorly themselves
,55
a. poorly nurtured(anddeMauseis onewho believesthat mostmothershavethroughouthistorybeen
_4_

insufficiently nurtured,supported),they interpretour own self-growth,our own movements

towardexploringthe world, asus abandoningthem-and they respondin kind, that is, they to

/ someextentwithdraw their supportandlove from us (deMause,"PsychogenicTheoryof History

165). Theyexpectus to mettheirunmetneeds,an experience for uslaterin

whichis responsible lrtl
0
life feelingjust like Mr. Bentleytbels,in thatwe too at somelevelfeel that"a will strongerthan \"Pt*

lourf 1.. .l own [is] deliberatelypittedagainst"(U7("----*rawhen attendto our own. we canin

v.n
fact experience ''-"'iwu'itrrtt-'
fearsof death,asJosephRheingoldexplains: .]fiht6" ,n,.
ilt/
Basically,it is generallyagreed,separationmeansseparationfrom the mother. It may hold

no connotationof punishment,but ir#rignin"ant meaningis desertionby the mother.

Although in infancy the mereabsenceof the motheris a threatto survival, separation

becomesassociatedwith purpose,that is, with abandonment.Deathis equatedwith willful

withdrawal of the mother. Separationanxiety seemsto be universaland is a maior source

of deathanxietythroughout
- t fr(t)
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Being a psychoanalyst,of course,meansthat Rheingolddevotedhimself to assistingpatiefis {
,/,/w16ld
./frfeel less overcomewith deathanxiety. He believedthat as a therapisthe was
Wt W"V

empoweredto help them, for "[t]here is no more powerful correctiveforce than the 'good-mother'

protectivenessof the therapist" (227). But perhapsif not as good, texts, that is, alternativeworlds

traumatizedreadersmight immersethemselvesin, might also function as a "powerful corrective

2.?.
force" in helping make readersfeel someof the securitythey needto live engaging,playful,

P"ftu. r,//'otot" G,Air4/

cT;/o q
ry-rfl@
-ffi
 healthylives. /

Traumatheoristshaveincreasingrespectfor t inportantof aids,with

astherapeutic

mostdiscussionnot now on whetheror not theymay easeM*fg, but on which sortsof texts are
i
{' ., .^.r'- +6Y
themostemancipatory(Vickroy 12). Thoughthe studyof readerrm{rer-sibnin textshas"not been
.! putticularly popularwith the 'textual' brandsof literary theory" (15), as"it conflicts with [their]
I
\n (91,rhder-response
[. . .] concept
of language" literarytheorists psychologists
andcognitive who
N
$ studyreaders'involvement
in texts,generallyagreethatreadinginvolvestle readerin "creating"a
{,
.ii worldthat"stretch[es]
in space,
exist[s]in time"(Genig15).Thecognitivepsychologist
nichard
- .rP
F CI'
Cerrigarguesthatthetext actually"serve[s]as[a] habitat"1l5) for thereader,andthatreadersare I
I
1/
{ "placed"within thetext as"side-participants (119). He doesnot believethat
or overhearers"
F
\, 0 "transportationinto a narative world is dependenton nanativeskills" (95), but surelynot all texts

* / draw readersin equallyably. We know that realisttextswereonce"accused"of evoking readers'

|)t
\ / emotionalresponsesto an unprecedented
degree,and it may be that even"diffrcult" modemist
FI
f- ,/ oneshavethe potentialto be evenmoreinvolving. For, accordingto NormanCantor,'the burden
\y of themodemist
novel[wasthe][. . .] existential
discovery mythic,morehumanself'
of a deeper,
. i5
He writesthat"[t]he modemistnoveldoescontaina story,whichmaybeby tumselaborate
YrWAr53).
Vand minimal,butit servesonlyasa vehiclefor the
I,rl'", explorationof sensibilityonthepartof the
tl :,!., L./ 7-1*2etat * >
author.
whichhelpsthereader
to discover herself'(53).-
him---or '
:
{ X, l;*_le--furQ"^,
lfCantoriscorrectthattextswhic
involve
T"/ "***
-em to suchanextenttha@eadsto dramaticpersonaldiscoveries thenit might
andchanges,
"/i^;p thatAsForMeandMyHouse,whichisallabouttheexplorationofthepsychic/emotionallif
ry"Faf,futf" '^rV'
q\ vrs. Bentleyassheexploreshernewhabitat,Horizon,mightbea particularlyimmersivetext t lf
t"d,Vf
^Jilt ^'/ 1
f". thereaderto inhabit.But if readersarelikely to a greateror lesserextentto shareMrs.
fl/k{
Flt t' /
 -lt
laou
ryr ;r. ,ft.T,c;
Ar//7r/ rzvo/e/- n^rr" 4 //L-t
4
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Bentley's "processof locating and displacingherself' (Kroetsch2lT) in Horizon, if they are drawn

to vicariously experienceher own emotionalresponseto her environment,how-if they are indeed

f_)

securereaders,"as I am suggE ike:lyto be-could theypossiblybenefitfrom

would waken. 8

- -;;;;;;;a,i#;ffi,,:;T:.-.',
abandonment)may be exactly thosewho would be most affectedby this description,for some

',f
'
"
'$orirt, arguethat our level of immersionin a text greatlydependsuponthe degreeto which we

identitywiththeprir
y*
wouldn't flinch when faced with the "softy steadyswish of rain," the rest of the descriptioncould

not but evoke their own fears,their own memories,of finding themselvesall alone and uncared

for. But if readersexperiencedfeelingsof abandonmentwhen they were young, experiences

which could not but be traumatizingto a vulnerablechild, they might in fact be drawn to re-stage

,JHeq feelings,for it is well knownamongsttraumaspecialists

thattrauma"demands"repetition.
/(
#JS BesselVan der Kolk writes, "Many traumatizedpeopleexposethemselves,seemingly
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ffitn'";1
t wn^frld/ ,r{ "tr"Ar'-tr' .+
a,,ful#ou0/4n4,\
" t?,uc Ar;L
-'otw, *\* tc'uaat "*dff
rffi Y
4) ;;#ffi:""-"
rarcryconscrousry '.,,,,.*ffi
:;;ry
ffi{,"ffi;il';i"",'!''"'.*]",'".\n.,.u.nulio,alreenactments^i"N
-i::,"
;ffi;;L:, ro Derelareoto eafllernle expe7nces'-(Jdy). ttut rI tnls passag, ,
unoefsrooo
ty
merelyhelpedsatisfua reader'srepetitioncompulsion,littley'od wouldlikely comeof it, for
btJJ
'
though"Freudthoughtthattheaim of repetitionwas,o;dn ^urr"O,[. . .] clinicalexperie: ^'n/' '
"
jti";"" ';;ffi
shownthatthisrarelyhappens;
shown instead,
in"t"ua,rcpetitiol/uuses
rr\ec;2d*es ro.tt
furthersufferingfor
firther ,ri"ti-. or lor
thevictims
" Yr-P
389).Butls For MeandMy Hozseprovesmuch Ap .'nb
peoplein tlreirsurroundings"
1Van derffi
more a sanctuarythan a houseof h That-is, ij is betterurylerstog9.as
a textwhicharouses
the
;-4
*T
' fears
tr4J but
rrur which
wurl"u ultimately
urlrrrrorsrJ works
vv(rr^,r to
ru help
rrsrp settle
.^.
ssrrrs lr{:Lllj/
w'r V
.o y

Certainly
-"r -*::3 readersmustrrrlru
intuitr that
ular llif the night uilll
ur9 lllBril canllra|lr'
makewrr Mrs. Bentleyr.nsr
s. Dr'lllrr,y feel arurln
aloneilrru
and
flnF I
-,1fin
vulnerable,thattherearethoseaboutcanmakeher feel safeandsecure.fhey might
mightjy'fact
i be p,"- U
\ -< t^
'd\
lookingto find sanctuary
with thematemal,for asJosephRheingold-*"Fars/o*^\uor-.n,
r;-,
"motivatethewishto retumto theuterus"(18),to theempowered
mother,andtheyfrnd$rn.orr" ryif
especiallywell suitedto safeguard
themin Mrs.Finely. Theyencounter
herin thetext I ,rej
I dP0.
immediately
afterhearingof Mrs.Bentley'sfearfulnighttime andit is doubfut
experience,
O/.rtr.
"^MI-
whethershecould havebeendescribedsoasto seemmoreideally suitedto countertfr" tfeatenine

nighttimeenvirons.Thenightcouldmakethehouses"helpless,"but it is hardto imaefneit doine

I"4
\
't*t
as"austere"(8) andforceful. Thenights[<yc.,,rld
thesameto Mrs.Finley,for sheis described I'qd
\ \.q
maketownseemto cower,to be"afraidto movelestit toppleintothewind";hardlyfeu\fuf. rn" ,. jil

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 Sheis more than someonewho is "self-important"(185),that is, as Frank Davey

understands
heras,sheis importantto theto$n thatsheis anythrnt otn",
Flgjs{qindication
,p
thanitsleadir(g
matriarchfit's (g),nut
"self-assumed{
(8) iarc)u, n'.t"*,(ffi"D
matriarch, matriarch 0d'
nevertheless.But shemay indeedstrike us lessas particular and distinct than as a member of the

matronly "mass" who rule Horizon. Mrs. Bentley tells us that "Mrs. Finley and her kind are the

proverbial stonewalls againstwhich unimportantheadslike mine are knocked in vain" (17), and

we note that as we meet their husbands,they are repeateddescribedas subservientto their wives.

Mrs. Finley, of course,most certainlymanagesher husband.He is describedas a "meek little

mar" (9), someonewho has a o'cagedrawn over him" (9). And soon afterwards,we also hear of

Mrs. Lawson,"a sharp,stirring t. . .] woman," and of how she'omanag[es]

her [. . .] husbandlike a

yelping little terrier round a plodding Clyde" (27). That is, though sheis madeto seemsomeone

who could safeguardMrs. Bentley (and the insecurereader),sheis also made to seemsomeone

who might effect upon her what often occurswhen out of fear we seeka return to the maternal,
./
( namely, the loss of our self command and individuated status (Rheingold l7).

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,ffi
Wenderby's particular "portl[iness]" (5); for just beforebeing told of her rotundity, we were told

shecameby so as to o'size[the Bentley's] t. . .] up and seehow much [they] t. . .] own" (5): no

doubt, we reciprocate,and size her up as well. We are of coursesubsequentlytold of how "[t]he

town seeme[d]huddledtogether,"a drawing togetherwhich has us thinking of its structuresas

bodily conjoined. And emergingfrom the huddle is what is madeto seemthe town's most

distinctive and important structure-the church, a structurewhich is describedso that it seemsa

maternal,birthing, womb-like structure. Though Helen Buss believesthat the church, which is

"black evenagainstthe darkness,towering ominously up throughthe night and merging with it," is

clearly apatriarchal structure(196), for insecurereaderswhosedefining experienceof

abandonmentis forever linked to the maternal, the fact that it mergeswith the abandoning

nighttime environswould work againstit being thought of as such. It is true that linear height is at

times associatedwith masculinity in the text-his looming height probably helps make Mr.

Bentley seemresoluteand manly. But arguablyat this point in the text, masculinity is more clearly

associatedwith squareness
than with linearity: We learnthat linear Main Streetis presidedover by

"Main Streethostess[es]"(9), and hearof Mr. Bentley's "stalwart, four-square,Christian sermon"

(7).
cyuAlfFu[a./

Triangles,however,a shapewh

birthing maternal body it doespatriarchalorder,

'^\'l"o '
-'-a
especial in thistext,andthenextsubstantive
description
of th" involv b.ing
?- 99f,":-al "hu."r6-ol6it
whichbirths.Thatis,in herthirdjoumalentry,when
atft'fiangular structure----one
G9.
4#fl
V ..fy .. shedescribes
shedescribes
herown
her ownhome
homefor us,
us, Mrs.
Mrs. Bentleydescribesits relation
Bentleydescribes the church
relationto the churchsothat
that the
the
W n
'( \f churchis madeto seemakinto abirthingmother.Shesays,"It's a small,squat,grayishhouse,and

rhrr;{
"//

ffiw,
 of themountainthatdid all thefussingandgavebirthto amouse"(18-9). Thechurchhasalready

O.Uoifu seemasif its innardsarematemal----or

at leastmatronly-for whenthechurch
@"
-^/y
-
congregation
is describedfor us,we hearonly of the "womenin theirhumdrumforties"(14);and
rf fu
choiris detailedfor us,we leamthatit too is composedof "matrons,middleaged
pr4/ r;;).9. "n*th
andon" ( I 5). The likelihood that the readerwill imaginethe churchasa matemalstructureis
Lrrf | ,'
I
.. Af enhancedby havingdelineatedfor us the physicalparticularsof anothertriangular,'lvide hipped"
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-r "entity," immediatelyafterwardsin the text. We meetMrs. Ellington, and leam that sheis a
\1 .,tt)o
"large, Norwegianwoman,in shapeand structureratherlike a snowmanmadeof threeballs piled
ff^"r?1'
U on top ofone another"(19). (A snowmanis of courseanothertriangularstructure).We alsoleam
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that "[h]er broadred faceis buttoneddown like a cushionin themiddlewith a noseso smallthat in
\IlV0 :- J0
'
itV profileit's invisible"(19). Hernoseis to herfacewhatMrs. Bentley'shouseis to thechurch:both
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tiny or invisible in comparisonto the morerelevantstructure.In addition,we arealsotold that
f A{^are
ID" .'- Mrs. Ellington'shomehouses"boardersandchickens"(19). "Hens"seemsmorematemalthan

tl' u1 P./][, l "chickens" (they arelater in the text referredto ashens),but sincewe aretold that their eggsare
,tt (l
v
f{- 1 broughtover to the Bentleysfor dinner,they aremadeto seemmatemalenough. fr}tl
'1" . .. **f.
AsFor MeandMy Houseaffordsthereader,then,seemsto potenti^lt[
environment
h $i
,r*rf ]ethemwith experiencing
conftont thetwoconsiderable of seeking
drawbacks anescape
to a -/
yf,t
p',gr,ti
matemal
"fold" for fearofa threatening world,and,indeed.
andabandoning Mrs.Bentley I
repeatedly complains of how living in Horizon means to live in a domineering and smothering
<)
f
environment. Her joumal in fact begins with evidence that, like their husbands,the Bentley's too
'We
are managedby the town's matrons. "see" Mr. Bentley hard at work "putting up stovepipes

and opening crates" (5). He is poor at this sort of work, but he doesit becausematronssuch as
,--.\
Finely/expecthim to be the one who "get[s] up on the roof and put[s] a few new shingleson"
Mtt.
\/

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 (8). Mrs. Finley is not to be fiddled with; the Bentleys"defer" ( l0) to her, and acceptthat survival

will mean adaptingthemselvesso they serveher and the other matrons' needsratherthan their
0;'l
own: "I'm afraid it [i.e.,V(rs.Finely'f crusadingintentto shapeall 'in her own image'] may mean
\/
somechangesfor Philip anM#' (8). It meansthat they will needto behaveso that they have

the needsof the community foremostin mind, exactlythe position children areplacedin regardsto

their mothers if they are unfortunate enoughto have immature mothers. And we note that in Mrs.

w ^at
a J
l.Y

M - '-J
I

t
-ll
Finely's presence,Mrs. Bentleyis describedas girl-like, for Mrs. Finely "sent [her] t. . .] fiddling

with [her] t. . .] apron like a little girl" (8). If they act as they themselvesdesire,"Horizon" will

notice and disapprove. So sinceMrs. Bentley knows that Mrs. Finley and her ilk would
fl'
t l E
A'
f{,/- '.
I
^ t t
tl t-l
t - l disapproveif sheassociatedtoo closely with Judith, and eventhough shewould really like to be
n \,
I r
,rf ll|!f
l\
ll
v, {-f \,
rt-
| J , ' uv more familiar with her, she concludesthat she"will have to be friends with Judith warily" (8).
U'f
And in the samepassage,shealso hurries her journey home out of a fear that "Horizon will be

reminding [them] t. . .] of [their] t. . .] extravagance"(17) shouldthey see"two lampsburning" late

at night.

But if readersfeel insecurein the world, if they feel unattendedto, alone,abandoned,they

might enjoy knowing that the personthey are most likely to identity and associatewith-Mrs.

Bentley-is fussedover as much as sheis in the text. For equally evident in the text as is their

commandoverher,isthegreatinteresttheytakeinher.Shematt.,,,,.

A"P Bentleyis to someextenta valued"commodity," for associatingwith the minister's wife is a Irll '
r1v/ (J
meansby which to elevateone's statusin the town (58). Her value is made very apparentright

from the start; we are told that Mrs. Finely "must have spenthourspreparingfor [them] [. . .],

cleaningher house,polishing her cut glassand silver" (9). Of course,the attendanceHorizon

offers is often madeto seemmean-spiritedand hostile, evenif subtly so. But Mrs. Bentley herself

/
 l0

lt 1(
admits that a hostile environmentis to be prefened to an indifferent one-and the readermight

well shareher preference. In regardsto a different environment-the wilderness-she says,"The

stillnessand solitude-we think a force or presenceinto it----evena hostile presence,deliberate,

aligned againstus-for we darenot admit an indifferent wilderness,where we have no meaningat

K
all" (131).'And, we note,a hostileenvironmenthasits uses,especiallyif readershaveexperienced

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intensehostility from their mothers,for it motivatesthe expressionratherthan the withholding of

rage. Rheingold arguesthat thosewho experiencedmaternalneglectare usually loath to express

their angerat their mothers. He writes that "child[ren] fear the consequences
of not loving the

mother or of bearingher animosity" (200). "The child is enjoinedto show love for the mother,and

failure to do so carriesa threat,for the child must protectthe mother's defensesagainsther

perception,and the perceptionby others,of her lack of motherly feeling or her hostile impulses.

One must love his mother,or perish,or at leastsuffer guilt" (201). Admittedly, it is indirect-Mrs.

Bentley never vents her angerspecifically at mothers-but sheoften forcefully expressesher

angerat what the readermight well havebeenprimed to considera maternalenvironment,namely,

Horizon. They encounter(and experience),for instance,her desirefor the wind to "work its will"

(57) and destroythe town; for "[her] t. . .l fingers itch to smudgeit out" (92); for her husband's

"ftngers on the town's throat, smiling exactly the sameway" (95); for her piano playing to be
'
"charge[d']" "to the town's completeannihilation"(18). Etc. / ,r) U! OlfiJ'

She expressesher irritation and disdain for the town's matron( often elough as well. And

?fu
when she doesso, she(often much more the truant adolescentwho is fed up with paternal

limits than shedoesthe cowering child who could be madeto fiddle with her little upron{Ond in

theseinstances,shemost definitely evidencesher needto know that "adults will help keep [her]

t. . .1anger,greed,frustration,andothernegativeemotionsin check" (224)-flr.Btanley

\-./.-__

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 ll

have satisfiedwhen we were young, but might have missedout

If readersmissedout ffi

her expressionof rage,and "sharing" in experiencinghaving her more truant behavior kept in

describesher truant behaviorso that we likelv sensein her a desire

t and reprimanded. One descriptionin particular could not make her more seenan

adolescentwith designsto arouseparentalanger-namely, when shedescribeshow sheallowed

"grizzled, dirty-looking men" (103) to give her a ride back home to Horizon. We note that she

could have had them drop her off beforeshereachedtown, but that shepreferredto seeif shecould

sneakinto "Main Streetunobserved"

(103). Of course,sheendsup finding herself"tongue[-tied]"

and "helpless" ( I 03) beforethe Horizon matrons. Shepretendsthat shehopedto avoid sucha fate,

but nowhereelse doesshe seemmore the unreliablenarratorthan shedoeshere: That is. since

throughoutthe text shedescribeshow Horizon's "eyes" are foreverwatching her, it is difficult for
1
us to believethat shedidn't at somelevel expectand evenhopeto haveher truant behaviornoJic0-d
w
t

feelings of claustrophobia,sheoften doesso through tightly packedsentences--{neswith

clumped adjectiveor noun clusters. Her housewas originally describedto us as 'oasmall, squat,

grayish house [which] t. . .l pushedup againstthe big, glum, grayish shulsh"-1he adjective

clusterslikely help convey the smotheringclosenessbetweenthe two structures.This description

occursin her third journal entry, one which delineateswhy her houseis depressing,why it seems

as if it was constructedso that it affords little privacy from onlookers-and this entry in particular,

is filled with theseclusters. We hear of the "insistent little bright pink rosesthat stareat you like

',ITffi:ru,;,?Wry-v
,.Mxry4ffi-?T
ffiffiHffiltuh
 t2

eyes"(17),ofthe smell,whichis "notjust a bad,aggressive

smell,just a passive,clingingone,"of

the "faded old carpets,trying the hard,leathereasychairswith brokensprings"(18). And aswe

readthroughherjoumal, we encountermany more suchclusters. In regardsto the heat,for

example,we hearthat it is "dense,rigid, heaf'(l l0), "dense,sicklyheat' (114), "dense,clotted

heat" (150). And it is no wonderthat shewantsto flee the "hot, dry, dusty little cupboardof a

house"(93),for whenwordsare"jam[med][. . .] up soclose"(56),theyarelikely to helpconvey

to the readerMrs. Bentley's own sensethat living in Horizon meansto feel caughtwithin a "vice"

(2t). v

But contrathe opinion of literary critics suchasDavid Stouckwho believethat Mrs.

Bentley's"narration"is "claustrophobic"
( 103),it mayb,ethatmanyreadersultimatelyexperience
t/
herjoumal asmore spaciousthantight and smothering.HelenBussunderstandsMrs. Bentley's

wr
"abandon[ment] practicedworld ofthe pianistfor the 'longer,loosermode'
[...] ofthe structured,

ofthe diarist"(193)asaneffectivemeansfor herto feel lessconstrained.But we shouldnotethat

,:ffi;ffi."ffiffi,;::::::,
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feel lesscramped. Sometimes,of course,the Augustanphrasingis usedto help makea sentence

feel "armoured,""steeledagainstthe world"-a meansperhapsof usingherjournal to help

buttressanddeflectthe pressingenvironment.Shewritesthat sheandher husband's"musclesand

lungsseem[ed]pitted to keepthe walls from caving in" (97); the key nounsin this

sentence-"muscles,""lungs," "walls"-are spacedapartfrom oneanother,andmay indeedbe

experiencedby the readerasifthey aresupportivecolumns. In the samepassage,shedeclaresthat

"[t]he wind andthe sawingeavesandthe rattle of windowshavemadethe housea cell" (97); yet

againshespacesthe pressingsubjectsso that the sentenceitselfmay feel more likely a sturdily

/
 l3

constructedand roomy housemore than it doesa tight cell. Often, however,her diary is written as
/
if in fact sheexperiencesher everydayworld asnicely spacedand roomy. We may be so well cued

to attendto her tightly clusteredsentencesand to her more overtly composedAugustansentences,

that we might forget that many and maybe most sentencesin the text read quite casually. We get,

for instance: "We had eggsand breadand butter and tea, and a spoonful of honey for Steve" (7);

N
and, "[m]y peasand radishesare coming through. I spenta long time up and down the rows this

morning, clearing away the dust that was drifted over them; and at intervals, so that I wouldn't

attracttoo much attention" (89); and, "Philip needsshoesand a hat. His Sundaysuit is going at the

[$ cuffs again,and it's shiny at the seatand knees" (53). This is pedestriansubjectmatter,presented

to us in an everyday,easefulfashion.

r{ Rather than rushed and packed,then, many of the sentencesare structured so that they

seemspaciousand unhurried,if not always loose.They may perhapswork in tandemwith all the

N
\s
repetitiousimagery to help make the text itself actually seempleasantlyvariant. That is, without

easyand easingsentencesstructures,without at least somereappearingand familiar imagery,the

text might be experiencedas too varying too be easeful. But as is, it may for the readerprove akin

$ to a rather enjoyable"window shopping" experience,perhapsakin to the sort Mrs. Bentley might

have enjoyed at Christmashad it not proved to remind her of her own poverty (194). We

encounterthe employmentof a pleasingvariety of different mythic pantheons(Greek, Christian,

Nordic, Gothic), for example. Soil, earth,and metal imagery is put to various and interestinguse,

too. I have already suggestedthat shapesaffect our phenomenologicalappreciationof the text

(circles,too, we note, easily affect our readingexperienceas much as squaresand trianglesdo),

and colours, in particular, also atlractnotice. She indeedshowcasesthem, makesthem seem

relevant,interesting,and even delightful and surprising-as if they are clues to better

/
 t4

understandingwhatever"object" they are associatedwith. We likely sensethat somethingof

Judith's oddnesshasto do with her "queer white skin" (2ll), that somethingimportant lies behind

Mr. Bentley's decision( in regardsto the choiceof colour for Steve'scoat) to "cast his vote for

blue" (53), that Paul's "bright red spottedhanderchief is what surely lends him his "histrionic

dash"(53), that El Greco's"greenand shin[y]" (169) eyesarewhat makehim seemwolf-like, that

Mrs. Holly's "green,freshly-laundered

dress,and [. . .] greenribbon" (35) is what makesMrs.
/
Bentley greenwith envy: "with clotheslike that I might be just as attractive" (35). v

As Bussnotes,thereis in fact a greatdeal of play madewith the imagery in the text, as Mrs.

Bentley experimentshere and therewith the potential the "words of her diary offer her" (198) to

emancipateherself. Shebelievesthat Mrs. Bentley, "given t. . .] only the narrow private world in

which to exerciseher creativity, useswhat shehas, in the way a male artist might use the larger

world at his disposal,asmaterialfor the realizationof the self ' ( I 9S). But if the psychologistswho

arguethat thosewho had immaturemothersend up inhibiting their participation in the "larger

world" for fear of evoking memoriesof maternaldisapprovalare coffect, readersneednot be

hemmedin women to enjoy witnessing/experiencing

how Mrs. Bentley makesuse of whateveris

T5
at hand to empowerand "realize" (198) herself. But beforedelineatinghow shesubvertsimagery

originally associatedwith maternaloppressorsto empowerherself,it is worth noting that as a

journal writer she is in a position to readily imagine herself as empoweredover her readers-and

certain sectionsin particular certainly read as if she craftedthem with readersin mind.

Though I maintain that the text probably feels lesstenseand densethat somecritics have

assumeda readerlikely experiencesit as, shedoesat times make the readerfeel constrictedand

fearful. She seemsto intentionallymove from spaced(Augustan)to tighter phrasingat times so as

t/
to ensurethat if someonewere to read her journal, s/hewould be encouragedto replicateher own
 l5

ostensible
tight andfearfulstate.For instance,
shefollowsup tellingusthat"[t]he sunthroughthe

.i
dustlooksbig andred andclose"(96),by tellingus thatit is "[b]igger,redder,closerevery day"

(96): shehelpsensurethatfor a momentwe too aremorelikely to experience

"a doomedfeeling,

[to fear]thatthereis no escape"(96). Like Shelley*ux: to do in hispoesy,sheat timesseems

-t.*--,/

to momentarily co-opt the force, sway and will of the wind to makeus feel its varying impact up on

her, especiallywhen shetells us that:

Sometimesit sinks a little, as if spentand out of breadth,then comeshigh, shrill and

importunateagain. Sometimesit's blusteringand rough, sometimessilent and sustained.

F
Sometimesit's wind, sometimesfrightenedhandsthat shakethe doors and windows. 52.

We too are encouragedto deemthe wind o'nerve-wracking"(52); but it was the delineationof the

wind's characteristicsin the paragraph,her power over us asjournal writer, which ultimately
N servedto rattle our nerves.In addition, shemay make not only the Horizon denizensbut the reader

\\i$
$ 3]
as well seem"small," when, after delineatingtheir particulars,shejudges those shemeetsin

Horizon as not meaningfully different from similar othersshehasencounteredpreviously in other

towns. The power writing affords her to shapea world may indeedbe inspiring to thosewho feel

lJ$
,{\
adverselyshapedby the world aboutthem. It may move readersto indulge in someof the power a

persecutorhas, an indulgencesomereadersmight alreadybe familiar with (witnessthe

N blossomingof onlinejournals in this 9-11 era) as they deleteor edit entriesfrom thosewho visit
J.Ng
sts their onlinejournal sites. But though I think sheat times (andperhapsoften) writes with readersin

mind, and though I think sheexploits her power as narratorso asto not just delineatetruth for, but

$ to effect harm/trumiliationsupon, her readers,I do agreewith Buss in her assessment

that Mrs.

Bentley seemsmostly motivatedto make use of words to empowerher over thosewho oppress

her. /

/
finally contrivesmeansby which to rebuff the town's matrons,Mrs. Bentley makesuse of

swordsman/fighterimageryto delineatehow shefeels and behaves.Of course,sheoften describes

herself as 'osteeling"herself againsther environment(her husband,in particular, is frequently

describedas having stealor leadeneyes---ones,we note, that can "clear a room" [ 16]), but it is

really when she likens herselfto a sword wielder who parriesblows that she effectively co-opts

this imagery to make herselftemporarily seeman equalto the town's matriarch,to the town's

matrons' manipulations. After successfullyusing scriptureto legitimateher claim to Steve,she

writes, "I parried them, cool and patient" (81). Her successfulrebuff enablesher to feel protected,

as if shetoo now possesses

a "false front" (81), that is, a structurewhich heretoforein the text had

beenassociatedwith Horizon's smotheringdrabness,but also with its resilienceand persistence.

She had needof such a structure,for heretoforethe influenceof Horizon's matrons' disapproval

them knows. They can only readour shingle,all its lettersfreshenedup this afternoon,As For me

and My House-The House of Bentley-l4re Will Servethe Lord (81).

The pressingforcesmay also seemrebuffed by the way in sheimaginesher husband's

/
 l7

office space. That is, though shefinds a way to imagineher home,which had previously only been

portrayedas somethingwhich was pitted againsther, as an o'ally,"shefirst describesher husband's

study as "always loyal to him" (85). It rebuffs all intruders;and it may in fact be describedas a

"stronghold" (85) so that Mrs. Bentley better imaginesit as an effective counterto the "stone

walls" sheknew shewould repeatedlyknock her headagainstin vain while in Horizon. He and his

office spaceareat times madeto possesspower akin to that possessed

by wildernesshills. In

$$ referenceto the hills, she say, o'Weclimb them, but they withstandus, remain as sereneand

unrevealedas ever. t. . .] We shrink from our insignificance"(l3l). And in referenceto her

$-{ husbandand to his study, she says:

I like Philip's study,but I'm seldomin it. Not evenwhenhe's out, exceptto cleanand dust.

tF
\$
It's reservedsomehow,distant,just like him. It's always loyal to him. It seesand knows

him for what he really is, but it won't let slip a word. This study and the othersbefore

it-they're all the same. You don't obtrude. You don't take liberties. It's like being a
\a child in the presenceof grown-upswho have troublesthat can't be explainedto you. The

$r book understand,but you don't. 61.

It may be that Mr. Bentley's associationwith the hills might serveto help counterhis association

$F with the mountainous,maternalchurch,an "entity," which though it first promisedescape,proved

s\ to be one which circumscribedhis life.

He is mostly certainlymadeto seema potentialrival to the town's leadingmatriarch-Mrs.

Finley, for just after delineatingMrs. Finley's ability to managethe town, Mrs. Bentley informs us

that her husband"has a way of building in his own image,too" (9). But we note that after first

establishinghis potential to be an upstart,Mrs. Bentley frequentlydelineateshow weary he has

become. She may at times needfor him to be wearv. needto think of him as weary. out of

/
 l8

"deference"to a superiorneedmany readersmay also share,namely, aneed to feel secure: she

needsto know that if she leavesa dispiriting but familiar life that sheis preparedfor what may lie

ahead. Thosewho flee the town unprepared,we note, often suffer grim fates. Judith, we are told,

when shesuddenlyleft her family to seekwork abroad,couldn't manageher way in the world, and

/ El Greco perishes,after suddenlyfollowing upon his instinct to make for the wilderness. That is,

when shewrites that "with a man like Philip, you don't predict the future from the past" (15), she

expressesher fears as well as her hopes.Sheneedsto imagine him as strong and unpredictable,as

"an existentialhero" (Moss l4l), so that he seemswell constitutedto lead her away from a

dispiriting life, but shefearshis strengthand erratic naturebecauseit could leave her once again

feeling alone, abandonedand fearful. But Mrs. Bentley provesnot just an empoweredjournal
t^
r'In"-)rl writer-shealsoaneffectivemanager.
- sfrfil@r*age herhusband
likea terriermighta
\teY:,tf V \---l
shedoespreventhim for exrr:ssr{L8
hishatredat a momentwhichwouldhave
{}.rpl:ry>but
eviction
fro-.*r@pnsecure readers
wanttofeelatease
while
,ftn}f/t"iili"*,-ror"-mature
't -

/t if ^ readingthe text, it may be that they find her actionpleasing,for theytoo might not want to risk (at
c'/' ,lP
somelevel) re-experiencingmaternalabandonment(abandonmentfrom a maternal

environs-Horizon). So thoughMrs. Bentley blamesherselffor doing so, it was the right "move":

sheneededtime to betterprepareherself so that departurefrom her previous familiar life would

seemlessthreateningand more "right" (i.e., lessblameworthy,less self-indulgent).

Thoughnearthe end ofthe text Mrs. Bentleywrites that sheis not "progressing"(196),this

may not actually be the case. We know that she saysthis at a time when she is successfully

accumulatingsufficient funds to enablea new life for herself,that is, while she is hoarding cash.

And shemay in fact be using herjournal to progressivelywork toward conclusivelybelieving that

shedeservesto make use of it to satisfuher (that is, not just Philip's)r--ratherthan someone

/
 l9

else's-needs. Her journal, we note,is repletewith delineationsof how impoverishedsheis. She

,$ lives a drab and disappointinglife: we hear,for instance,of her drab house,her drab dress,and her

i$
(ostensibly)drab (sameol' sameol') everydayexperiences.Justas often, shedelineateshow

otherslive nowherenear as drably as shedoes. Every once in awhile sheexpressesher belief that

shesurely deservedmore, but shesayssuchwith more conviction asherjournal progresses,that is,

$t after anotherkey plot developmentoccurs,namely, her own husband'saffair with Judith. This is

quite the betrayal,and doesenonnousharm-for shehad earliermadeclearthat his attentioncould

\$ have made her life in Horizon, bearable. But is also very enabling,for shewrites that since"he's

beenunfaithful to [her] [. . .], [she]ha[s] a right now to be free" (163). That is, his betrayalenables

sq
{}-
herto move toward deemingsatisfyingher life's desires,righteous. We note that shortly after she

makesthis assertion,how aggressivelyshecomplainsof others' indulgences. Thinking of

\.1 paymentsowed to them by Kirby (a town they had once lived in), she says,"There wasn't a

N
woman in the congregationwhoseclotheswere as dowdy and plain as mine. They never missed

their little teasand bridge parties" (165). She seemspurposeful,certain,and enraged. Sheadmits

that she"want[s] to get awaynow more than ever" (166), and may now be ready for the move; for

if she and her husbandmoved on to a better life, their efforts to effect such wouldn't as likely be

underminedby pressingfeelingsthat their happinessis undeserved,that is, by guilt.

This is how masochistwould undermineany successthey achieved,or ruin any acquisition

they acquired,and by so frequentlymaking use of her journal to delineateall the various wounds

Horizon and her husbandhaveinflicted upon her, shegives every appearanceof being a masochist.

But if sheisn't, many of her readersmight well be. For as Rheingoldexplains,masochismis the

meansby which we fend of feelingsof abandonmentand maternalretribution. "It takes its origin

in the child's compliancewith or appeasement

of the destructiveattitudesand impulsesof the

/
 20

mother" (21), and helps the child pretendthat s/heisn't really attendingto his/her own needs,

really isn't behavingso as to be worthy of maternalpunishment. The text, though,ffi&y help

rpl,t , . masochisticreadersin feelingthat they too can narratetheir own life sothat self growth seems
'fffl
-l
Af more"allowable." Maybe,theymightbemorelikely to conclude,othersout thereareindulging
lU,t-1,
Y- rlry
ry6y much more
much more than
than they
they are: perhaps
are: oerhaosthey arcthe
thev are oneswho
the ones deservepunishment.
who deserveounishment- Maybe,
Mavbe- they
thev might
mish

theirownsufferingandsacrificehasbeensuchthattheyareentitledto a reprieve,that
";nn:r\:nclude, arenowentitledto somehappiness.Somepscyhohistorians arguethattheancientsusedto
W{"ey
a themselves thattheywereentitledto keeptheirchildrenby sacrificingtheirfirst bomto
?Ur,| .convince
(deMause
ancestors 137).Thelogicbeingthatthesacrifice of thefirstchildenabled themto
i{O/yir
O)W
ft feelrnorc
rcst moreEnrrueo
entitledro
to Keep
keepsuDsequeff
subsequent
ones.rernaps
ones. Perhaps theloglc
tne logicsull
stillnolos
holdslor
for Inose
thosewno
whocteafly
clearlyare
are
\b nY
;* not infanticidal,thatis, perhaps
thelossof thoseshekeeps-SteveandEl Greco-might helpMrs.
Uf
Yl/ ,At Bentleyfeel moreentitledto keepwhat shereally wants-namely, her husbandandJudith's child.
And just as shedeemedKirby's indulgent behaviora reasonto asserther firm claim to the money

the town owed them, Judith's indulgencemight make her feel more entitled to take her (i.e.,

Judith's) baby away from her.

At one point in her journal she suggeststhat Horizon is unnaturaland "wrong" becauseit

doesnot move with the earth's underlying rhythms. For suchdisregardand disrespect,it is

obstinateand "insolent" (23), i.e., bad. We note, then, that shemight make her own escapeseem

natural and thereforeo'right,"for it is madeto seemin accordwith a rhythm,that of expulsion

following inflation, which seemsto determinehow and when relevant"objects" appearand

disappearfrom Horizon. Just before"they t[ook] Steve away" (I52), shetells us that the heat of

the town "had beengatheringand tightening[. . .] for weeks" (150). Shewrites that "[i]t's like

watching an inflated, ever distendingballoon, waiting with batedbreathfor it to burst" ( 150). Just
 2l

beforethey "lost El Greco" (196), we are told that after looking "at the housesand thinking of all

the suspenseand excitementinside," after thinking of how in contrasther own "little house t. . .]

seemedt. . .] deadand dry [,]" that she felt "like an abscess[was] gathering[inside her] [. . .]

[which promised]release"(195). Especiallygiven the text's substantialattendanceto the

Bentley's needfor a child, the plotting shesetsup may at somelevel be understoodby the readeras

one of birth following late term pregnancy. It may be that her exodusfrom town seemsnatural

becauseit follows, "hitches a ride with," her husband'sbaby's emergencefrom Judith's birth

canal. And it may be too that her exodusis primed/timed so as to seemas if it might be

overlooked,becauseHorizon's predatorialdesireand attentionmight be satiatedby and attendant

upon the adulteressJudith's demise(which, we note, is [essentially]concurrentwith the baby's

birth).

Would an insecurereaderbenefit from witnessing/experiencing

Bentleys' birth into a "new

world." Maybe so. They might find their own emergencefrom the textual world lessjarring.

More substantively,they might at somelevel sensethat when the world about them feels most

oppressive,most depressingand dispiriting, there might-somewhere in the horizon-in fact be a

promising new world, awaiting to emerge. In the meantime,the text might well have servedas an

empoweringretreat-that is, as a reasonubl lu.,

ith the narrativeand reasoningresourcesthey might useto managethe world, as is.

WorksCited

Buss,Helen.ooWho
areyou,Mrs.Bentley?FeministRe-visionandSinclairRoss'sAs For Me and

My House." SinclairRoss'sAs For Me andMy House: Five Decadesof Criticism. Ed.

DavidStouck.Toronto:Universityof TorontoPress,1991.190-208.

Cantor,Norman. TheAmericanCentury: Varietiesof Culturein ModernTimes.New York:

tr^^i M",rar
; #,tt ,>(.rtF aM ^a,-aa,D'-t -- f -f,/;a/n a'h? Alntf

l/c/ Jll-ru 6 /la

 22

Harper Perennial,1997.

DeMause,Lloyd . Foundationsof Psychohistory. New York: CreativeRoots, 1982

Gerrig, Richard J. Experiencing It{arcativeWorlds: On the Psychological Activities of Reading.

New Haven: Yale University Press,1993.

Greenspan,Stanley. The Growth of the Mind: And the EndangeredOrigins of Intelligence. New

York: Addison-Wesley,1997.

Kroetsch,Robert. "Fea.rof Women in Prairie Fiction." Sinclair,i?oss'sAs For Me and My House.

rrt-20.
Afterword. As For Me and My House. By Sinclair Ross. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart,

r989.2r7-2r.
Moss, John. "Mrs. Bentley and the Bicameral Mind." Sinclair Ross'sAs For Me and My House.

138-48.

Rheingold, JosephC. The Mother, Araiety, and Deoth: The Catastrophic Death Complex.

Boston: Little, Brown and Compmy, 1967.

Ross,Sinclair. As For Me and My House. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart,1989.

Ryan, Marie-Laure. Narrative as Virtual Reality: Immersion and Interqctivity in Literature and

Electronic Media. Baltimore: JohnsHopkins University Press,2001.

Stouck,David. "Mrs. Bentley: Her Journaland Her Marriage." Sinclair Ross's As For Me and

My House 95-103.

Van der Kolk, Bessel. "The Compulsionto Repeatthe Trauma: Re-enactment,Revictimization,

and Masochism." PsychiatricClinics of North America. 12.2(19S9): 389-41l.

Vickroy, Laura. Trauma and Survivol in ContemporaryFiction. Virginia: University of Virginia

Press.2002

/
TermPaperEvaluation
student: /qr{r**b nkrfury- /-lah/4)"r
0
(1)SUBJECT,CONTENT, |DEAS,CONTRTBUTTON TO
KNOWLEDGE: Originality,
insight,sophistication
of ideasand
analysis; relevance andsubstantiality of discussion;intelligent
engagement of the primarytextandcriticaldiscourse surrounding
it; attentionto the relationof formto contentin the storyunder lrb
consideration; attentionto thetheoretical andculturalcontexts
and implications of chosentopic
/30
(2)ARGUMENT: Clarity,
accuracy,thoroughness, and
effectivenessof thesisstatement; articulation
of the essay's
centralconcernsand ideas;initialdefinitionof keytermsand
concepts;clarity,accuracy, organization,development, pacing,
coherence, andcohesiveness of argument; correct,balanced,
appropriateuseof citedmaterial;effectiveuseof directcitationin
t+
supportof individualpoints;effectiveintegrationof citedmaterial
intoargument
t20
(3) RESEARCH: Evidenceof secondary readingin areaof
chosentopic;situationof argumentrelativeto othercriticsand
workin the field;relevant,intelligent,
usefulengagement of
secondary
argument;
sources;awareness
generalawareness
of fulltheoreticalimplications
of relevantcriticalmaterials
on
of 3"7,
chosensubject;evidenceof originalresearch
t25
(4) STYLE:Rhetorical effectiveness, precision,
directness, clarity,
and correctnessof style,grammar,expression;
conformityto
acceptedstandards for presentation
of academicresearch;
preciseandaccurateuseof literaryandotherterminology; t7
evidenceof thorougheditingand revision;
t20
(5) FORMAT:Correctuseof MLAformatthroughout: font,front
pageheadings, workscitedpage,spacingand
in-textcitations,
justification,
etc.;neatnessandoverallpresentation ,
t5
PENALTIES

TOTAL s+'lft
1100