A Modern Fable: “The Catbird Seat” by James Thurber Essay

The faculty of consciousness and thought- that inner voice of reason constraining one from happiness, or perhaps protecting one from the inherent fear, death, and gloom embodying the earth. This is what gothic literature writers across the centuries have worked so hard to convey; human thought in it’s most primal form. It is the darkness present in people’s hearts and minds that claws at them, torments and traps them; it drains the soul from their body leaving nothing behind but a broken mind. In the 1700’s these topics frequently arose through a literature movement known as romanticism. Most gothic literature writers including Edgar Allen Poe and Horacio Quiroga would agree on the basis that darkness that ends people; it breaks them down, it physically and mentally destroys them. The aforementioned elements are portrayed through “The Black Cat,” “The Feather Pillow,” and “The Raven.”

From the moment that the apple touched Eve’s lips, women have been seen as an embodiment of all that is evil. This reflects misogynistic societal beliefs that women are below men. While many of the prejudices towards women are hidden in modern American society, some misogynistic stereotypes are still present. In Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, one can see many misogynistic and sexist undertones. Big Nurse Ratched is in a position of authority over a large group of men and is seen as a tyrannical and unjust ruler. Although most of her methods would have been seen as awful when used by any person, the saturation of bad women in the novel creates an unfavorable picture of women in general. The balance of power in the ward is

Herman Melville’s short story “Bartleby, the Scrivener” reveals different themes such as isolation and human morality test. In the story, the narrator runs a law firm and has a new Scrivener [Bartleby] who the narrator describes as“ the strangest I ever saw or heard of” (661). For the first few days, Bartleby is seen to be working fine, however, one day Bartleby just responds with “I would prefer not to” when anyone assigns a task to Bartleby (674). The real problems start to arise when Bartleby sleeps and eats at the office while denying to work or leave. The narrator illustrates the two main themes of human morals and isolation throughout the story with the use of biblical references to Bartleby as a leper and shows symbolism of the

Physically, Mr. Warren is a skinny man with stooped shoulders and tattered clothes. His posture doesn’t do him much justice. It demonstrates a lack of confidence in himself. The way Mr. Warren dresses shows that he is not a very wealthy man at all. He wears summer topcoats in the middle of Winter, uses borrowed shorts, and owns the same black shoes and black socks. Maybe he saves his money, but the clothes he wears definitely points to a lack of wealth. Despite his state of finance, Mr. Warren is always

1. Throughout the story suspense is aroused and maintained excellently. This is achieved by the character the author creates. Mr. Martin is characterized as a neat and cautious man, who never took a smoke or a drink in his life. Our suspense is aroused when the author states that it has been “a week to the day since Mr. Martin had decided to rub out Mrs. Ulgine Barrows”. This arouses our suspense because we are told Mr. Martin is planning to murder this woman. The suspense is maintained with Mr. Martin’s thoughts. We as an audience are given his thoughts through the use of the 3rd person omniscient point of view. His thoughts are mostly on the issue on his dislike of Mrs. Barrows. Because of this, he

“The Raven” is a magnificent piece by a very well known poet from the 19th century, Edgar Allan Poe. Poe was well known for his dark and haunting poetry. Along with writing poetry, Poe was also recognized for his Gothic-style short stories. “The Raven” is one of Poe’s greatest accomplishments and was even turned into recitals and numerous television appearances. “The Raven” tells a story about an unnamed narrator whose beloved Lenore has left him. A raven comes at different points throughout the poem and tells the narrator that he and his lover are “Nevermore.” Poe presents the downfall of the narrator’s mind through the raven and many chilling events. By thorough review and studying of Edgar Allan Poe’s work, one can fully understand the

The character of Bartleby in Herman Melville’s novella “Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-Street” is a person who refuses to become an object in capitalistic society. Initially, he is the perfect example of the objectification and mechanization of humans in the workplace. In essence, Bartleby is a machine that continually produces. Ultimately, he begins to resist the mind numbing repetition of his tasks and the mechanization of his life. The other main character, the narrator, is a facilitator of the capitalistic machine. He dehumanizes his employees by ensuring that their free will is denied in the workplace using objectifying nicknames, providing a workplace devoid of human touch and connection,; and perpetuating mechanized, repetitive work. Melville’s “Bartleby, the Scrivener” shows the dehumanizing effects of working in a capitalistic environment and ultimately suggests that one must conform to a standard way of life or will cease to exist.

The independence and strength that the Gowdie’s exude are seen as admirable qualities given the century that the women are living in. Brooks positions the Gowdie’s as characters who other women are envious of given their independence and strength in such a criticising society. Although the Gowdie’s are defeated in the end, their determination and willpower allow readers to admire them and respect them as valuable characters who have been wrongly victimised.

Yet another of Duror’s plans is put into action. He suggests that the cone-gatherers should be used as beaters. She asks if one of them is a ‘cripple’. Although Duror has an immense dislike toward Calum, he replies by saying “He’s a hunchback, but as agile as any monkey.” She rang Mr. Tulloch the overseer of the Ardmore men’s (cone-gatherers) work and he said it should be all right. As Duror was about to leave, the telephone rang. Mr Tulloch was explaining that Calum had certain sensibilities, especially towards the deer drive. Duror, when asked by Lady Runcie-Campbell if Calum and Neil were really needed, he insisted they were so Lady Runcie-Campbell told Mr Tulloch the same.

“The Catbird Seat” by James Thurber introduces the prime character, Mr. Erwin Martin has been an employee at F&S for 22 years. Over time, he has established a reputation of one who does wrong, but they are unaware of what monstrous deeds he is capable of. Mrs. Ulgine Barrows is the latest to join F&S, where she has only been for a few months. In addition to her coming, she takes it upon herself, to reign over the established company. Continuously, she pushes his buttons further, and he is anticipating to “rub her out,” in order to rid of her before she begins taking over(1). This is how he justifies the idea to kill her. Although he is debating whether it be necessary, he finally decides and his intentions are unmistakable when he analyzes

In turn, the narrator fails to recognize the humanity of his workers and reduces them to workers in his business. When describing his workers, he also focuses on their age, a factor that would determine how hard they work or how long they will work for him. His focus when describing his third employee, Ginger Nut, is he “was a lad of some twelve years old [and worked] at the rate of one dollar a week.” (14) This concentration on age and financial rate displays his non-existent desire to know his employees on a personal scale, only for their benefit to the company and how much money they cost him. The narrator’s desire for a successful business is evident in his reaction to Bartleby’s refusal to copy papers.

In the novella Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, the relationship between Lennie Small and George Milton is complex. Lennie and George are two companions who look for work and brave the hardships of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression together. Although Lennie and George are both grown men, their relationship resembles more of a child and a single parent, or a boy and his dog. Lennie is portrayed as animalistic and childish through his behavior and Steinbeck’s comparisons. This reveals the crucial power dynamic in George and Lennie’s relationship.

     Later that night, the narrator is awakened by fire in his house and immediately exited it. All but one wall of the house was destroyed. After the blaze was put out, a large crowd gathered around the remaining wall and were amazed at how a wall in the middle of the house could remain standing after a fire. The narrator approached the wall and thought that he knew what the audience is commenting about. He saw a gigantic cat with a rope around its neck. He is filled with wonder and terror when he saw that the cat is alive. In reality, though, the cat is not alive; the narrator is just having a delusion, which is a symptom of paranoia. He quickly calms his worries about how the cat survived by saying that an onlooker watching the fire must have seen that the cat was tied to the tree and released it. Making oneself believe what is not true is also a sign of paranoia. The cat could not have been alive because it was hung from the tree in the morning, while the fire started late at night.

He seems to be constantly trying to rid his body of the contamination contracted though his proximity with the morally reprehensible criminals that are his clients. In fact, the criminal element is permanent in Mr. Jaggers. His home is nearly as business-like and callous as his office. By employing Molly, a murderess who escaped the gallows not because of her innocence but because of Mr. Jaggers' professional skill, he uncannily casts the prison aura of Newgate over his home. In short, he embodies the inhumanity of a legal system which puts the black letters of the law before the spirit of justice.

Although Martin’s family faces dilemmas, the love in the family remains evident. Initially, the devotion that Martin shows towards his children illustrates his good nature. Martin views his children’s faces as “radiant as flower petals, equally loved” (103). Moreover illustrating his love for his children, Martin “kissed the tiny hand that lay palm-upward” (103). Furthermore, Martin’s hope to hold his family together exhibits his affection for his family. Martin constantly attempts to calm his wife in order to avoid displays of anger(101). “Please go upstairs,”(101) Martin begs of his wife so the children do not get upset seeing their mother frustrated. Lastly, the physical and emotional desire for Emily that Martin has, further shows how he cares for his family. Comforting his wife, Martin exhibits his love for her(104). Martin watched Emily as she slept and his “old anger vanished”(104).