Edith Wharton’s “Souls Belated” Essay

Point of view al demeanors influences the way readers perceive events. In literature, the address of view the author chooses not unaccompanied affects the way readers perceive and interpret events, but it as wellhead as determines, to some extent, what the readers bathroom actually pick up. That is, bakshish of view guides the way readers interpret events and draw conclusions by limiting or illuminating the amount and nature of the information from which conclusions can be drawn. In Souls Belated, Edith Wharton uses point of view to crystallize the thoughts of each character individually, while concealing the thoughts of the other, and eventually to highlight the vastly different mindsets of twain characters involved.Wharton starting line does this by revealing Lydias thoughts to the readers while hiding Gan light upts. At the exposition, the story is told in third person, from Lydias point of view. This technique allows readers to see directly into Lydias mind. To hit th e hay what Gannet is thinking, however, they must accept Lydias reading material of his thoughts He was thinking of it now, just as she was they had been thinking ab forth it in unison ever since they had entered the choose (673). Since readers have no direct penetration into Gannetts brain, they have no way to know what he is really thinking, but neither do they have, as yet, any substantial reason to doubt Lydias interpretation of events.The third-person-limited point of view is particularly effective because it allows readers to view Lydias thoughts, opinions, and interpretations as facts. If Wharton had chosen to make known the story in first person, from Lydias point of view, the narrative would be clearly subjective. Readers would be alive(predicate) of the limitations of a first person narrator. Consequently, they would have plenty of incentive to question the accuracy of Lydias perception. On the other hand, if the narrator were omniscient, it would describe Gannetts t houghts as well as Lydias and on that pointby transplant all questions in this matter. The actual third person narrator seems removed abounding from the action to reckon to be an impartial observer this inclines readers to accept the narrators secernatements as facts. That the point of view is limited, however, in like manner leaves in question whether Lydias view of Gannett is correct, whether readers should accept it at face value this is whatcreates the subtle hesitation of the story.Wharton builds on this suspense by suggesting that Lydia does know Gannett well enough to know his mind, or, at least, that Lydia thinks she knows Gannett well enough to know now that he and she were al i she knew exactly what was passing through his mind she could almost memorize him asking himself what he should say to her (673). This not only further inclines readers to accept Lydias interpretation of Gannetts thoughts and emotions, but it also encourages them to be sympathetic to her. Lyd ia knows what Gannett is thinking, and she dreads it. Since readers know Lydias mind but not Gannetts, they cannot service of process but see the situation through her eyes.In order to see properly through Lydias eyes, in order to know wherefore she dreads Gannett inevitably speaking to her, readers need to have some perceive datum of her nature. The point of view helps accomplish this as well it allows readers to extract information about Lydias personality from her reactions to her own memories. For example, when Lydia remembers her ex-husband and her reasons for exit him, she had preferred to think that Tillotson had himself embodied all her reasons for leaving him. Yet she had not left(a) him till she met Gannett (673). From this, readers know that Lydia, at the beginning at least, is not self-secure enough to have left her husband to be on her own. She could not turn from him without having someone else to turn to. However, this discovery had not been gentle to her self -esteem (673), indicating that not only is Lydia aware of her own insecurity but also that it is something which bothers her. Lydia wants to think of herself as an independent char but so far has not been as wholly independent as she would like to be.Once readers understand this part of Lydias personality, they are better prepared to understand why Lydia struggles against dependency. Specifically, she struggles against marrying Gannett because she views it as a particularly tempting form of dependency. Lydia fears that by marrying Gannett, she will lose whatever sense of self she has developed since leaving her husband similarly, she worries that Gannett will lose his sense of self in marrying her. To behavior upon him as the instrument of herliberation to resist herself in the least tendency to a wifely winning possession of his future had seemed to Lydia the one way of maintaining the dignity of their relation (675). At the same time, however, she realizes that this view of the ir human relationship is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain she was aware of a growing inability to keep her thoughts rigid on the essential point the point of parting with Gannett (675). Through what the narrator says and does not say about their relationship, readers can infer that Lydia is growing dependent on Gannett but is still trying to fight against it.The insight Wharton gives readers into Lydias personality product lines sharply with how little they know of Gannett. Because of the narrators limited point of view, readers know only as much about Gannett as Lydia knows. Readers know what Gannett says and what he does, as well as what Lydia presumes he thinks, but they have no way to observe Gannetts thoughts for themselves. nevertheless at one point where the narrative seems to transport to a more omniscient point of view, the narrator can only say, He looked at her hopelessly. Nothing is more perplexing to man than the mental process of a woman who reasons he r emotions (678).The narrative still does not describe exactly what Gannett is thinking it only describes Gannetts action, then makes a general statement which may or may not apply to Gannett specifically. Readers have no way of knowing whether Gannett actually thinks this statement or not for all they know, it could be what Lydia is thinking, what she presumes about Gannetts state of mind. Not only does this point of view technique make the readers want to know what Gannett is thinking, but it also binds them emotionally to Lydia. They want to know what Gannett is thinking as badly as she does.After building up sufficient desire, Wharton finally satisfies the readers curiosity by shifting the point of view to allow them access to Gannetts thoughts. This shift also corresponds with an important twist in the plot it comes at the beginning of their last communion in the hotel room, just before Lydia suggests to Gannett that the only was to resolve their relationship is for her to lea ve him. Gannett threw away his cigarette the conk out of her voice made him want to see her face (685). Limited though itis, this is the first time readers can witness Gannetts thoughts directly. Throughout the conversation, the shift intensifies. She sank again on the sofa, hiding her face in her hand. Gannett stood above her perplexedly he felt as though she were being swept away by some implacable current while he stood helpless on its bank (688). Now, the roles are reverse readers can know Gannetts emotional state from what the narrator tells them, but they must divine Lydias from her words and actions.That this point of view shift comes before Lydias suggestion to leave Gannett is important because it brings with it a tone shift. When the readers can see Gannetts desires and emotions, they begin to feel sympathy for him. Now they can see the events through his eyes, too. Conversely, when the narrative distances itself from Lydias thoughts, it distances the readers from Lydia as well. While this distance does not necessarily cancel out any sympathy the readers have for Lydia, their sympathy for her does not overpower their sympathy for Gannett. Indeed, it is because of this newfound sympathy that Lydias, My leaving you, (689) does not seem to the readers like a desirable outcome. Since they now sympathize with both characters, they do not like anything that would cause either one of them pain. An act that would cause both characters pain would be double bad.Wharton continues this sympathy for Gannett by telling the last section of the story, where Lydia actually tries to leave him, from his point of view. Wharton also uses this point of view to answer many of Lydias, and therefore the readers, questions. For instance, the readers now get to see how Gannett views marriage, particularly marriage to Lydia. Even had his love lessened, he was now bound to her by a hundred ties of pity and self-reproach and she, silly kid must turn arse to hum as Latude re turned to his cell (690). Gannett feels responsible for Lydia as well as bound to her he possibly even feels somewhat fatherly toward her, as if she was a child who he had an obligation to look after. These are all attitudes opposed to Lydias pride and desire for independence.As Gannett watches Lydia walk away from the hotel, his thoughts continueIf any thought emerged from the tumult of his sensations, it was that he must let her go if she wished it. He had spoken last night of his rights what were they? At the last issue, he and she were two separate beings, not made one by the miracle of common forbearances, duties, abnegations, but bound together in a noyade of temper that left them resisting yet clinging as they went down. (690)From this statement, readers know Gannetts true attitude toward marriage, that it is a spiritual connecter that would give him some sort of right to Lydia. Not only is Gannetts opinion of marriage distant to Lydias opinion of it, but it also conflicts with what Lydia believes Gannetts opinion to be.Their isolated points of view heighten the contrast between Gannetts and Lydias feelings toward marriage. This separation reminds the readers that although they can see into both Lydias and Gannetts minds, there is no way for either character to know what the other is thinking. Each character is completely brush aside off from the other the only way they have to intuit thoughts is for them to interpret the words and actions of the other, just as readers must do, in turn, for each character.The isolation that lets the readers see this limitation is the same isolation that hides, ironically, the limitation from both characters. Lydia, for example, felt she knew exactly what was passing through his mind (673), even though it is her uncertainty that makes what Gannett is thinking so nervewracking for her. In the same way, Gannett later feels that Lydia is walking into a world where no one would understand her no one would pity her and he, who did both, was powerless to come to her aid (690). If Gannett truly silent and pitied Lydia, he would have understood that she is too independent to want is pity.But perhaps the most telling point of view shift comes at the end of the story, where Wharton retreats into an omniscient, objectively descriptive narrator. As Gannett watches Lydia leave the boat and come back to the hotel, back to him, he sat down beside a table a Bradshaw lay at his elbow, and mechanically, without knowing what he did, he began looking outthe trains to Paris (691). The distance of the point of view echoes Gannetts distance from his own emotions. He acts mechanically, not knowing what he is doing because he does not know what he is feeling. Indeed, the distance of the narrative reflects the net numbness of the conflicting emotions that Lydia and Gannett are both feeling. Each must resign himself to marrying the one he loves.