Caleb's suicide is a very interesting action for this play to end with. Through this action we see that Caleb's "livable world" was defined through his connection with Emma. The only thing sustaining him throughout every lonely voyage and through 30 years of waiting has been the thought/fantasy of the possibility of them getting back together. His world had been defined by that possibility for a long time, and when it is revealed that she does not love him and in fact will be marrying Benny, he is no longer able to continue.
We see Emma begin to realize that Benny is not the man she thought he was through her tearing down the renovations she had made to her house which she claims was because of Benny. She had updated her life and attempted to become more youthful in order to attract his attention and apparently marry him. She began to dress as a young woman, and the rejection of these new renovations can be seen as a rejection of Benny. She does not dismiss Benny and return Caleb's chair from the attic to its rightful position, so her rejection of Benny is not necessarily an acceptance of Caleb. However when she learns that he is dead, she makes comments which to me, make it seem as if she is about to join him in death. Is this her understanding that she does love him after all? Or is her death a result of no one being different enough for her to love and her realization of this fact? I thought that this interaction was very interesting, and that there could be many different interpretations for this ending.
My discussion questions are;
To what extent is Benny responsible for the death of Caleb and Emma? (if you believe she dies)
Has Caleb changed in 30 years? Has Emma? Which is more "different" at the close of the play?
Who has the happiest ending of the main characters this semester; Daisy, Emma, or Edna?
Kevin,
ReplyDeleteIn class we discussed how stereotypically villainous Benny is. Despite his sinister smirks and mysterious ways, I don't think he's culpable for the deaths of Caleb or (possibly) Emma. Ultimately, I think that Caleb's suicide is motivated by his belief that the past thirty years of his life have been a waste. He's a sixty year old man with a considerable personal wealth saved up, but he mentions time and time again that he has little use for his money. Material wealth doesn't seem to satisfy him and it's almost as if the possibility that Emma would one day marry him was all that was keeping him going. Once that period had passed and Emma once again refused his hand, he lost the desire to go on living. As for Emma, if she does indeed commit suicide it would be for reasons much more complicated than being duped or deceived by Benny. Considering Benny might have led her to confirm that "diff'rence" is a myth, her suicidal impulse might be motivated by the world she lives in. Her world, as it turns out, didn't have a neat storybook ending. Life as an old maid had proven dissatisfying. Her ideals of "diff'rence" and prospects of marriage vanished before her eyes suddenly and dramatically. Although Benny was a factor in these two characters' fates, he wasn't the sole reason behind their final actions.
--J.C.
I have to agree with J.C. Benny maybe a little bit of a villain, but in the end he is not the cause for Emma and Caleb's deaths. If we're going to blame anyone, I would have to lay it on Emma. She obviously has unrealistic expectations for her romantic partner that Caleb nor Benny can truly fulfill. Caleb stupidly holds onto hope and ends up getting himself hurt when Emma decides to marry another. I must admit that suicide was an incredible over reaction. Possessive, Prince seeking girls like Emma are everywhere.
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