_Comment._--The death of Harris Merton Lyon gives added poignancy to
the story whose idealism and inspiration made for it a place in the
first of Mr. O’Brien’s collections. Judged by the test of Beauty, it is
perhaps first on the list. The satisfaction vouchsafed each reader will
be in proportion to his own Spirit of Work and his acceptance of the
theme.
THEME. Since the Idea is foremost, it is quite fitting that it should
be sounded early. The first approach is on page one (153, Yearbook)
and in the form of a wonder as to what there could possibly be “in
being a worker at the other, the evanescent thing.” The answer, or the
satisfaction of the wonder, is given in the essential story, stripped
of its covering, pages 158-170. The theme is emphasized, strongly, in
the sentence on page 170: “_You did the Work of your Hand!_”
THE INNER STORY, which allegorically satisfies the questioner, is the
beautifully tenuous tale of the Mariner. It is woven of words in a
style perfectly to suggest the spirit of summer and the evanescence
of her garments, yet underneath the light superstructure are the
foundations of the short-story. The _struggle_ of the weaver, Andy
Gordon, was successfully repeated for forty years. He died, knowing
that he had been “a master-worker in a fabric that immediately
dissolved,” yet content. His death is the _dénouement_ of the tale,
just as the dialogue between the Voice and Andy (pages 159-161) forms
the _initial incident_. What is the _dramatic climax_?
PRESENTATION. Andy Gordon’s story is told in an Italian restaurant,
Pigalle’s, over a poker table. The narrator is at first denominated
the Ancient Mariner; eventually he proves to be the Andy Gordon of his
tale. (See pages 158 and 171.) What new evaluation of the weaver’s
story do you make after learning that Andy was a violinist? Had
you guessed any part of the whole situation before reading to the
dénouement of the enveloping story? The narrator of the external action
is, presumably, the author himself, who uses the first person “I.”
Contrast, between the restaurant scene and character on the one hand
and the summer scenes with Andy on the other, is the chief aid used to
enhance the narrative. Point out particular examples of its operation.
DETAILS. Division I emphasizes the character of the Mariner, at the
same time it repeats the theme. (See above), in the words, “Sufficient
unto eternity is the glory of the hour.” Why does the author give an
entire division (III) to the lines: “Abruptly the old man left and went
out into the snowy night. For there were tears in his eyes.”
What value has the reference to Bernhardt, page 153?
Why is it well to set the rehearsal on a _snowy_ evening? (Study the
story for the answer.) Where is Pigalle’s restaurant?
What effect has the tinkling of the door-bell, at eleven o’clock?
What principle of emphasis is at work on the description of the maid
who bore the “sweet ineffable name of Philomene”? On the Mariner (as
described, page 155)?
What do you gather from the absinthe and the _cigarettes jaunes_?
What addition is made to the comprehension of the Mariner in the
suggested resemblance to Socrates and to Verlaine?
What colors and materials are used in Summer’s dresses? Would others
have served as well? After knowing the dénouement (that Andy was
a violinist) how do you interpret the passage “Andy was about
twenty-eight years old then,” etc., through the words “done by hand”?
What other passages need similar interpretation?
How are the forty years so passed over as to emphasize, without
needlessly repeating, Andy’s Work?
What is your own reaction to this story?