Moliere and Fitzgerald
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Though separated by centuries and dramatically different cultures, MoliFre's comic play Tartuffe and Fitzgerald's short story "Winter Dreams" share a narrative context of a society conceptualized in terms of social class and characters who engage in poses and behavior suited to that class that, however, mask their inmost feelings. Inevitably, at the top of society, there are characters who are in and of it and other characters who are on its periphery, aware of its attractions and yet for a variety of reasons fated to watch it operate instead of engage with it fully. In Tartuffe the action surrounding that situation is archly comic, with the outsider, eventually unmasked, turning out to be very much a figure of fun. In "Winter Dreams" the consequences of encounter on the boundary between classes and of wearing social masks to conceal emotional authenticity have a more serious resonance for the outsider. That is the subject of this research.The social-climbing theme of Tartuffe is identified with the objectives and behavior of the character, who expends much of his energy attempting to conceal his naked social ambition with a mask of religious piety. That means Tartuffe is a personification of religious hypocrisy. Of humble origin, Tartuffe has duped his patron Orgon into believing that he (Tartuffe) has the admirable quality of religious piety. Under the mask of righteousness he worms his way into Orgon's household so that he may gain access to Orgon's fortune--and the bed
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Gassner comments that MoliFre's "character comedy" portrays pathological inner forces that are "similar to the fatality of passion in Racine" (Gassner, Reader's 583). Thus is comedy in MoliFre's hand a weapon of social critique masquerading as a diversion.
In "Winter Dreams" the theme of social class is indeed taken more seriously, being built around the emotional experience of Dexter Green, a summer caddy at the local country club whose fortunes as the son of a storekeeper are just fine enough to enable him to appreciate the disconnect between the country-club set and the middle class. He is learning golf and social comportment from the country club gentlemen. Yet he distances himself from it, abruptly quitting his job--and inexplicably so, until the reason is revealed: At 14, he is put in the position of having to caddy for an 11-year-old girl, the spoiled daughter of Mr. Jones, for whom he has long faithfully caddied. The problem is the girl: "beautifully ugly as little girls are apt to be who are destined after a few years to be inexpressibly lovely and bring no end of misery to a great number of men" (Fitzgerald). And we're off to misery in love.
Dexter does not quite know what he feels, but he does not want to be beholden
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1465
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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