Naturalism through Sociological Approach in Bunner Sisters by Edith Wharton

[Naturalism, the Trend]

Naturalism is a theory in literature which emphasizes the role of environment upon human characters. It is an extreme form of realism which arose in the early 20th century. Rather than focusing on the internal qualities of their characters, authors called out the effects of heredity and environment, outside forces, on humanity (Flanagan, 2011). Furthermore, the term naturalism describes a type of literature that attempts to apply scientific principles of objectivity and detachment to its study of human beings. Unlike realism, which focuses on literary technique, naturalism implies a philosophical position: for naturalistic writers, since human beings are, in Emile Zola's phrase, "human beasts," characters can be studied through their relationships to their surroundings (Campbell, 2010). One of these naturalistic writers is Edith Wharton who wrote the Bunner Sisters. The trend, the naturalism is depicted on the story of these two siblings, Ann Eliza and Evelina, on how they pursue life and strive to betterment as they sacrifice due to inevitable reality.

The story was set on 1890’s when Wharton's success at depicting New York society led some readers to believe that she was simply a society novelist. This following citation proves her hit in illustrating what New York was as written by Wharton;

“These three houses fairly exemplified the general character of the

street, which, as it stretched eastward, rapidly fell from shabbiness to

squalor, with an increasing frequency of projecting sign-boards, and of

swinging doors that softly shut or opened at the touch of red-nosed men

and pale little girls with broken jugs. The middle of the street was

full of irregular depressions, well adapted to retain the long swirls of

dust and straw and twisted paper that the wind drove up and down its sad

untended length; and toward the end of the day, when traffic had been

active, the fissured pavement formed a mosaic of coloured hand-bills,

lids of tomato-cans, old shoes, cigar-stumps and banana skins, cemented

together by a layer of mud, or veiled in a powdering of dust, as the

state of the weather determined.” Page 270

Moreover, Wharton's New York novels are often called novels of manners, a term that describes works depicting a particular social class and way of life, the action of which revolves around social situations and their resolution (Flanagan, 2011). As the story is related to the reality happening in a time when diversified women crowded a definite locale (New York City), economic and social matter also focus on a changing mode. Innovations in financial affairs greatly influence the response of the people on how they act in the society. The Bunner sisters are of the lower class society, all the more is their struggle to be stable but it was sacrificed even more because of the will to marry Mr. Ramy.

Furthermore, Edith Wharton’s critics have often disregard the significance of her twenty-three-year resolve to see published her earliest long work of fiction, Bunner Sisters (1892). Recently, however, Donna M. Campbell has suggested a valid cause for Wharton associated this novella with an emerging image of herself as a professional novelist. According to Campbell, in writing Bunner Sisters Wharton aligned herself with the professionalism of literary naturalism in order to make a statement against amateuristic late nineteenth-century local-color fiction often written by women (Kornasky, 1997). In this day and age, Bunner Sisters established its place in the world of literature as one of the outstanding works portraying women as essential part of the society. Naturalistic features of the said novel emphasize a glance of a significant part of the history of the developing nation of the United States of America during the Progressive Era.

Bunner Sisters

[Naturalism through Sociological Approach]

Wharton’s work, Bunner Sisters, portrays pressures that are uniquely destructive to her characters, especially the sort of characters commonly found in the local color fiction. The story provides, as Campbell explains, “a chilling commentary upon the limitations of local color fiction in a naturalistic world that encroaches upon and threatens its ideals.” The radicals that are shown in the story of the Bunner Sisters elaborate the veracity of events in that certain time which Edith Wharton subjected as the setting of the story. As her first long piece of serious fiction, Wharton weaved the luckless history of the Bunners with emerging society.

Sociological criticism focuses on the relationship between literature and society. Literature is always produced in a social context. Writers may affirm or criticize the values of the society in which they live, but they write for an audience and that audience is society. Through the ages the writer has performed the functions of priest, prophet and entertainer: all of these are important social roles. The social function of literature is the domain of the sociological critic (Lund, 1996). Integration of this approach to the naturalism trend can help readers to comprehend best to the story of sisters Ann Eliza and Evelina Bunner.

The writing style of Wharton is unlike others, as she uses words that not only describe a scene in an era or condition, but with descriptive phrases that depict feelings, moods, attitudes, and mystery. She has given the reader just enough information about the man to carry the story forward without revealing too much. The air of mystery is always around as we learn about the man, his relationship with the sisters and the confidence they have in him. This is a wonderful read on the socio-economic hard times during the era, the smaller run dressmaking industry, and mostly, relationships between three people (Rizzuto, 2011). With the help of the dialogues presented in the story, the story smoothly flows until the end, the flow is smooth but the story alone is dramatic.

The story happened in a time when immigrants go to New York. There were a total of about 2,000 ship voyages per year recorded in the 1890-1891 rolls of microfilms. Of those 4,000 voyages, 1,375 voyages had at least one passenger on board who was listed as a citizen of Austria, Poland, or Galicia. There were 136 unique ships with that characteristic. This fact manifests a diversified culture existing in New York and in America. This also promotes a socio-economic growth as the immigrants believe to have a brighter future in the United States. In the case of the Bunner Sisters, they have a stable income letting them to live properly as cited below;

“The Bunner sisters were proud of the neatness of their shop and content

with its humble prosperity. It was not what they had once imagined it

would be, but though it presented but a shrunken image of their earlier

ambitions it enabled them to pay their rent and keep themselves alive

and out of debt; and it was long since their hopes had soared higher.” Page 270

The Progressive Era was a time period in American history lasting from the 1890s through the 1920s. At the turn of the century, America was experiencing rapid urbanization and industrialization. Waves of immigrants were arriving, many from southeastern Europe. As a result of these processes, countless city dwellers were crowded into tenement slums, with high rates of disease and infant mortality. In urban areas, party bosses controlled power through political machines. In addition, corporations were consolidating into “trusts” and a few companies controlled the majority of the nation’s finances (National Women's Museum, 2007). In this era revolves the story of the Bunner Sisters, from their stable and simple life to the hopeful future of Ann Eliza. Such realities as tenement slums, high rates of disease and infant mortality are vivid in the story. It is exemplified with the use of exact words to describe such truths of that time. In the story, two characters died, Evelina and her baby. Here’s a citation of the death of Evelina’s baby;

“"The baby?" Ann Eliza faltered.

"It's dead--it only lived a day. When he found out about it, he got mad,

and said he hadn't any money to pay doctors' bills, and I'd better

write to you to help us. He had an idea you had money hidden away that

I didn't know about." She turned to her sister with remorseful eyes. "It

was him that made me get that hundred dollars out of you."” Page 331

The status of women was changing rapidly in the Progressive Era. For the most part, middle-class white married women still did not work outside the home. Women workers were primarily young and single, or widows, divorcees, poor married women, and/or women of color. In addition, most women continued to work in agriculture, in factories, and as domestic servants. African American women, in particular, worked as domestic servants in large numbers. It is vivid in the story the social status of the sisters; they are of the middle-class as they are permitted to have a husband. They are also women workers, they work for themselves in the Bunner Sisters (same name for their shop).

However, new jobs were opening up for some women as well. Many women began to find employment in department stores. Middle-class women were able to find jobs as clerical workers (typists, clerks, and telephone operators). Finally, more middle- and upper class women were graduating from college and entering white-collar professions. A few women excelled as lawyers, doctors, journalists, and scientists. At the time, however, professional women often chose or were forced to remain single. After the inutility of the self-sacrifice of Ann Eliza for Evelina who had died, she pursued for a job in department store but failed in her attempt and remained single to the end of the story. Here’s a citation;

“"Saleslady? Yes, we do want one. Have you any one to recommend?" the

young woman asked, not unkindly.

Ann Eliza hesitated, disconcerted by the unexpected question; and the

other, cocking her head on one side to study the effect of the bow she

had just sewed on the basket, continued: "We can't afford more than

thirty dollars a month, but the work is light. She would be expected to

do a little fancy sewing between times. We want a bright girl: stylish,

and pleasant manners. You know what I mean. Not over thirty, anyhow; and

nice-looking. Will you write down the name?"” Page 342

Recognizing the changes that were occurring in the lives of some women, the public and the press coined a phrase for these women, the “New Woman.” The “New Woman” was supposedly young, college educated, active in sports, interested in pursuing a career, and looking for a marriage based on equality (National Women's Museum, 2007). When Ann Eliza applied for a job, the trait of a “New Woman” did not exist on her and eventually she failed to have the job or might have failed to have any job because of the trait demand of the market.

Conclusion

Comprehension and discernment to the story of the Bunner Sisters are best undertaken with the integration of the Sociological approach to the theory of literature, Naturalism. The society in which the said masterpiece of Edith Wharton is plotted creates a deep impression of what is the social order of the men especially the women in that period. It reflects what are the people and what are they living and struggling for. Moreover, the identification and description of the society and the era of New York City back to the years of progression helped to dissect the intent of the novel.

In conclusion, Bunner Sisters, a novel of Edith Wharton pours a high value of social context in the mind of its readers.

Works Cited

Campbell, D. m. (2010, July 28). Naturalism in American Literature. Retrieved September 10, 2011, from Donna M. Campbell: http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm

Flanagan, M. (2011). About.com. Retrieved September 10, 2011, from Contemporary Literature: http://contemporarylit.about.com/cs/literaryterms/g/naturalism.htm

Flower, Dean S. (1967). Eight Short Novels. Toronto, Canada: Ballantine Books.

Kornasky, L. (1997). On "Listening to Spectres too": Wharton's Bunner Sisters and Ideologies of Sexual Selection. Illinois, USA: University of Illinois Press.

Lund, M. (1996). Literary Criticism. Retrieved September 12, 2011, from http://www.teachrobb.com/documents/Criticism.htm#Contents

National Women's Museum. (2007). Retrieved September 12, 2011, from Reforming their World: Women in the Progressive Era: http://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/progressiveera/home.html

Rizzuto, M. (2011). The Bunner Sisters. Retrieved September 10, 2011, from The Literature Network: http://www.online-literature.com/wharton/bunner/

_________________________
I added cool smileys to this message... if you don't see them go to: http://e.exps.me