Over the course of this week I have been introduced to two different pieces of writing by the author Willie Cather. The first story was called “A Wagner Matinee” and the second was called “Consequences”. These two stories were different in their themes but had a similar characteristic. They were both written during the time of the American Realism. In previous weeks we have been introduced to American Romanticism stories as well. These two types of stories are very different from each other. The American Romanticism focused its stories more about nature and the outdoor surroundings. These stories were also very spiritual and focused on people’s relations to nature and the afterlife. For example in the story “Walden, or Life in the Woods” written by Henry Davis Thoreau, he portrays nature in an amazingly vivid way. Some might perceive it as what we experience after we pass on. Others may perceive it as just someone who shares an extraordinary love for nature. Writing’s of the American Realism time are much different. Stories from this time are based more on fact and experiences. They are also based more on realistic situations rather then those of faith. They explain situations that could possibly happen, have happened, or even stories about certain behaviors one can experience. Over time American Romanticism shifted to American realism. I wouldn’t consider this a progression only because both these types of writing had exceptionally great authors and titles. Instead I would just call this a shift in the themes.
The two pieces of writing I read by Cather were very different in their meaning and storylines. The first story “A Wagner Matinee” is about a man who is visited by his aunt and takes her to see an opera that has significant meaning. This woman had a desired love for music and the theatre. In her early life in Boston she was devoted to music. Since she moved to Nebraska with her husband she was unable to hold her tight bond with music and it slowly disappeared. When she returned to the city and was taken to the opera it reminded her of a German composer she once knew. This was the significance of the title “Wagner”. The composer she knew was Richard Wagner. This discovery brought tears to her eyes and after it ends she does not want to leave, realizing she will have to go back to reality without music. The author might have a desired love for music which could be the reason why she wrote this type of writing. This person so wrote about could even be based on a past experience. Whatever the case, Cather must hold a deep desire for music to be able to write such a strong piece of work surrounding this fine art. In consequences her topic of writing shifted. This story focused on the topic of suicide. Her main question was, “is suicide something that is noticeable?” throughout the entire piece she makes the reader think of this question. What made this story interesting was that the question was never really answered. These two pieces of writing did not have much to do with politics, which makes me think her interest was not so much in the government.
In the story consequences, Cather in my opinion is writing to make the readers expand their thinking levels. This was a powerful piece of writing even though it was presented through a story. Suicide is something that in my opinion cannot be explained. Like in the story so many cases of this are unclear to the naked eye. Many of the different people discussed in this story have committed suicide without leaving any evidence leading up to this act. Cather wants you to realize that sometimes the truth isn’t always what you see, but it lies deeper. This piece of writing was definitely my favorite between the two that I read by this author. The first story, “A Wagner Matinee” was hard to follow and made me loose interest easily.
On the other hand, “Consequences” held my attention throughout the entire story. Reading about the human mind and human behavior interests me deeply. So when I found out that her story was about suicide I was eager to read it. At the end it left me with many questions. Was Cavenaugh insane? Or was there really a stalker that killed him? These questions will remain unanswered. In my opinion, his descriptions of this stalker remind me of someone who suffers from schizophrenia. No one other then he has reported seeing this stalker, and he appears out of nowhere knowing every memory from Cavenaugh’s life. This leads me to believe that he really did shoot himself because of the visions of this man he was seeing.