Female Dominance or Male Failure?
James Thurber illustrates the male species' status with respect to, "Courtship Through
The Ages" with a humorous and melancholic tone. He emphasizes the lack of success males
experience through courtship rituals and the constant rejection we endure. Our
determination of courting the female with all our "love displays" may be pointless as it
is evident in the repetitive failures of courtship by all male creatures. Thurber shares
his problems with courtship and the role which men portray, he explores the relationship
between nature and culture, and the demands culture places on men. Thurber's frustration
with the female species is obvious and is reflected throughout his essay. The
extremities males endure to obtain female attention become overwhelming and
incomprehensible to Thurber, consequently conflicting with the myth and construction of
the ideal of masculinity.
Thurber's frustrations with women are evident right from the start. He displaces male
insubordination to the blueprint of nature and it's "complicated musical comedy."
(Rosengarten and Flick, 340) It's interesting that he attributes nature as a female
creator and thus justifying the relationship that "none of the females of any species she
created cared very much for the males." (p 340)
Thurber compares the similarities of courtship to the complicated works of Encyclopedia
Brittanica. A book which is full of wonders and within lies mysteries of the unknown
and unpredictable. In comparison to the Encyclopedia Brittanica the female is alike in
many ways, such as its perfect construction and orderly appearance seeming as if they
replicate one another like a clone. I believe Thurber views all female species as being
similar to one another with respect to their character.
The author also associates courtship as a business, a show business. A world which is
chaotic, disorderly and full of confusion much like nature. It is an aggressive
competition between genders in which mother nature dominates. He also attributes the
similarity of constructed rules and regulations in need of much guidance with the help of
a hand manual.
Culture also places demands on males. Males who are lacking in outer appearance and
sexual appeal try to diminish their faults by acquiring gifts "to win her attention...
and bring her candy, flowers, and the furs of animals" (p 340) for the lady in courting.
Women's refusals became men's burden which laid heavily on their shoulders in the social
relationship. "These 'love displays' were being constantly turned down, insulted, or
thrown out of the house." (p 340) This produced the evident exhaustion of the male
species such as the "fiddler crab who had been standing on tip-toe for eight or ten hours
waving a heavy claw in the air is in pretty bad shape." (p 342)
Thurber trivializes the easily bored female, which leads to actions that seek her
attention. "Men had to go in for somersaults, tilting and lancing, and performing feats
of parlor magic," and go to "sorrowful lengths ... to arouse the interest of a lady." (p
340) This would prevent her from, [going] quietly to sleep." (p 341) He also reiterates
the issue of female desire. Their desires are not sexual but consume in material
possessions. This also supports, "the age-old desire of the male for the female, the
age- old desire of the female to be amused and entertained." (p 343) Males are displayed
as tending to the every need and want of females, thus portraying the male as a victim or
slave of the female "he never knows how soon the female will demand heavier presents,
such as Roman coins and gold collar buttons." (p 341)
Although females are assisted in tasks by males they pride their independence, just as
the female fiddler crab displayed. "A female fiddler crab will not tolerate any caveman
stuff; she never has and she doesn't intend to start now." (p 342) Thurber seems quite
confused of this idea but none the less is good humored and willing to try again to
understand courtship rituals.
Throughout Thurber's essay he uses the metaphors of the animals and performer. Just as
the male spider is endangering himself by nearing the female's nest, the artist creates
his music by "going for web-twitching, or strand-vibrating," (p 342) and endangers
himself of being killed by the audience who consumes his art.
The act of violence can be seen as the act of love, metaphorically displayed by the
grebe birds. "The purely loving display is a faint hope of drowning her or scaring her
to death." (p 343) This illustrates his growing hostility and frustration with women and
courtship rituals. Another interpretation may be revenge upon the ladies for the
rejection and the troubles the male had to go through; therefore, causing him to resent
females, yet returning to the source that caused the anguish. It can also be understood
as the fantasy of power in gender situations. Thurber makes comparisons to historical
and metaphorical presence of animals and generalizes courtship as disempowering males.
We see this display with the spiders by the violent acts the lady enforces upon the male
as in the lines, "if a male lands on a female's web, she kills him before he has time to
lay down his cane and gloves... millions of males were murdered by ladies they called
on." (p 342)
Finally, James Thurber ends his essay with the "mournful burdens of the male," (p 343)
and the different perspectives of courtship and fantasy. He emphasizes male talent and
creativity with the incorporation of the husband quoting a poem. The wife ignoring the
husband as he tries to recant a poem displays the female short attention span. The
female fails to reinforce the males masculinity; therefore, producing a chaotic and
confusing environment where he suffocates his growth in masculinity. The rejection
caused by a female may be a severe blow to the males pride and ego; henceforth,
shattering his self-confidence and bravado or machoistic image he parades in front of
women. Such as the male fiddler crab displaying his mighty claw for hours at end hoping
to attract the attention of a female fiddler crab.
The author ends his story in a mellow tone. Portraying woman as
heartless people who are always causing men grief. The men are trying their
best to please them in anyway possible, but still the women refuses his advances. He
implies, that although a female may feel deeply interested, her objective may be
elsewhere, as in the lines, "she sat quietly enough until he was well into the middle of
the thing ... then suddenly their came a sharp, disconcerting slap ... it turned out
that all during the male's display, the female had been intent on a circling mosquito and
had finally trapped it between the palms of her hands." (p 344) After this the male
felt his pride was hurt and that all his intentions were for nothing. There after he
went to find solace in his drink at the bar where other men were present, and could
relate to his sorrow. Most of them were familiar with the song "Honey, Honey, Bless Your
Heart." (p 344) This song suggests how females can cause such heartbreak and turmoil
among men. Yet, they always come back, thus making us part of the circle of life.
|