Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Job the First!
Job #1!
"[He] had a kindly expression which one would hardly have expected in one whose neck was in the hemp. Evidently this was no vulgar assassin." (I)
I find it interesting that Ambrose Bierce, having been a part of the Union, would write so favorably about a protagonist, Peyton Farquhar, who is described as a slave owner and "ardently devoted to the Southern cause." In fact, never does Bierce mention anything uncomplimentary about Farquhar. The reader is left to make his or her own opinions on the integrity and likableness of this Confederate protagonist. There are only vague descriptions of the man's character.
As a reader, I wasn't sure whether I should like Farquhar or not. I think a part of the reader always wants to sympathize with the protagonist, and when there is something about the protagonist (in this case, Farquhar's loyalty to the Southern cause) that is against the reader's personal convictions, the reader is left confused. Should I root for the protagonist? There's nothing particularly unlikable about his personality; but can I really root for a Confederate? Yes, the passage at the top states that he has a kindly expression - but can a slave owner truly have a kindly heart? No, maybe he's not a vulgar assassin - but must I still be disappointed if he dies?
Bierce, you've really created a perplexing character here.
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Thank you for this, Rachel! (: This confused me too! I didn't know what to think of Farquhar...it was a puzzle. I sympathized with him,and with his family, but I also wasn't sure if I should be a bit content with the fact that he received justice for his doings. The Yanks were enforcing the judgment they had promised, and I wasn't sure if he deserved it.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, this is a *very* confusing matter! :)
I know...I felt kind of evil for wanting him to escape. :P
DeleteMe too! lol I keep going back and forth, back and forth. I love to use logic, and logic tells me that I should be happy he was hanged, because he was a Confederate. But then, another part of me, strictly non-logical sides with him...:P
DeleteYeah! Logic doesn't seem to be the best sort of companion when reading stories such as these, eh? :D
DeleteI wanted him to escape, but when I found out he was a slave owner, I wasn't sure what I wanted. I still wanted him to escape to his family, although, I wish he would've been on the Yanks ...not sure on how to spell that!:)...side. I was still sad that he died though.
ReplyDeleteYeah, things would've been a LOT easier if he'd just been from the North. :D
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