Introduction
Summer is a novel by the esteemed writer Edith Wharton, who is mostly known for her books such as Ethan Frome. Summer is seen as a continuation of the theme that Edith delved in her previous book Ethan Frome. The plot similarities can be seen as both protagonists of the two books were ambitious and tired of living an average life. The story revolves around Charity, an eighteen-year-old, who craves for adventure from the bleakness of her situation. She is soon entangled in a love affair with the visiting Lucius Harney. The story is about the sexual awakening, naivety, and ambition of the young girl(Mantex). The whole story shows the effects of living under the glare of societal perception. The events that occur during this well-written story show the effects of living in the shadow of society’s views.
The society perceives Charity as an outsider making her crave escape and discovering new thrills. Charity was adopted by Mr. Royall and his wife. Mr. Royall is a lawyer of good repute in the small town of North Dormer who saw to the conviction of Charity’s father who was charged with manslaughter. The lawyer, out of good will, decides to adopt Charity and save her from the life of the mountains where scoundrels and thieves live. Mr. Royall states in an emotional outburst that the mountain is a blot, whose scums should have been sent away a long time ago. He blames the people living on the lower side of being too afraid of the lawless people in the mountains. No sheriff or taxman dares to visit this place and people from this place are often viewed as lesser members of society (Wharton, 25). This perception of the people of the mountains automatically makes Charity an anomaly in the society and she never really fits in. This feeling is apparent throughout the book, and this plays a major factor in her wanting to leave the small town and exploring new and exciting thrills. Therefore, the initial driving force to all her indifference with where she lives is the society's perception of her as an outsider.
Miss Hatchard’s perception of Charity leads to her hiring Charity to be the new librarian. After Mr. Royall's wife dies, he stays with Charity and witnesses as she grows up into a fine young woman. The book states that Mr. Royall attempted to engage Charity in a sexual relationship one drunken night and was rejected by the main character. This action only occurred once, but it was enough to push Charity to seek a job from the second most respected person in the town, Mrs. Hatchard. The respected lady takes a liking to the ambitious girl and hires her out of the big group of applicants. This action was the first real action that Charity takes in trying to improve her otherwise bleak situation. The librarian job should not be confused to mean that Charity was by any means a great intellectual. She often zoned out when Mr. Royall and Harney are discussing an intelligent conversation(Mantex). Charity did, however, possess a quiet charm and great zeal for life that made her unique from all other applicants. This charm was the perception that Mrs. Hatchard had of Charity, and this led to her getting the job. Perception between the characters leads to progressive action Charity's life.
Society's perception of the different regions in the small town of dictate the type of people found there. The small town in North Dormer is where the majority of the book's actions take place. The small town is viewed as being small and rooted in the typical English tradition. The people found here is the normal small town folk. The place is perceived as being too common and dull for the enthusiastic Charity. The town soon grows to become dull and unexciting for Charity and her need to escape by the day. Her need to experience a foreign and exciting experience probably contributed to her love for the visiting architect. Two more locations of opposite reputes are also mentioned. Nettleton has many impressive shops and restaurants. The location is described as having an air of sophistication that immediately entangles Charity. The people found in this town included some of the local wealthy people and rich traders. The town is not without its underground operations as Charity crosses paths with a childhood friend who has turned to prostitution. Charity also meets a "doctor" who performs abortions in this town. The price of beauty and sophistication starts to rear its ugly head. The third location that influences the story is the mountains from which Charity came from. The mountain is seen as a lawless place where only the wretched scum of the community stays(Mantex). The place is sinking in the depths of poverty and lawlessness. Charity is subject to a lot of stigmatization because of the place where she comes from. Society has divided itself into these three classes separated only by small geographical areas, but with a different type of culture, practices, and people.
Charity’s perception of Lucius drives her infatuation. Charity has lived most of her life in the small Northern town in Dormer under the care of the respected lawyer, Mr. Royall. She is tired of the routine nature of her life and the seemingly hopeless life she lives out as a librarian in Mrs. Hatchard's library. The architect cousin of Mrs. Hatchard, Lucius Harney, travels to the small town for the summer, and Charity quickly becomes attracted to him and eventually falls in love. Lucius is the exemplification of everything Charity yearns to become. He is from a foreign city and carried himself with poise and sophistication. Charity falls hopelessly in love with Harney despite the warnings from Mr. Royall that he could only be using her for a quick summer fling before he goes back to his life in the city. The experience between the two young lovers quickly becomes sexual when Harney takes Charity to the bigger town of Nettleton where they take boat rides and watch the fireworks (Milne and Sisler, 75). Charity sees Harney as being the key to her escape from the dull life she lives in the small town. Charity's perception of Harney of being cultured and sophisticated fuels her attraction making her fall victim to his advances.
Lucius Harney's view of Charity makes him non-committed to her. Lucius arrives in North Dormer from the city and is quickly involved in an affair with the young and naïve Charity, who works at his cousin's library. They work together in the same place, Charity as the librarian and him as an architect fixing the building’s ventilation (Wharton, 45). Harney is able to get close to Charity and their relationship soon escalates to a romantic and physical one. Harney thinks of Charity only as a summer fling from which he would return to his fiancée, the more sophisticated Annabel Balch. Charity is only a fling, and he eventually ends up leaving her pregnant and alone to go to New York and marry Annabel. The events take place within few weeks of the summer and Harney does not realize the social stain that he leaves on Charity for having a physical affair that does not lead to marriage. This situation is another case of how perceptions influence the decisions people make.
Charity's sensuous view of life eventually leads to her sexual awakening. This is a story of coming of age where the main protagonist experiences new aspects of life within a few weeks in the summer. Charity's obsession with a more charmed and sophisticated life than the one around her is a result of her sensuous approach to life. The book begins by describing how Charity stands in the fields and takes in all the sensations of the moment. She can feel the warm embrace of the morning sun on her skin and the caress of the wind in her hair(Wharton, 23). Charity is eager to explore what the world offers and craves for foreign cities and new cultures. She is stigmatized in her adopted community because of her area of origin in the mountains. Lucius Harney brings with him an air of culture and sophistication that Charity is not used to, and this leads to her falling in love with the outsider. Charity is so taken by Harney that during the night after he visits her home, she sneaks off at midnight to his lodgings and peers through the hedges at the object of her infatuation. Charity and Harney start seeing each other regularly afterward and they eventually turn their relationship physical after going to a larger town for a fourth of July celebrations. The relationship continues through the summer as the two lovers continue to meet in an old cabin in the woods. The sexual nature of their relationship leads to Charity becoming pregnant while Lucius leaves town to go to New York. Society is often driven towards what most see as culturally superior and sophisticated. This notion held true for Charity, and she eventually found herself in a situation where she contemplated carrying out an abortion.
A Woman is viewed as a tart when they are sexually active. This community labeling does not befall on promiscuous males ; instead they are praised in some circles. In the story, Mr. Royall is extremely worried about the reputational damage that may arise when Charity develops a relationship with the visiting Lucius. In a small town, gossip spreads fast, and the idea of a girl being loose provokes a lot of resentment from the majority of people. Charity is also aware of this and hides unseen from the view of Lucius when she goes to his place in the middle of the night fearing that it would indicate a sign of sexual submission which was not a good thing in the small town. The third incidence of female societal labeling can also be seen when Charity goes to the big urban town and meets her childhood friend. The friend is a local prostitute who finds herself in that situation because of the need to survive. Criminals and prostitute depict the dark side of urbanization in this book. The childhood friend is scantily dressed and is walking with the drunken Mr. Royall at night(Wharton, 201). Charity becomes angry and yells at the lawyer and the tart. The difference in this situation can be seen by the gender roles each character plays. Mr. Royall is drunk and engages in lewd behavior, yet he is not labeled as harshly as his female counterpart. Mr. Royall returns home and continues being respected as the town lawyer whereas the woman is left in the dark street corners of the city, a scourge of society. Female roles in the times of the early 1900s are clearly set out, and anyone who strays from them is brutally attacked, and their reputation is soiled.
Society's favored view of girls with the manner and behavior of Annabel Balch makes Lucius prefer her to Charity. Annabel is a well-off girl who is set to marry Lucius Harney. Charity is informed of Annabel and Harney's engagement while they are still involved in a relationship. This news devastates Charity, and she is even more ashamed of her cultural gulf between her and Harney. Annabel is well taught and has experienced several cultures and experiences whereas Charity viewed herself as being too crude. This attitude was a big flaw in her character, and she was haunted by moments of self-doubt and self-pity. This emotional disbelief leads to her getting caught up in a tragic love affair that ended most of her dreams of traveling to distant places and experiencing new adventures. Annabel meanwhile is composed and confident in herself, this attracts Lucius, and he leaves to go to New York and get married to Annabel(Wharton, 254). This incident highlights the impact of social perception of beauty to those who do not fit in this criterion. Little confidence has led to increased cases of depression among teens and young adults. This statistic ties to the thesis that the activities of this book depict the products of living under the judgmental eyes of society.
The people's perception about themselves determined their level of success and ambition. The story occurs in different locations, each with its own unique people. The people of the mountains such as Charity's biological mother and the woodcutter Liff Hyatt have resigned themselves to a life of poverty. The people in the mountains see themselves as the outcasts of the society and are destined to living out a life of unaccomplished dreams. After Harney leaves for New York and Charity realizes that she is pregnant, she runs off to the mountain to get back to her roots. She soon realizes that she would not want to let her child grow in an environment where all dreams are killed before they are even dreamt out. Charity leaves the mountain and goes back to Mr. Royall, who proposes marriage for the third time. Charity accepts the proposal but still retains affection for Lucius Harney. The perception of self is a great determinant of how well someone will turn out. This further emphasizes the importance of perception.
The abortionist has a dark view of the world and this leads to her being an opportunist. In the days in which this book was written, abortion was considered to be an evil act of murder. When Charity goes off to the city with Lucius for the Fourth of July celebrations, she stumbles upon her friend who is a call girl in the town. The girl introduces Charity to an abortionist later when she is pregnant and wants to get rid of the baby. The abortionist is an opportunist who demands for the brooch as payment for the services rendered. The abortionist does not really care about the wellbeing of Charity and is more interested in the gains she can make. This opportunistic nature is as a result of the way she has lived in the city. The job is the only means of income she has and duping gullible girls like Charity is the only way she can get her own daily meals. Wrong is therefore a matter of perspectives.
There are arguments that the story is more of a result of socio-economic and cultural gulfs and its effects on the young and ambitious. Charity is from the mountains, a lawless land where people live in abject poverty and are forced into a life of crime. When she is adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Royall, she graduates to a better but not satisfactory life. Charity’s ambition for a bigger life than the one offered by the small town and her love for anything foreign and exciting can be traced to the shame she feels about her origin. Lucius, in one of his walks to the people of the mountain, is accompanied by Charity. In this journey, she feels ashamed of her horrid past and the conditions in which people were brought up. She is later mortified at the thought of having to raise her own child in these conditions and opts to marry the lawyer instead. The story is a look at the social divide and its effect on the young and gullible Ms. Charity.
Some might argue that Charity's story is brought about by her coming of age and is not necessarily about how she is perceived by society. The story of Charity is set with unity in time. The story takes us through the journey of a curious young girl and how events that take place in the span of a few weeks comes to shape her future irreversibly. Charity experiences the longing of youth that is common among many ambitious people. She craves for adventure and a bigger life than the one North Dormer could offer her. The drama unfolds in a chronological pattern with no break from the moment she applies for a job at the local library to the time she finally gets married. This literary technique can be compared to Greek tragedy because of the continuity of the drama. Lucius comes into the town shortly after Charity is hired as the librarian. A relationship is fostered between the two young lovers. Mr. Royall is adamant and jealous of the relationship and warns Charity on several occasions(Wharton, 166). The relationship progresses from the two lovers spending time together to Charity experiencing her first sexual experience. The love ends badly when Lucius decides to leave the town to go to New York where reports of his upcoming marriage to Annabel emerge. Charity is left alone in the small town with child; she decides to accept Mr. Royall's marriage proposal. The story ends in an anticlimactic mood where the reader is left wondering what Charity's future holds for her. This chronological chain of events serves to support the train of thought that the story is centered on the coming of age of the main protagonist.
Conclusion
The story of Charity and the summer that changed her life is a good example of how society and its perception of an individual can play a big role in their lives. Charity is a young girl who is stigmatized by her community because of her origins. She is adopted by Mr. Royall, a well-known lawyer who is very concerned with his reputation. Charity's hunger for more adventure draws her to falling in love with the visiting Harney. Harney eventually leaves after a summer-long affair because he viewed Charity as a way to pass his summer. Charity is left alone and pregnant. She decides to accept Mr. Royall's marriage proposal to avoid public discrimination.
Many other events that may be deemed by the first time reader as being wrong can also be attributed to the character’s perception of the situation. The people on the mountain are thieves and scoundrels, but from their point of view and relative socio-economic exile, their actions can be seen as simply the only way they know to survive. Lucius deciding to leave was a result of his view in life; he wanted a glamorous and more ambitious wife. The abortionist engages in crooked business practices to cater for her own needs and her decisions can be seen as a means of survival.
The events that occur always have an undertone of the influence of societal perception. The actions of the characters are as a result of them wanting to be accepted by society. The influence of other people’s opinions on the way life is experienced can be great even influencing crucial life choices.
Works Cited
Mantex. "Summer - a Tutorial and Study Guide Mantex." Mantex. N.p., 2015. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
Milne, Ira M, and Timothy J. Sisler. Novels for Students: Presenting Analysis, Context and Criticism on Commonly Studied Novels. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Print.
Wharton, Edith. Summer. Champaign: Project Gutenberg, 1990. Print.
Wharton, Edith. Novellas and Other Writings. New York: Literary Classics of the United States, 1990. Print.
