The Fierce Humanity of Morgana: Welty's The Golden Apples

Abstract

sense of terror underlies seemingly uneventful daily life of Morgana, Mississippi. Terror--surprisingly, perhaps, one of Eudora Welty's favorite words--governs much of psychological existence of human beings in Golden Apples, and Welty's central concern in novel is difficulty of comprehending its causes and dealing with its effects. widespread sense of anxiety among characters in Welty's writing can be traced fact that human society, as Welty comprehends it, would appear be an illusory structure of polite discourse that barely conceals an underlying strata of violence. Beneath genteel fabric of middle-class social interaction there lies a savage world of selfishness, spite, and ambition. Given force of these primal motives, conventional social rituals that are meant contain appear be little more than hypocritical gestures. In light of Welty's depiction of ineffectuality of human social rituals, it is not surprising that more profound values of truthfulness and creativity should be fundamental in her writing and that those who strongly assert these values should be among her major protagonists; yet among many characters in Golden Apples who are motivated by underlying primal fears, only two figures respond in a truly creative and self-conscious manner: Lotte Elisabeth Eckhart and her pupil, Virgie Rainey. Eckhart's teaching, which amounts far more than conventional small-town schooling in one of feminine arts, attempts nothing less than awaken in her pupils an awareness of momentous importance of their lives within a world of opportunity and risk. As one learns in June Recital, most important occasion for enacting this knowledge is through annual piano that Eckhart organizes for her students. Like Prospero in Shakespeare's Tempest, or like another, less appealing character of same name in Poe's The Masque of Red Death, Eckhart controls every detail of her fete, including costuming. She insists that, like a bridal gown, must be new and cannot be displayed prior night, and even that it rarely be worn again, certainly not another recital (68). Although Eckhart disregarded her own rules (72) in regard dresses, displays a quality of glamour and a surprising sensuality in her previously worn gowns. As intends, marks passage not only into summer but into everything that summer's ripeness connotes. Welty writes that Miss Eckhart pushed herself quite another level of life for it. blushing sensitivity sprang up in her every year like a flower of season (70). Certainly Eckhart's powers as a teacher involve an element of magical. After concert, Eckhart goes about with her foreign-sounding cake, her kuchen, insisting that girls eat it to last crumb. A decoration of slipping flower garlands and rowdy babies (75) revealed on empty plate points rebellious and uncontrolled potential of occasion, and girls under her charge surrender themselves Eckhart's direction as they sense its significance. Even for cautious Cassie Morrison, Eckhart's recitals were highlight of her year, especially performance at age thirteen of Virgie Rainey, wearing a white Swiss dress with a red satin band in her hair and a red sash in front. life-affirming and sensuous implications of Virgie's performance are suggested by Welty's description of sweat running down Virgie's face, a salty elixir of life that she licked ... in with her tongue (74). Unfortunately, in reward for her heroic effort introduce her students life's mysteries, Eckhart is condemned by better society of Morgana live forever in role of a pariah. As Suzanne Marrs points out, the community fears Eckhart because seems accept unusual, extraordinary, terrifying aspects of life and does not try hide from them (121). …