American literature was bound to change after the Civil War and the Industrial Revolution as the extremes of romantic principles were rejected in favor of realistic ideas. As a result, realism, a new form of literature, was created. There are several features that made this particular style of writing distinctive from many others. For instance, authors usually preferred to write about middle-class characters and various dilemmas that surrounded their lives, including emotional and/or moral issues. These writers focused on a wide range of typical American experiences to show the nuances of human behavior.
In addition, they also expressed optimistic views about man’s potential. However, their views differed from romanticism by the fulfillment of said potential coming from scientific discoveries and technological advances (Baggett, 2014). As researchers note, realistic writers focused on the accuracy of realistic descriptions of observable phenomena (Baggett, 2014). Some of the most famous authors in this style are Twain, Howells, and James. Nevertheless, William Dean Howells was one of those writers who contributed to the biggest amount of realistic literary works. Editha is one of his short stories, which exemplifies literary realism by telling the true nature of how people are exploited through the romance of war and patriotism.
First of all, the author depicts two main characters, Editha and George, as ordinary people from the middle class. Although they carry out their actions out of their own morals and beliefs, they are not depicted as heroic. In fact, they are average people, void of any extremes or abilities. For instance, at first, George is hesitant to go to war as he does not see it as something glorious. While talking about it with Editha, he says, “though this seems peculiarly wanton and needless; but it’s every war – so stupid; it makes me sick” (Howells, 2015, p. 495). Nevertheless, he is later manipulated by her to volunteer and become a Capitan. It is evident that George is not heroic; he does not enlist in the war to display his love for America or to pursue his ambitions. However, as Editha convinces him that volunteering would be the right thing to do, not only for their relationship but for the country as well, he agrees to it.
Another reason why this work is a perfect example of a realistic story is how the author portrays moral issues that the main characters become entangled in. As the narrative is described through the eyes of Editha, the reader can experience her dilemmas. She is also an ordinary woman; her evils are minimal, passions restrained, triumphs few (Baggett, 2014). At first, she gladly gave her love to George; however, later, she started to doubt if she had been in a hurry to do it. After all, she was fascinated by the idea that a man should do something courageous to earn the love of a woman (Howells, 2015, p. 493). Editha wanted to fulfill her fantasy of George becoming a hero and winning her heart. On the other hand, later in the story, as she finds out about his death, she meets with George’s mother, who questions her morals.
Aside from making Editha wonder if she was right to convince her son to go to war, his mother also calls her out on her hypocritical behavior. She blames Editha, saying that she “just expected him to kill someone else, some of those foreigners, that weren’t there because they had any say about it” (Howells, 2015, p. 499). Her words present another dilemma, making the reader wonder whether all the glory that comes from winning is worth it if it means killing other people, who are also someone’s sons, husbands, and brothers.
Furthermore, the author also managed to portray all the nuances of Editha’s behavior, making her not idealistic, but a realistic representation of a woman during that period. Although she may seem selfish, she stays true to her beliefs about the war until the very end. Her opinion differs from the views of George’s mother since she calls war “glorious that is for the liberation of people who have been struggling for years against the cruelest oppression” (Howells, 2015, p. 495). It can be assumed that the main character is also manipulated by the romantic ideas of war and patriotism because Editha keeps reading newspapers that promote such concepts. She is unaware of the social forces behind her opinions and action; therefore, she is not entirely to blame for George’s death. Rather than being a villain of the story, Editha is displayed as a flawed human being, whose mind was also exploited by propaganda.
In conclusion, it would appear that through this story, William Dean Howells managed to realistically portray how people can be taken advantage of by the ideas of war. While George was manipulated to volunteer by Editha, she was also controlled by beliefs that are promoted by the press. Moreover, although the characters are presented as ordinary, they experience a number of complex dilemmas. By following all the traditions of realism in literature, the author succeeded in expressing the tragedy of average Americans.
References
Baggett, M. (2014). English 202, Week Two, Lecture Two: American literary realism. Liberty University online.
Howells, W. D. (2015) Editha. In Complete Works of William Dean Howells. Delphi Classics.