Summary of The Tartarus of Maids
The Tartarus of Maids is a short story by Herman Melville from his collection Tales of the Square. The story centers on an unnamed narrator who visits an isolated farmhouse on a waterfall’s banks. This farmhouse is inhabited exclusively by women who work tirelessly on the loom and weave the fabric.
The narrator observes their hard work and the harsh conditions they live and work in. The narrative highlights their work’s monotonous and grueling nature and explores themes of isolation and alienation in a remote, desolate environment. The story comes from Greek mythology, where Tartarus is a place of punishment and suffering. In this context, the title suggests that women’s labor and suffering in the farmhouse is akin to a form of hellish punishment.
Metaphor in the Tartarus of Maids
In the story, Melville uses an extended metaphor comparing women’s work on the loom to a form of punishment or imprisonment. The author compares two concepts: the painstaking work of handmaids and the idea of Tartarus, a place of suffering and torment in Greek mythology. Throughout the narrative, the metaphor is reinforced by descriptions of women’s labor.
For example, Melville writes: “And there they stood and swayed over a dismal loom; the woof, the ponderous loom itself, the groups of swarthy little treadle-men, the great winding-sheets of woven vapors, the white load of ghosts that therein lay frozen.” Here the loom is described as “dark” and the women are compared to “ghosts,” emphasizing their shadowy existence and the grueling nature of their work. The loom becomes a symbol of their imprisonment, a device they must manipulate endlessly, like prisoners in their oppressive world.
Another example is the description of the “tools” of the women workers: “On one side hung a row of flannel shirts with bone buttons, a sort of dishonored flag reversed; and neatly pinned against the wall, scores of aprons, puckered and rent in the service, half-nakedly hiding the persons of the help.” Here, the aprons and shirts symbolize women’s confinement and slavery, reinforcing the metaphor of their work as a form of incarceration. This metaphor permeates the story as the narrator describes the women’s continuous and backbreaking labor, the loom’s monotonous rhythm, and the farmhouse’s oppressive environment.
Working-Class Life and Experience in the Tartarus of Maids
The Tartarus of Maids reflects the harsh realities of working-class life and the dehumanizing experiences women face. This story makes several basic statements about working-class life. First of all, it highlights the ruthless and exploitative nature of work where women are caught in a cycle of continuous work with no respite. That is evident in lines such as “Quiet, slow and solemn; leaning even further and disappearing from view as it descends.”
Secondly, the story highlights the isolation and loneliness these women experience in their remote farmhouse, emphasizing their disconnection from the outside world. The title, referencing the concept of Tartarus, suggests that women’s labor is akin to punishment, drawing attention to the injustices and difficulties the working class faces. The text supports these assertions with vivid descriptions of the women’s painstaking work, their worn-out appearance, and the gloomy atmosphere of their living quarters, ultimately painting a bleak picture of their working-class existence. Thus, Melville provides a poignant commentary on the harsh realities of working-class life and the exploitation that women endure.