The pointlessness of intervention is referred to on multiple occasions by Regan, the narrator. Despite knowing about her mother’s scheme to trick Cleis’ father, she “[doesn’t] say anything” due to her belief that she wouldn’t be listened to (pg. 1). Regan feels skeptical about the multimillionaire wanting to marry a small-town girl, but once again, “[doesn’t] say anything” because all the single girls are already excited over the announcement (pg. 2-3). Notably, when Cleis tells her stepmother that the multimillionaire is “not the gentleman he pretends to be,” Regan does not back up her statement (pg. 5). Rather, she mentions the stepmother’s stubborn certainty in believing that “the girl had brought it on herself,” implying that she would be impossible to convince otherwise (pg. 5). The pointlessness Regan refers to is indicative of a feeling that she is unable to change outcomes and opinions; rather, the opinions of the townspeople appear to Regan to be set in stone. The current social dynamics in the town (i.e., abuse, gendered violence) give the impression that they cannot be easily changed with words and that it is perhaps hopeless for someone like her to try to change them. To Regan, it takes a special kind of person (such as Cleis) to overcome these dynamics. This sort of exceptionalism serves to provide a glimmer of hope yet also causes Regan to put herself down. At the end of the story, Regan is still “observing life with [her] owl eyes,” implying that she has chosen to continue her lack of intervention (pg. 5).
Hi Sara, I really enjoyed reading this post and would like to expand on Regan’s lack of intervention. I think Regan chooses to be a spectator/bystander because Regan tends to have more of a liking to Cleis than the other characters in this short story. Regan feels that if she stood by Cleis’s side, she would be outclassed and used as a sort of foil for Cleis’s behaviours — like how a tall person’s height feels more amplified if they stand next to a short person. Regan would only be burdensome to Cleis by being by her side; thus, she does not bother to assist nor harm her.
Hi Sara, I agree that Regan believes she is unable to change her situation in life. However, I wonder why that is?
I think Regan’s up[bringing had a lot to do with it. Within her family, the focus was on Cleis vs Lotta and Regan seemed to be viewed as a side character within her family. I also wonder if Regan’s attitudes towards her inability to influence the world around her serve as a critique on victimization? That is, viewing the world as happening to you, rather than for you, and thus taking some control. What do you think?