Editha, William Dean Howells

Realism and Howells's Editha.

 In theintroduction to the “Realism, Regionalism, and Naturalism” on page 31-39, theauthors says, “Both realism and regionalism were frequently vehicles for socialcriticism and satire” on page 36. Howells put “Editha” for making the socialcriticism and satire at the Spanish-American War as the growing imperialism ofthe United States and not a glorious one to make the bloodshed. He realisticallyshows his response to the war and how the country still thinks about it. Hemakes satires that the people who do not actually fight on the field push thepeople who do actually be on the battlefield and die. “Editha,” who is anidealist believing that the war is glorious that God lets to be, directlyrepresents the people who makes the decision on the war but not actually fight;however, George, her lover attending to the war and died at the battlefield,the people who is eventually on the war and fight. On page 113, “She kissed him back intensely, butirrelevantly, as to their passion, and uttered from deep in her throat, “Howglorious!” “It’s war,” he repeated, without consenting to her sense of it,”Editha and George have different ideas on the war because Editha believes thatit is glorious, but George disagrees. Before George going to battlefield,Editha emphasizes “any war glorious thatis for the liberation of people who have been struggling for years against thecruelest oppression,” and pushes him to attend the war; however, George saidthat every war is so stupid and makes him sick. (p.115) When the time comes infront of George, his attitude changes and he said sarcastically on what Edithaemphasizes about the war in “Yes, we’vehad a meeting at the town hall, and everybody has volunteered; and theyselected me for captain, and I’m going to the war, the big war, the gloriouswar, the holy war ordained by the pocket Providence that blesses butchery.”(p.116-117) After George dying on the battlefield, his mother becomes sorrowfulbut tries not to be by giving thank to God not put others’ blood on his hand,saying “I thank my God they killed him first, and that he ain’t livin’ withtheir blood on his hands!” Compared to George’s mother, although Editha criesover his death, she still “began to live again in the ideal.” (p.121) Althoughfamilies whose father, sons, brothers die on battlefield live in sorrow, peopleforcing them to fight and die on the field will forget and live to follow theirideals.

             Belasco, Susan, and Linck Johnson. The Bedford Anthology of American Literature. Vol. 2. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2 vols. Print.