- In Radclyffe Hall’s “Miss Ogilvy Finds Herself”, Miss Ogilvy is the protagonist throughout this short story who struggles with sexuality and adjusting to life after the war. Miss Ogilvy and her sisters Sarah and Franny always seem to argue, why do you think this is so? Is this just simple sibling tension or does Miss Ogilvy’s frustration towards Sarah and Franny stem from something deeper than this (a trigger maybe)? Who do you see in the wrong for these arguments throughout the short story?
- “The Case of Lieutenant Hall” by Richard Aldington touches on the theme of mental health and soldiers adjusting to life after the war. This novel ends with Lieutenant Hall’s death which shifts the novel’s narration. We saw this happen in “Miss Ogilvy Finds Herself” and All Quiet on the Western Front as well. How does this affect you as the reader finding out the main character has died and reading in this shift of narration? Do you wish the novels and short stories told the audience in a different way that these main characters die?
- Mr. Torrance and Roger have an interesting conversation before Roger is sent off in the morning to go to war. Throughout this conversation and the majority of J.M. Barrie’s “The New Word”, do you see a certain concept of “silence” being used between these two during the conversation? What are your thoughts about Mr. Torrance and his masculine/father qualities towards Roger? Do these qualities change after this conversation or do they stay consistent?
- A soldier who has been trained in Latin remembers a picture he saw of Saint George and the motto “Adsit Anglis Sanctus Georgius” in Arthur Machen’s “The Bowmen”. How does this phrase not only impact the aid of defeating the German’s, but change the entire tone of the short story?
Bonus!
- What are your final thoughts about the ending of “Miss Ogilvy Finds Herself”? Were you surprised by this ending?
- Which short story out of these four readings was the most impactful to you and why? Did this short story have any parallels to All Quiet on The Western Front or Not so Quiet?
2-“The Case of Lieutenant Hall” is a very insightful but grim work. It is my favorite of the four but it was yet another difficult read. It’s just so tragic. I felt this short story was a mixture of the emotions contained in All Quiet and Not So Quiet, which is why I liked it so much. I think this narrative captured both the sadness and anger of a war weary soul who is descending into madness. I especially like how Aldington crafted Lt. Hall’s rejection of women as a symbol of his rejection of life. In the 12:30 class we talked about how sex in wartime works of literature is often a trope for the protagonist’s desire to “feel alive” and I interpreted Hall’s rejection of physical intimacy as a sort of self-flagellation and an integral step towards his decline into complete hopelessness. The shift in narration when Hall had died was completely expected. If you do a close read, the diary entries are so telling that I knew exactly what would be the outcome of this sad narrative.
4-“The Bowman” was so interesting that I did a bit of research and discovered Machen wrote it in 1914 and did not consider it one of his best pieces but it has since become a classic. The idea of the ghostly long bowmen of Agincourt coming to the aid of the “Tommies” is ingenious and I can see why the story is popular. This short work provided the public with the small consolation that Britain’s young men had the same fighting spirit as the victorious Agincourt men at arms, 499 years earlier. The change of tone in this piece shifts the Brits from a desperate situation to one where they exhibit such valor that a glorious victory seems to be within their grasp.
Also, just a bit of trivia: In 1415 – after the battle of Agincourt, Henry V invoked St.
George as England’s patron.
Bonus!
1- “Miss Ogilvy Finds Herself” was a pleasant surprise. I loved the fact that the protagonist is so interesting. Miss Ogilvy, being 56 years old, was most likely matron of her unit and had to suppress her emotions during active service but Wilhelmina does have depth and feeling which is why the war left her with emotional scars. This is yet another story about madness but in this case the madness comes from a lifelong repression of self. Miss Ogilvy, a woman with the courage and strength of a man, has been repressing her male identity all her life and the moment she finally realizes how powerful that drive can be, she reverts to a previous life “dream scenario” as a male hunter gather. This scenario allows her to embrace her sexuality as a lesbian. The ending was a surprise but, after thinking about it, it makes sense. Miss Ogilvy is now 58 and returned home to a life without much purpose or direction. The realization that she can never embrace her sexuality and will be just a marginalized “ shell shocked cranky old maid” is shattering. I think the poor woman just gave up on herself. Being found with her hands in her pockets seems to be a symbol of the fact she lost her fight to be whatever she wants and to love whoever she chooses.
3. “The New Word” is an incredibly deep story which says so much in between the lines. There are so many interesting lines each one has, but really the impact of the story lies in what they have not said, in what they will both regret if Roger does not come back from the war. For instance, they allow the idea of it being easier for a son to speak with his mother be enough to explain why Mr. Torrance does not really know many personal details about Roger; their silence on this matter speaks volumes about not only societal reasons for this as well as Mr. Torrance’s actions towards Roger which put a barrier between them. I found their lines regarding how they are both more comfortable when they other person is not in the room a fascinating examination of their relationship because they both love each other but have spent so long being so distant they do not even know how to address it. Because of the play format, the audience does not know either one’s thoughts during the conversation and have to dissect what they mean just as each character does. Some of their silence towards each other could harbor anger or regret, as Roger could be thinking something along the lines of “I am more myself without you there because you have not allowed me to express myself to you” or Mr. Torrance could be thinking “I wish we were close, I want you to know me and I want to know you,” but neither one expresses these thoughts because they cannot overcome the barrier or silence. The masculine qualities in Mr. Torrance are most likely at the root of problems in his relationship with Roger and while I think they demonstrate somewhat of a shift throughout the story, they ultimately remain unchanged. He tries to show affection, be honest and open, and form a stronger bond; even this effort is a break in his normal pattern and demonstrates to Roger that he loves him. However, Roger leaves Mr. Torrance with a “good-night, dear father” and rather than going any further to confront the reasons beneath their relationship struggles or bring up Roger’s future, he lets Roger walk away and sits by himself to contemplate their conversation with no embrace or tears, which is a return to his expected, masculine method of coping with emotions.
1. I personally believe that the fights between Miss Ogilvy and her sisters are a result of multiple different factors. Miss Ogilvy does not fit the stereotypical female role and that sets her apart from her sisters, and the effects of war only deepen the divide that is already between them due to personal differences. The sisters seem unable to relate to each other in almost all aspects of life.
Sidenote – the character of Miss Ogilvy reminds me a lot of Tosh in a lot of ways (short hair, big build, wants to go to war)
1. I think “Miss Ogilvy Finds Herself” was the most satisfying and interesting read that we’ve had. It takes a rather progressive approach to sexuality and gender identity. The specifics of if whether Miss Ogilvy is a trans man or a butch lesbian doesn’t matter. What matters is her affinity for what our society would deem as the ‘masculine.’ This results in a rather harsh criticism and disdain to the ‘feminine.’ Miss Ogilvy despises her lack of strength she holds in this life and hates her sisters’ constant dependence and whining. I think their lack of understanding of the war and frontlines adds to Miss Ogilvy’s growing frustration to her sisters as well as her own bias and hatred toward the ‘feminine’. This is a reflection of her own self-loathing at her own ‘weaknesses’ and vulnerability. I personally found the sisters irritating and bubbleheaded. Then again, I closely relate to Miss Ogilvy. I’ve always loved ‘masculine’ things and I’ve always loved women. Even now, that isn’t considered ‘a good fit’ in society. I am a woman even though I am increasingly frustrated I was not born a man and have the body to be strong enough or a part of ‘male’ activities such as more frontline based war. I saw a lot of myself in her. Even if I hadn’t, I think Sarah and Franny’s behavior was infuriating and deserving of Miss Ogilvy’s sharp and roaring replies.
For the first question, I believe the arguments between Miss Ogilvy and her family are the result of Miss Ogilvy not being the typical female role model in their lived. For example, Miss Ogilvy’s family dislikes that she won’t grow her hair out after coming back from the war. As women tend to have long hair. Miss Ogilvy does care about how she looks. Also, it’s hinted in the story that she enjoys not looking like a woman. Having short hair makes her look and feel like a man. She enjoyed being in charge and being a “man” during the war. She was respected and people listened to her.
For the second question, I think that shifting the narration adds to the story of these characters deaths at the end. It’s similar to how we hear about death today, we hear it on the news, online, and even other people. We tend to not hear the death come from the person who died, since they are dead. It adds a sense of truth to the story. Of course the death of the protagonist can be written from their point of view in a story. But I think when this happens it can cause the reader to be suspicious of what they read. They question whether or not they died. But if you just say, “they died on…” then it tells the reader that the protagonist had defiantly died.
For the bonus question, the ending of Miss Ogilvy Finds herself, I was very confused reading it the first time. I knew she died, but that was it. Then after going back and reading it a few more times, I think being in the cave gave Miss Ogilvy a sense of feeling safe. Not only physically and mentally as well. Being safe from the war and being safe from the stereotypes of being a woman is society. As for how she died, I have no idea.