Edith Wharton discussion

"He and she, face to face in that
sad house, had sounded the depths of isolation; and though she felt
no particular affection for him, and not the slightest gratitude, she
pitied him because she was conscious that he was superior to the people
about him, and that she was the only being between him and solitude."

What is the quality of Mr. Royall and Charity's relationship?

Why didn't she feel any gratitude? I honestly felt that she should have.

I can understand that but it did seem like she was very young and self absorbed in that she thought that everything should be done for her. And I know she was young so I guess that makes sense.

I think Charity might have sensed how much Mr. Royall expected from her - and how much he wished to use his influence to control her. Gratitude is hard to feel when someone has absolute power over you. He wanted her to be his daughter, his wife, his housecleaner, his helpmate. Everytime someone tells Charity she should be grateful to Mr. Royall it also insinuated that she owed him whatever he asks of her. I feel her lack of gratitude, or maybe better said lack of "feeling" gave her the ability to control this really insidious situation.

That's an interesting idea.

Taken from the site: http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/ba...

"Wharton's novella 'The Marne' (1918) criticized America's slowness to help France. Her last visits to the U.S. were in 1913 and 1923."

Summer was written a year before "The Marne" in 1917. This is definately the right time period. I think if the relationship between Mr. Royall and Charity was allegorical of the relationship of America and France, it was not metaphorical. Meaning you would not drawn side-by-side parellals, but a general idea of the thing which both Mr. Royall and America could have as a quality.

I think Mr. Royall is no hero (like America?), maybe under this allegory his failures to be what Charity (France?) needs him to be. What do you think?

Why do you think one should show pity, or not show pity, for Mr. Royall's situation?

I couldn't help but pity him (which is probably why I felt that Charity SHOULD have shown more gratitude than she did) because he had lost his wife, and was still trying to do the right thing by keeping Charity--since she really had no where else to go.

But no, he wasn't the most likeable person; nevertheless, I couldn't NOT feel sorry for his situation.

Interesting question about Charity and Mr. Royall. In a way I think her lack of pity is part of her innocence. She is a force of nature. Nature has no pity but is also blameless. After Undine Spragg, Charity is a breath of fresh air!