Mansfield’s use of dialogue is a key factor in the creation of the Boss’s credibility. The Boss’s dialogue with his friend and subordinate alike consist mainly of imperatives. Woodifield sits in “his friend the boss’s” office whilst the Boss offers him whiskey and refers to him as “poor chap.” The offer of a drink, and affectionate name for Woodifield suggest a friendship – of sorts – between the two men, which would tend to suggest an equality between them. However, being described as “his friend the boss” makes the Boss see a dominant figure in the relationship. For Woodifield does not even call his ‘friend’ by his first name, thus giving the Boss a position of power as though Woodfield is unworthy of knowing the first name. So the Boss treats even his friends to commands and intimidation. Furthermore, the Boss tells Woodifield to “Drink it down. It’ll do you good” when he hands him a whiskey. “Drink” is a imperative which makes the Boss seem cold and commanding. Whilst “It’ll do you good” has connotations of telling a child to do something, which belittles his friend and cements the boss as an authoritarian ‘parent’ figure. The Boss treats his subordinate Macey in the same manner referring to him “the old dog” and commanding him to “bring me some fresh blotting paper.” The animal image conjures the boss as the master of Macey, and shows that the Boss sees him in such a poor light he’s not even considered human. Furthermore, the “bring” is a imperative which gives a commanding authoritarian feel to the boss once more. Thus Mansfield uses dialogue and stream of consciousness to fill out the boss’s profile into that of a dominating, imposing figure. We see he treats his supposed friends with the same commands as his subordinates, thus showing his need to dominate in all aspects of his life.
Mansfield uses the contrasts of characters, namely Woodifield, to create credibility in her portrayal of the boss. Woodifield is constantly being compared to the boss throughout the text; he is described as “staring almost greedily at the boss, who rolled in his office chair, stout, rosy, and five years older than he.” This is used to emphasise the boss’ superiority in comparison to Woodifield; even though he is 5 years younger than the boss. He is shown as weak “after his stoke…” while the boss is shown as strong and incontrol of his own life, the complete opposite of Woodifield. The boss’ reaction to his son’s death can also be compared to Woodsfield’s reaction to Reggie’s death. The boss’ reaction is described as being “wrong” by himself and he later goes on to say that “he wasn’t feeling as he wanted to feel,” this is contrasted with Woodifield’s normal reaction to death and how he feels able to talk about it openly, emphasizing the bosses strange detachment to his son’s death. Woodifield is also compared to a baby, “as a baby peers out of its pram,” whilst he sits in the boss’ “great, green-leather armchair,” this symbolises the sheer difference in the size and strength of the two men, as the reader gets a sense that Woodifield is a tiny, frail man. And in turn makes the boss seem stronger and greater by comparison, adding to the credibility of the character.
Mansfield’s use of point of view is a device that strongly contributes to the fleshed out, credible character of the boss. Limited third person is used throughout the text, allowing Mansfield to change points of view while still retaining a personal feel. This is particularly useful in communicating the thoughts of the boss and in turn, his character traits. When the boss is proceeding to drop blots of ink on the fly on his desk, his thoughts mirror that of a very insensitive person. “What would it make of that? What indeed!” These defiant thoughts clearly show one of a bully, attempting to push another to their limit in order to gain power over them. While this is bad enough, the fact this is being directed to a poor, helpless fly that has no chance of defence makes the boss’ cruel nature truly surface during his compassionless thoughts. In addition, before the last drop of ink, the boss “actually had a brilliant notion of breathing on it to help the drying process.” This small thought of contemplation reveals a small moment of sensitiveness. Yet immediately afterwards, the boss thinks “there was something timid and weak about its efforts now” and proceeds to drop the final bit of ink that ultimately kills the fly. The fact that the moment of kindness, revealed in the thoughts, was immediately ignored and the act of cruelty was still carried out makes the boss’ strength of character even worse. It reveals that the boss does have a caring side, but his need for authority and heartless traits overpower this, even when he realises that he could do the right thing.
Through the use of imperatives, Mansfield lends credibility to the character of the Boss. During dialogue with Woodifield the boss's tone of voice is in many cases overly commanding, such as when he tells Woodifield to "Drink it down. It'll do you good", referring to whiskey of all things. We also see this tone in the boss's responses to Woodifield, answering "No, no!" and "Quite right, Quite right!" This shows the Boss considers himself superior to Woodifield, as instead of listening to what he is saying he simply acknowledges him, and even then in what might be considered a perfunctory tone. The Boss's tone lends credibility to the character, as it conjures up a realistic stereotype. Another example of this is when the boss encourages Woodifield to drink the Whiskey, telling him "it wouldn't hurt a child". This is extremely condescending and really highlights the superiority of the boss to Woodifield in, seemingly, both their minds. Mansfield also portrays the Boss as autocratic and power hungry. We see this in his relationship with his "friend" Woodifield. However instead of treating Woodifield with respect he views him as more of an object of pity, e.g. "It gave him a feeling of deep, solid, satifaction to be planted there in the midst of it in full view of that frail old figure in the muffler". This treatment of Woodifield, along with his high handed treatment of his loyal staff member Macey (who Mansfield paints as a loyal dog) adds to the impression of the boss as being an authentic character albeit one we don't like. However in the end we can find some irony in the fact that although he has all this power the boss can't even control the smallest fly.
Mansfield creates credibility in her portrayal of the Boss through the use of comparison between old Woodifield and the boss. In the beginning of the story, Woodifield is compared as a ‘baby’ as shown in the quote, ‘he peered out of…as a baby peers out of its pram.” whereas the boss is presented with ‘great, green-leather armchair’ highlighting his power and authority. This creates superiority of the boss over Woodifield through the contrast in the words, baby and great armchair, proposing the difference in sizes and strengths. Furthermore, Woodifield’s ‘frail and old figure’ can also be found in “All the same, we cling to our last pleasure as the tree clings to its last leaves.” as this suggests that he is having his last pleasure- despite of his stroke- in his friend the boss’ office. Woodifield’s feeble character draws the attention to the boss’ dominance presented in his ‘flipping the Financial Times with a paper-knife’ which shows the boss’ strong masculinity. The contrast made between the two characters here shows that while old Woodifield has no control over his own life, the boss also has a control over his son’s life which indeed eventually frustrates his son. Nevertheless, later in the story, when it comes to deaths of the boss’ son and Reggie, how the boss deals with his grief is stressed by the comparison to Woodifield’s reaction. Even though the boss is presented less emotional, stern, and strong throughout the story, he cannot move on both mentally and emotionally from his son’s death. This is shown in the quote “time…could make no difference” which suggests that even over 6 years time cannot fulfil his loss and grief. On the other hand, Woodifield, a feeble character, interestingly seems tolerable of Reggie’s death since he is able to tell the boss about it, highlighting the credibility of the boss’ strong yet emotionally immature character.
I have really enjoyed the depth of analysis evident in your blogs. I agree that dialogue and stream of consciousness are highly significant. I do enjoy the way the Boss uses his physicality by towering over the little fellow he puts into the huge armchair! Another point! I find it astonishing that the Boss should think he can countermand Woodifield's family and possibly the medical profession and insist he drinks alcohol-and neat-when this could have negative consequences!!
Mansfield’s use of dialogue is a key factor in the creation of the Boss’s credibility. The Boss’s dialogue with his friend and subordinate alike consist mainly of imperatives. Woodifield sits in “his friend the boss’s” office whilst the Boss offers him whiskey and refers to him as “poor chap.” The offer of a drink, and affectionate name for Woodifield suggest a friendship – of sorts – between the two men, which would tend to suggest an equality between them. However, being described as “his friend the boss” makes the Boss see a dominant figure in the relationship. For Woodifield does not even call his ‘friend’ by his first name, thus giving the Boss a position of power as though Woodfield is unworthy of knowing the first name. So the Boss treats even his friends to commands and intimidation. Furthermore, the Boss tells Woodifield to “Drink it down. It’ll do you good” when he hands him a whiskey. “Drink” is a imperative which makes the Boss seem cold and commanding. Whilst “It’ll do you good” has connotations of telling a child to do something, which belittles his friend and cements the boss as an authoritarian ‘parent’ figure. The Boss treats his subordinate Macey in the same manner referring to him “the old dog” and commanding him to “bring me some fresh blotting paper.” The animal image conjures the boss as the master of Macey, and shows that the Boss sees him in such a poor light he’s not even considered human. Furthermore, the “bring” is a imperative which gives a commanding authoritarian feel to the boss once more. Thus Mansfield uses dialogue and stream of consciousness to fill out the boss’s profile into that of a dominating, imposing figure. We see he treats his supposed friends with the same commands as his subordinates, thus showing his need to dominate in all aspects of his life.
ReplyDeleteMansfield uses the contrasts of characters, namely Woodifield, to create credibility in her portrayal of the boss. Woodifield is constantly being compared to the boss throughout the text; he is described as “staring almost greedily at the boss, who rolled in his office chair, stout, rosy, and five years older than he.” This is used to emphasise the boss’ superiority in comparison to Woodifield; even though he is 5 years younger than the boss. He is shown as weak “after his stoke…” while the boss is shown as strong and incontrol of his own life, the complete opposite of Woodifield. The boss’ reaction to his son’s death can also be compared to Woodsfield’s reaction to Reggie’s death. The boss’ reaction is described as being “wrong” by himself and he later goes on to say that “he wasn’t feeling as he wanted to feel,” this is contrasted with Woodifield’s normal reaction to death and how he feels able to talk about it openly, emphasizing the bosses strange detachment to his son’s death. Woodifield is also compared to a baby, “as a baby peers out of its pram,” whilst he sits in the boss’ “great, green-leather armchair,” this symbolises the sheer difference in the size and strength of the two men, as the reader gets a sense that Woodifield is a tiny, frail man. And in turn makes the boss seem stronger and greater by comparison, adding to the credibility of the character.
ReplyDeleteMansfield’s use of point of view is a device that strongly contributes to the fleshed out, credible character of the boss. Limited third person is used throughout the text, allowing Mansfield to change points of view while still retaining a personal feel. This is particularly useful in communicating the thoughts of the boss and in turn, his character traits.
ReplyDeleteWhen the boss is proceeding to drop blots of ink on the fly on his desk, his thoughts mirror that of a very insensitive person. “What would it make of that? What indeed!” These defiant thoughts clearly show one of a bully, attempting to push another to their limit in order to gain power over them. While this is bad enough, the fact this is being directed to a poor, helpless fly that has no chance of defence makes the boss’ cruel nature truly surface during his compassionless thoughts.
In addition, before the last drop of ink, the boss “actually had a brilliant notion of breathing on it to help the drying process.” This small thought of contemplation reveals a small moment of sensitiveness. Yet immediately afterwards, the boss thinks “there was something timid and weak about its efforts now” and proceeds to drop the final bit of ink that ultimately kills the fly. The fact that the moment of kindness, revealed in the thoughts, was immediately ignored and the act of cruelty was still carried out makes the boss’ strength of character even worse. It reveals that the boss does have a caring side, but his need for authority and heartless traits overpower this, even when he realises that he could do the right thing.
Through the use of imperatives, Mansfield lends credibility to the character of the Boss. During dialogue with Woodifield the boss's tone of voice is in many cases overly commanding, such as when he tells Woodifield to "Drink it down. It'll do you good", referring to whiskey of all things. We also see this tone in the boss's responses to Woodifield, answering "No, no!" and "Quite right, Quite right!" This shows the Boss considers himself superior to Woodifield, as instead of listening to what he is saying he simply acknowledges him, and even then in what might be considered a perfunctory tone. The Boss's tone lends credibility to the character, as it conjures up a realistic stereotype. Another example of this is when the boss encourages Woodifield to drink the Whiskey, telling him "it wouldn't hurt a child". This is extremely condescending and really highlights the superiority of the boss to Woodifield in, seemingly, both their minds. Mansfield also portrays the Boss as autocratic and power hungry. We see this in his relationship with his "friend" Woodifield. However instead of treating Woodifield with respect he views him as more of an object of pity, e.g. "It gave him a feeling of deep, solid, satifaction to be planted there in the midst of it in full view of that frail old figure in the muffler". This treatment of Woodifield, along with his high handed treatment of his loyal staff member Macey (who Mansfield paints as a loyal dog) adds to the impression of the boss as being an authentic character albeit one we don't like. However in the end we can find some irony in the fact that although he has all this power the boss can't even control the smallest fly.
ReplyDeleteMansfield creates credibility in her portrayal of the Boss through the use of comparison between old Woodifield and the boss. In the beginning of the story, Woodifield is compared as a ‘baby’ as shown in the quote, ‘he peered out of…as a baby peers out of its pram.” whereas the boss is presented with ‘great, green-leather armchair’ highlighting his power and authority. This creates superiority of the boss over Woodifield through the contrast in the words, baby and great armchair, proposing the difference in sizes and strengths. Furthermore, Woodifield’s ‘frail and old figure’ can also be found in “All the same, we cling to our last pleasure as the tree clings to its last leaves.” as this suggests that he is having his last pleasure- despite of his stroke- in his friend the boss’ office. Woodifield’s feeble character draws the attention to the boss’ dominance presented in his ‘flipping the Financial Times with a paper-knife’ which shows the boss’ strong masculinity. The contrast made between the two characters here shows that while old Woodifield has no control over his own life, the boss also has a control over his son’s life which indeed eventually frustrates his son. Nevertheless, later in the story, when it comes to deaths of the boss’ son and Reggie, how the boss deals with his grief is stressed by the comparison to Woodifield’s reaction. Even though the boss is presented less emotional, stern, and strong throughout the story, he cannot move on both mentally and emotionally from his son’s death. This is shown in the quote “time…could make no difference” which suggests that even over 6 years time cannot fulfil his loss and grief. On the other hand, Woodifield, a feeble character, interestingly seems tolerable of Reggie’s death since he is able to tell the boss about it, highlighting the credibility of the boss’ strong yet emotionally immature character.
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed the depth of analysis evident in your blogs. I agree that dialogue and stream of consciousness are highly significant. I do enjoy the way the Boss uses his physicality by towering over the little fellow he puts into the huge armchair! Another point! I find it astonishing that the Boss should think he can countermand Woodifield's family and possibly the medical profession and insist he drinks alcohol-and neat-when this could have negative consequences!!
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