Mr.Arcularis

Patriarchal society has hindered or prevented women from realizing their creative possibilities. Often, the derogatory stereotypes of women in literature are written by men merely to enforce the relationship of power in society. In an ideal world, men and women are treated equally in life and literature; but in reality, the nature of relationships in Western society clearly identifies that society is predominately still patriarchal. In fact, women appear to take a subordinate role in many examples of classical literature, specifically in Conrad Aiken’s short story “Mr.Arcularis.” The protagonist, Mr.Arcularis, experiences a sea-voyage, which evidently represents his journey to death. On his journey to heaven, Mr. Arcularis relives parts of his life, including his interaction with the women in his life. Ultimately, the women with whom he interacts flow through three stages of his life and define Arcularis. The first stage, and the most important woman in his life is his mother; later, as a young man his mind is focused on the physicality of women, and the last stage, when he realizes that a woman is not an object to be used, but a person to be loved.

As Mr.Arcularis embarks on his voyage to the afterlife he relives past experiences with the important women from his life, beginning with those from his childhood. As Mr.Arcularis is being wheeled out of his room, he has a brief encounter with his elderly nurse Miss Hoyle, and he says to her, “Good-by Miss Hoyle, and thank you for everything. You were very kind to me and I fear I was a nuisance”(Aiken 87). It appears he is searching for reassurance to clarify his ego. He wants her to relate that he is not a nuisance, but that his time under her care is meaningful. Aiken ponders, “She reminded him of someone. Who was it? He tried in vain to remember while he said good-by to her”(Aiken 87). Undeniably, Miss Hoyle is a parallel representation of Arcularis’ mother. He wants Miss Hoyle to accept him, love him, and excuse all his faults.

From a feminist theory perspective, it is realistic to consider Conrad Aiken’s own life experiences with women. When Aiken is twelve years old, his father kills his mother and then himself; Aiken is the one to discover the bodies (AAP). Aiken’s innocence is shattered early; consequently, it appears he replaces his mother with an ‘ideal’ one in his literature by portraying her as an ‘angel’- a common stereotype of women in feminist theory. Indeed, in the feminist theory, “the basic view that Western Civilization is pervasively patriarchal-that is, it is male centered and controlled, and is organized and conducted in such a way as to subordinate women to men in all cultural domains” (Feminist Criticisms), emphasizes the subordinate relationship between Mr.Arcularis and Miss Hoyle. Miss Hoyle jokes, “ I think we’ll have to operate on him and really cure him” (Aiken 87). Cure him of what? Cure him of his dependency on women? Or perhaps cure him of his inability to illustrate his male dominancy over her.

The second stage of the story illustrates Mr.Arcularis at a point of adolescent lust and puppy love. Mr. Arcularis has only been on the boat for a short while when he meets a girl at dinner. He says that she reminds him of someone, and he concludes that she is reminiscent of the nurse at the hospital. A significant part of the feminist theory, according to Naomi Wolf, is that men have created an unachievable standard for female beauty by which all women are measured (Bond). In comparison to his interaction with Miss Hoyle, it is evident that Mr.Arcularis’ interests in Ms.Dean are more than platonic. He can barely keep his eyes off of her. While the two are sitting facing each other at a table he gazes longingly at her, “[and] realizing that he had perhaps stared too fixedly, averted his gaze” (Aiken 90). It is evident, she is his ideal woman: gorgeous, young, mysterious and incredibly interested in him. He describes her as being charming and graceful with freckles, beautiful hair and voluptuous lips. She reminds him of a Melozzo da Forli angel. It is important to recognize that Ms.Dean is a stereotypical angelic character from a male written perspective and that her purpose is to be a model of beauty and perfection. The Beauty Myth, as defined by Wolf, “pits beauty, sexuality,