2015
Reflection Statement
A SUBURBAN SOLILOQUY
“Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many.”
–Phaedrus.1
The dual capacity of appearance in any situation confirms the likelihood of a
discrepancy between appearance and reality. The social context conditions the way
an observer views a situation as they commit his/her own prejudices, values and
experiences. Equally, someone embedded in the situation understands his/her
position with a perspective shaped by psychological elements as well as social
constructs.
The Extension Two English course has provided me with the opportunity to
produce a creative yet historically motivated short story that explores the interplay of
appearance and reality. Advanced English Module C: People and Landscapes
revealed to me the importance of a landscape to an individual’s experiences. Thus,
the American post-war domestic situation experienced by my protagonist, Lois and
my antagonist, her husband Raymond was crafted to be the ideal setting for my
story, A Suburban Soliloquy. I intended to produce a realistic, yet artistic, story of the
unattested suffering and psychology of the era. My final intention was not to create a
successful heroine who transcends the confines of her society, but instead a woman
who learns to simply exist within her parameters. The integrity of the story relies on
the articulation of appearance as a misrepresentation of the reality.
The concept of my story emerged in the process of the independent
investigation and writing and became increasingly clear as I concluded the story. The
process of independent investigation appeared interminable. Consequently, I
consistently reconsidered my concept as it evolved simultaneously with my research.
1
The Fables of Phædrus: Literally translated into English prose with notes. Fable VI.
1
The pattern of study in the Extension One English course provided a platform for my
interest to grow and for my research to develop. Through studying the After the
Bomb era, I recognised an intense anxiety that permeated both politic and personal
life. This complimented the knowledge of the impact on a landscape on an individual
experience in Module C of Advanced English. The overwhelming response of
Americans to Cold War tensions was to gear their values towards the home and
family. “Like their leaders, most Americans agreed that family stability appeared to
be the best bulwark against the dangers of the Cold War Era.”2
My initial concept began to develop as I explored the socially taboo issues
within the suburban home – contrary to the idealised version of the home, esteemed
as a bastion of safety from the Cold War. Viewing Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road
for related textual knowledge for the Extension One English course triggered an
interest in the setting of suburban post-war America. Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar
epitomises the literary detailing of female psychological struggle. According to Nancy
Hargrove, Plath’s The Bell Jar “is more than a feminist document, for it presents the
enduring human concerns of the search for identity [and] the pain of
disillusionment.”3 The protagonist, Esther Greenwood, enhanced my own vision of
Lois in terms of intelligence and identity. Lois’ intelligent insight is beyond the
expectation of a house wife like herself. She questions the role of her intelligence
when she asks “Should I be concealing my grades?” or likens herself to a “caged
painter.”4
2
May, Elaine Tyler. Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era. Introduction, pg. 36.
Hargrove, Nancy Duvall, The Journey toward Ariel: Sylvia Plath's Poems of 1956-1959
4 A Suburban Soliloquy: page 18 and 10
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2
Edgar Allan Poe stressed the significance of “commencing [a literary work]
with the consideration of an effect.”5 My desire is to provide the audience with the
opportunity to gain an insight and to be challenged by observing the interplay of
psychological turmoil with the nonalignment of appearance and reality. The
production of a tangible creative setting is paramount to grounding the fiction in
reality. Through thorough investigation of the most basic historical details such as
the most popular names of the period, hair styles, clothing, recipes, stereotypes and
the subsequent feminist movement I became consciously aware of creating a
realistic and palpable image of the environment I intended to detail. Hence,
simultaneously I realised it would be unrealistic to craft a heroine without her being in
juxtaposition to the historical integrity of the work. Thus, Lois developed to be
outwardly "sweet” and privately “rancorous.”6 This way, Lois is compliant with
historical expectations externally and concurrently suffering in privacy, consequently
supporting my concept of observing the interplay of psychological turmoil with the
deception of interior and exterior.
John Marsden’s Everything I know About Writing provided valuable guidance
about my construction of form and manipulation of medium. Marsden suggested “It is
very satisfying for the reader if a story is structured in a circular way.”7 Marsden’s
suggested form of a circular storyline aligned perfectly with my plot, as the concept
of my major work entails the beginning being tragically similar to the conclusion.
Marsden states that this structure gives “a sense of life continuing: that the story is
merely an important episode out of a life, but much has happened before the story
5
Poe, E. A., & Cassuto, L. (1999). Literary theory and criticism pg. 100.
A Suburban Soliloquy. Pg. 1 and 14.
7 Marsden, John. Everything I Know about Writing. Pg. 36
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begins and much more will happen after it ends.”8 The notion of my short story being
one important episode in a broader scheme of events is alluded to in the diary flash
backs in soliloquy style and is also paramount in understanding the ongoing suffering
of the victim beyond the parameters of the story. The indefinite article in the title, A
Suburban Soliloquy also supports the notion of the story being one experience of
many. The structure of my major work is essential in eliciting an understanding in the
audience about the nature of the ongoing suffering of a woman, like Lois, in the
suburban mid-century America I studied in the Extension One English Course.
The structure of my creative story also provides scope for a reader to follow
the psychological state of my protagonist, Lois. Complementing the circular structure
of the story in terms of beginning and concluding around the same dinner table, the
“bookend” structure uses third person narration and reported dialogue to frame the
first person narration which dominates the centre. This structural technique guides
the audience to recognise the discrepancy between appearance and reality. This is
particularly relevant to the time period that the story is set in because the exterior of
the nuclear family unit was valued so highly by society in America despite the
tension experienced privately.
Additional to the historical research, extensive independent research into
psychological conditions and theories led me to improve the characterisation and the
relationship between different characters. Author, Philip Hensher, remarked that a
literary work “has to place the psychologies of individuals in a delicate relationship
with the world that formed them.”9 Of particular significance, is Sigmund Freud’s
theory regarding the Oedipus Complex. Lois notes that she will do her chores “Just
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9
Ibid.
Hensher, P. (2013). The Importance of Place in Fiction
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like I am sure Ray’s own mother did, it would confuse and infuriate him to see much
different.”10 Raymond being tied to his deceased mother’s “apron strings” provides
an explanation to the reader about why he expects a trophy model of his own wife;
thus it is a contemporary reflection of the Oedipus Complex. Lois is aware of this and
miserably toys with the notion, only to assume the role of trophy wife again.
Lois’ acceptance of her place is due to another psychological and historical
construct that shaped my thinking: the ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. Lois is suffering
Stockholm syndrome in that she loves her “captor”, who is simultaneously both
Raymond and society, and their restrictions and expectations. Lois was crafted with
the behavioural motive of cognitive dissonance as a psychological driver. Festinger
explains, "The existence of dissonance, being psychologically uncomfortable, will
motivate the person to try and reduce the dissonance” which often results in
relinquishing one’s beliefs to achieve harmony.11 The italicised thoughts of Lois, as
well as her photo album entries, reveal her inconsistency in behaviour and thought
patterns. Although she curses the “comfortable concentration camp” internally, she
aims to reduce cognitive dissonance by bouncing “out of the house with an eager
smile” when Raymond arrives home. The recurring motif of the apron is
representative of Lois’ turbulent mental stability, decaying and mending with the level
of dissonance. It is my intention that the literary interplay of the Oedipus Complex,
Stockholm syndrome and Cognitive Dissonance results in the audience
understanding a background for the seemingly perpetual suffering of Lois and
women of similar circumstance.
10
11
A Suburban Soliloquy. Pg. 10.
Festinger, L. (1957) A theory of cognitive dissonance. Pg. 3.
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It is through independent research that my concept evolved and made an
intended audience clear. My intended audience is predominantly female, for young
and mature women alike. However, the story holds value for society as a whole,
because the story gives insight into those captured in a volatile domestic situation
and the conflicting psychological issues that are sadly prevalent in historical and
modern relationships. Although the suburban American setting may be of initial
interest to a reader, the disturbing nature of the inside of a seemingly happy
relationship is an issue that transcends the context of the story. A Suburban
Soliloquy has increased my own understanding of the complex psychological
dilemmas of any relationship lacking honest, open and transparent communication.
Thus, my intended audience can appreciate the way that an appearance of a
relationship may misrepresent the psychological tensions that exist, and instead
conform to the societal expectations of such a situation.
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Reference List:
Print:
Festinger, L. (1957) A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford, CA: Stanford
University Press.
Hargrove, N. (1994). The Journey toward Ariel: Sylvia Plath's Poems of 19561959, Lund University Press.
Marsden, J. (1998) Everything I Know about Writing. Sydney: Pan.
May, Elaine Tyler. (2008) Homeward Bound: American Families in the Cold War Era.
20th Anniversary Edition Ed. New York: Basic.
Poe, E. A., & Cassuto, L. (1999). Literary theory and criticism. Mineola, NY: Dover
Publications.
Website:
Hensher, P. (2013). Philip Hensher: The importance of place in fiction. The
Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2015, from
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/may/17/philip-hensher-importance-placefiction
Riley, H., & Smart, C. (2008). The Fables of Phædrus: Literally translated into
English prose with notes. Gutenberg. Retrieved 1 August 2015, from
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/25512/25512-h/25512-h.htm#riley_IV_II
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