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James Thurber illustrates the male species' status with respect to,
Courtship Through The Ages with a humorous and melancholic tone. He
emphasizes
the lack of success males experience through courtship rituals and the constant
rejection we endure. Our determination of courting the female with all our
love displays may be pointless as it is evident in the repetitive failures of
courtship by all male creatures. Thurber shares his problems with courtship and
the role which men portray, he explores the relationship between nature and
culture, and the demands culture places on men. Thurber's frustration with the
female species is obvious and is reflected throughout his essay. The
extremities males endure to obtain female attention become overwhelming and
incomprehensible to Thurber, consequently conflicting with the myth and
construction of the ideal of masculinity.
Thurber's frustrations with women are evident right from the start. He
displaces male insubordination to the blueprint of nature and it's complicated
musical comedy. (Rosengarten and Flick, 340) It's interesting that he
attributes nature as a female creator and thus justifying the relationship that
none of the females of any species she created cared very much for the males.
(p 340)
Thurber compares the similarities of courtship to the complicated works
of Encyclopedia Brittanica. A book which is full of wonders and within lies
mysteries of the unknown and unpredictable. In comparison to the Encyclopedia
Brittanica the female is alike in many ways, such as its perfect construction
and orderly appearance seeming as if they replicate one another like a clone. I
believe Thurber views all female species as being similar to one another with
respect to their character.
The author also associates courtship as a business, a show business. A
world which is chaotic, disorderly and full of confusion much like nature. It
is an aggressive competition between genders in which mother nature dominates.
He also attributes the similarity of constructed rules and regulations in need
of much guidance with the help of a hand manual.
Culture also places demands on males. Males who are lacking in outer
appearance and sexual appeal try to diminish their faults by acquiring gifts to
win her attention... and bring her candy, flowers, and the furs of animals (p
340) for the lady in courting. Women's refusals became men's burden which laid
heavily on their shoulders in the social relationship. These 'love displays'
were being constantly turned down, insulted, or thrown out of the house. (p
340) This produced the evident exhaustion of the male species such as the
fiddler crab who had been standing on tip-toe for eight or ten hours waving a
Such as the male fiddler crab displaying his mighty claw for hours at end hoping
to attract the attention of a female fiddler crab.
The author ends his story in a mellow tone. Portraying woman as
heartless people who are always causing men grief. The men are
trying their best to please them in anyway possible, but still the
women refuses his advances. He implies, that although a female may feel deeply
interested, her objective may be elsewhere, as in the lines, she sat quietly
enough until he was well into the middle of the thing ... then suddenly their
came a sharp, disconcerting slap ... it turned out that all during the male's
display, the female had been intent on a circling mosquito and had finally
trapped it between the palms of her hands. (p 344) After this the male felt
his pride was hurt and that all his intentions were for nothing. There after
he went to find solace in his drink at the bar where other men were present, and
could relate to his sorrow. Most of them were familiar with the song Honey,
Honey, Bless Your Heart. (p 344) This song suggests how females can cause such
heartbreak and turmoil among men. Yet, they always come back, thus making us
part of the circle of life.