blog eight

In Willa Cather's short story, "A Wagner Matinee," a man gets a letter saying that he needs to go pick up his aunt from the train station. The narrator seems to respect his aunt. For example, he writes " . I felt the knuckles of my thumb tentatively, as though they were raw again. I sat again before her parlor organ, fumbling the scales with my stiff, red hands, while she, beside me, made canvas mittens for the huskers" (Cather). He seems to be nervous around the aunt, but in further text he seems to respect her as well. He knows that his aunt is very educated in a musical aspect and in a book smart aspect. Being poor, I think he might be a little intimidated by her because she is so rich and educated.

Knowing that his aunt likes the higher life, he decides to take her to the opera. She seems a little muted about her life, but he keeps pushing her to talk about her high end living. Willa Cather writes " From the time we entered the concert hall, however, she was a trifle less passive and inert, and for the first time seemed to perceive her surroundings. I had felt some trepidation lest she might become aware of the absurdities of her attire, or might experience some painful embarrassment at stepping suddenly into the world to which she had been dead for a quarter of a century" (Cather). She seems to be passive about her life.

Taking her to the opera anyways, she seems to be quietly enjoying it. After it ended, she replied with " I don't want to go, Clark, I don't want to go!" (Cather).

I think the point of this story is to how different lifestyles can all come together and effect each other. I also think it explains how past events can sometimes creep up on you and give you a feeling of nostalgia. Abby Werlock seems to have the same opinion as I do. She says that the nature of her unwillingness to leave is fundamentally ambiguous (Werlock). The aunt never feels regret and only after the feeling of nostalgia from the concert did she feel the sensual awakening (Werlock). This moment in the aunt's life makes her reflect all of her life choices.

Emerson and Thoreau seem to have similar events with their past. They both wrote about their past events in life and described how they feel about it now.

Cather, Willa. "Willa Cather's Short Story: A Wagner Matinee." Read Book Online: Literature Books,novels,short Stories,fiction,non-fiction, Poems,essays,plays,Pulitzer Prize, Nobel Prize. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. .

Werlock, Abby H. P. "'A Wagner Matinée'." The Facts On File Companion to the American Short Story, Second Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= CASS846&SingleRecord=True (accessed February 16, 2012).