Patriotism, Realism, and Moral Dilemmas in William Dean Howells' "Editha"

Introduction

William Dean Howells, a big name in American realism, really knew how to look at society and poke holes in those dreamy romantic ideas. His short story "Editha," which came out way back in 1905, digs deep into stuff like patriotism, war, and the moral headaches we all face through its main character. The story zooms in on the messy parts of human nature and shows just how blurry the line between dreams and reality can get. This essay is gonna take a closer look at the big themes and characters in "Editha." We’ll see how Howells uses irony, symbolism, and character development to make his point about how romanticized patriotism isn’t all it’s cracked up to be and to highlight the tough truths about war.

'Patriotism, Realism, and Moral Dilemmas in William Dean Howells' "Editha"'

The main focus of "Editha" is Editha Balcom, this young woman who's super gung-ho about her country. Her starry-eyed views on war push the story's drama forward. She kind of represents those overly idealistic—sometimes downright naive—views on war that were pretty common back then. Editha is all for the Spanish-American War and pushes her fiancé, George Gearson, to join up. She sees war as some noble quest, a way for George to show he's a real man and patriotic too. At one point she says something like, "But don't you see, dearest, that it wouldn't have come to this if it hadn't been in the order of Providence?" This quote nails down her belief that this war is like a divine plan or something—a clear sign she just buys into what everyone else around her believes without really thinking it through.

Irony is all over this story as Howells pokes fun at Editha’s rosy view of war. You can see this clearly when George hesitates but eventually gives in to Editha's nagging. George isn't like Editha; he gets that war is brutal and morally complicated. He even says at one point, "I never thought I should have to kill a man." His inner struggle with signing up points out the clash between what you believe personally and what society expects from you. Sadly for George, he dies in his first battle—a harsh slap in the face to Editha’s glorified idea of war and showing just how bad blind patriotism can get.

Then there's the symbolism thing going on with that yellow ribbon Editha gives George. It stands for her shallow ideas about war. It's like she's trying to turn George into some kind of hero she dreamed up without caring about what he actually thinks or what could happen. The bright color of the ribbon clashes hard with what soldiers actually face out there on the battlefield—driving home how off-base Editha’s fantasies are compared to reality.

Later on, after George's death, Editha meets his mom—a moment that's huge for both of them. Mrs. Gearson’s sadness and anger really show what war costs people personally, making Editha's excuses seem weak. She tells Editha straight-up: "I thank my God he didn’t live to do it!" It’s a wake-up call for Editha about how her actions mattered more than she’d thought. But instead of facing facts or feeling guilty, she doubles down on her denial—which shows just how dangerous clinging onto comfortable lies can be sometimes.

Conclusion

"Editha" by William Dean Howells tears apart these sugar-coated ideas about war and being patriotic using irony along with symbols—and let’s not forget some pretty detailed characters too! By setting up contrasts between Editha's head-in-the-clouds thinking versus gritty realities faced by folks like George or his mom Howells lays bare emotional messiness plus morals involved during wartime situations—stuff reminding us why questioning blindly following societal values matters so much! Through everything happening within storylines surrounding our girl here (meaning Miss Balcom), readers are urged toward looking past surface-level ideals toward confronting tougher truths hidden underneath shiny exteriors instead...

In end-of-day terms though? Story doesn’t stop nudging audiences either—it keeps pushing anyone reading onward toward pondering own beliefs/actions consequences thereof henceforth: namely thanks largely due talent found within such masterful portrayal embodying ways unchecked idealism inevitably leads tragic outcomes unless tempered sensibly somehow beforehand naturally course overall narrative arc itself thereby underscoring importance fostering critical reflection ongoing basis wherever possible ideally speaking primarily anyway…

References

• Howells, W.D. (1905). Editha.
• Pizer, D. (2000). The Cambridge Companion to American Realism and Naturalism. Cambridge University Press.
• Kramer-Keehnle, A.C. (2018). Irony as Critique: Patriotic Sentimentality in Editha. Journal of American Studies.
• Taylor G.F., & Toth E.L., eds. (2001). The Book of American War Stories.
• Bendixen A., eds., (1999) A Companion to the American Short Story. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
• Cox R., (2013) “War's Tragic Idealists.” Midwest Quarterly Volume LIII Number 3 Spring.