When I began to read “The Hand,” by Sidonie-Gabrielle Collete I was not surprised to see the amount of “love,” later to my knowledge lust, in the newly wed couple. This man that she has recently married, has already been married, but when she explains why she is in love, everything is artificial. It makes me think that their love was a physical relationship rushed into marriage. While laying next to her husband, already in two weeks she is beginning to find things wrong with him. His hand, described as monstrous and claw bearing, means nothing in the relationship other than a physical flaw. In 1924, there was no separation from a spouse except in death, wedding vows were truly spoken back then, so I believe she knew she was stuck at the end when she kissed his hand.
The literary elements that stood out to me were both; setting and symbolism. The setting, being in the newly weds bed set the story up as love at first sight. She was overwhelmed in the beginning, laying in bed with the love of her life, feeling kidnapped from the life she knew before. Now laying in the same bed does she see herself laying with a man she is already finding flaws with, during the course of a few weeks. His hand symbolizing a monstrous creature that now distracts her from his affection, or his features that she is only now becoming aware of, is already destroying her thoughts of him, which at first were of the best.
The only thing this story could possibly make me think of was the movie, “What Happens In Vegas,” when the two married under the false pretences of love, and then could not get divorced and were forced to live with each other. The only questions I would have for this story would have to be, if the hand actually stood for being worried about the future or if it had an abusive meaning to it. His monster, crab-like, hands that were so big. Did he use them to hurt her, possibly control her?
You bring up a good point. I didn't think of the abusive aspect of "the hand", I just thought the hand symbolized the fact that they didn't know each other as well as they thought. She thought he was perfect, and she admired how attractive he was, yet when she really looked at him she was able to see his flaws.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you describe the wife as being kidnapped from the life that she knew before. It captures the feelings of fear that she experienced while she watched the hand. I also wondered about whether of not the hand had an abusive meaning to it. Having been recently widowed wouldn't it be easy for the husband to take out remaining grief and emotions on his new wife?
ReplyDeleteI really like how you called attention to the fact that the wife only admired her new husband based on looks. I never thought about it like that! Also, great point about the hand being a tool to control her. Something that I'm a little confused about was the varnish on his hand. Does this mean nail polish? Kind of doesn't match the monster hand description.
ReplyDeleteMeghan: I thought the mention of his previous wife meant he had something to do with it, but details seem to never be provided haha.
ReplyDeleteRemick: The varnish on the nails actually bothered me, but I thought it could have meant that nothing is what it seems, kind of like her marriage.
Haha I like how you compared it to What happens in Vegas. Im watching that right now! But yeah I also like how you questioned whether or not the hand might represent abusiveness. I never thought it of like that, I just figured she was analyzing it way too much. I was thinking about the time period too and if it had anything to do with the widower detail. People died easy back then and didnt they remarry fast?
ReplyDeleteThe hand potentially being a abusive is a good way to look at it. I feel her thought process was so mysterious you couldnt exactly tell.
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