What Is Real In William Dean Howell's Editha
William Dean Howell writes fictional stories that seem to be real by the way the characters portray real life humans and the plot resembles real life situations that humans face in their day to day lives. In the realist essay “Novel-Writing and Novel-Reading: An Impersonal Explanation,” William Dean Howell makes the argument that fiction should be used to portray men and women as they would be in real life scenarios, and this idea is displayed in his story “Editha” through its characters emotions and how the characters reacted to certain events in their life.
First, William Dean Howell makes the argument that fiction should be used to portray men and women as they would be in real life scenarios. Howell shows this stance in his essay when
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One specific example from the text states, “The tears began to run down Editha's face; she had not wept till then; but it was now such a relief to be understood that the tears came” (316). This was the reaction of Editha when George died and George’s mother yelled at her and blamed her for making her son go to war. This displayed an intense amount of reality because of the characters emotion that fit well with the scenario. Howell’s description of Editha”s reaction was realistic to George’s moms comment and the whole situation she was going through. George’s mother made Editha face reality and make her realize the truth of war and how women take it for granted since they are not the ones actually on the battlefield. Editha was stunned by her husband’s death but when her tears came down she was relieved and able to release all the emotion that she held up inside of her. This is relatable because sometimes it is hard for people to cry or mourn someone’s death because they are in shock and not able to process the loss that they have endured. Howell also displays Editha’s reaction as a symbol that sometimes it is better to cry then to act strong or avoid the
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