In the novel, "Trust", written by Hernan Diaz, he strategically lays out the ideas of sexism and the power dynamics of men in the 20th century. The two women in this novel, Ida and Mildred, are the backbones of all these men. They set them up to be successful and take care of them. However, they are heavily undermined and not given credit for their achievements. The main perpetrator of this is Andrew Bevel. He is a massive financial tycoon blinded by his power. He doesn't understand or accept the intelligence of the women around him, specifically when it comes to his wife. Andrew portrays his wife as a child-like, simplistic creature. He wants her to be seen as the perfect trophy wife. In his memoir, he illustrates her as "she relished in the smallest tasks and found the highest satisfaction in the simplest pleasures of life" (Diaz 163). In this explanation, Mildred is drawn out as one who cannot possibly have intriguing and intelligent thoughts, just a simple creature happy to care for her husband. However, this is far from the truth. Mildred's diaries reveal she is a very complex-minded woman. She is super intelligent, way more than what Andrew was leading on. She controlled most of Andrew's financial decisions, even his famous 1926 act. She writes, "By trading in outsized amounts + inciting bursts of general frenzy, I started creating the lags. The ticker fell behind me, and for a few minutes I owned the future. Andrew became a legend" (Diaz 387). Mildred was the mastermind behind every decision, yet Andrew was the one to become the financial god. He was either blinded by his arrogance or simply didn't care to give any credit to Mildred. Sexism was layered deep into society at this time. Women were meant to be good wives. They were not supposed to be smart, especially more than their husbands. The power was in the men's hands.
The power dynamic of men was seen beyond just their wives. Andrew made sure he controlled the reins of him and Ida. He constantly tried to be ahead of her to display his power. In a significant event, he even stole her ideas. Ida made a story for Andrew and Mildred, as they liked to discuss murder mystery novels at dinner. This was based on Ida's life with her father. Although Andrew repeated this story straight to Ida as it was his own idea. She explains, "Over the years, both as work and in my personal life, I have had countless men repeat my ideas back to me as if they were theirs... But someone presenting one of my family stories as theirs?" (Diaz 347). He stole this personable story to gain sympathy towards him and to control the power. Andrew's perspective of reality is diluted by this power and his arrogance. The sexist roles and views of women are shown countless times in the novel. Men were put on a pedestal, yet women were on the sidelines. I'd like to say this issue was left in the past; however, sexism and men being hungry for power is still prevalent today. The Andrew Bevel types of men need to go.
One of Trust’s central themes was exploring the way 20th century sexism influenced the popular narrative and historical memory of the time. Hernan Diaz, as he described in the interview we watched, sought to explore the ethics of perspective in literature. One way he chose to do this was to play with the portrayal of Mildren/Helen, from the perspective of outsider Harold Vanner, Andrew Bevel himself, and Mildred herself. We learn from Andrew’s ghost writer, Ida, that Andrew’s perspective is not to be trusted. By extension, we learn that the portrayal of women of the 20th century, because of a pervasive sexist ideology shared by Andrew and powerful men of the time, cannot be trusted. As you detailed in your analyses of Andrew’s sexist delusion and thievery of Ida’s ideas: “the power was in the men’s hands”. The story that the public heard was a misogynistic lie.
ReplyDeleteTrust is fictional, and, tragically, not every woman whose story was misrepresented is awarded the justice of a new perspective. Still, there is some sweet, ethical redemption in the way Mildred’s narrative takes Andrew’s power away. According to the public, it was Andrew’s “mystical intuition” that grew his wealth to divine heights. When Mildred finally exposes the whole truth in her diary, that it was her genius who made his fortune, she at least gets some private relief, writing: “I’ve underestimated the salutary effects of confession” (382). She remarks that “the myth of bevel grew until he became a god” (387), but cleverly undercuts that false achievement, concluding that “God is the most uninteresting answer to the most interesting questions” (396). You are right, men were “put on a pedestal” while women were relegated to being “on the sidelines”. Thankfully, new perspectives show us the truth. In the end, Mildred tells us: “I look down at [Andrew] from my wheelchair" (383).
I completely agree with this notion of the prominent women in the story being vital for the men’s success. The role of the patriarchy is one that is highly notable in this novel, and although this is not super surprising considering the time frame this novel is set in, it is still rather disappointing. In addition to both Ida and Mildred, it can also be seen in the relationship between Benjamin and Helen. When Helen marries Benjamin, she initially believes that she is discovering a new freedom that she was never able to experience when living with her parents. Yet, when her psyche ultimately begins to decline, Benjamin takes it upon himself to use his immense power and wealth to try to give her help. Although he believes that he is doing good, he is blinded by his patriarchal, overbearing role, which eventually leads to the death of Helen. The instance of Benjamin and Helen is much more forgettable, though, when you compare it to the level in which Andrew Bevel is actively perpetuating the ideals of the patriarchy. Mildred’s intelligence threatens Andrew's fragile ego, and because they live in a male dominated society, she must walk a very fine line between providing Andrew the assistance necessary for his immense success while also ensuring that Andrew feels in control of her and responsible for his success.
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