Trust Blog Post 2
The novel Trust presents one story that is being manipulated by multiple authors. This one story gives way to the understanding of a woman's life in the 1920s and 1930s, and the ways men use women. One of the main characters and elements moving the story has not spoken of their own experience. Their story is explained, told, and manipulated by every other character so far, except themselves. This charter is Mildred Bevel. I think the story of Mildred Bevel captures a larger picture of what it was, and still is, like to be a woman. She lives in a world dominated by men and the patriarch. Even after her passing her world and story are overtaken by men. These men maneuver Mildred Bevel's life and legacy to fit their own needs and wants. Her character and image have been bent to the will of the men that describe it. When Ida discovers Mildred's personal notes she remarks, “And precisely because the image of her that comes forward in this scrapbook differs so drastically from the portrait offered by those two men, I feel this is my first glimpse of the real Mildred Bevel” (page 298). It is clear that throughout this novel the true character of Mildred Bevel is toyed with in order to accommodate the goals of the men who attempt to tell her narrative. They use Mildred to achieve their goals and to elevate themselves in one way or another. Her husband tries to illustrate Mildred as a submissive trophy stating, “We ought to convey Mildred’s lovely softness with a bit more emphasis. I do realize that ‘softness’ and ‘emphasis’ may seem like contradictory terms. But truly, that’s where the focus ought to be. Her delicate nature. Her frailty. Her kindness”(page 286). This description does not portray an accurate or factual image of Mildred Bevel but rather submits to the desires of the man using Mildred. Andrew Bevel uses his wife and her legacy for his own personal gain multiple times in the novel. His desire to create an autobiography stems from the frustration that another man has not captured his life the way in which Andrew himself sees it. Rather than saying this he uses Mildred as a martyr to pioneer the ‘true’ story of their lives. Throughout this story Mildred's legacy is told by the men who use her for personal gain, sacrificing the qualities which make Mildred a full human being.
I agree, I think that all the stories told share a similarity. They’re all told by men. And during the time, it was common for them to take advantage of women. In this situation, it was telling Mildred Bevel’s story from their perspective. This post strengthened my view on the stories told within the novel. In Andrew’s discussion with Ira about writing his autobiography he says, “We ought to convey Mildred’s lovely softness with a bit more emphasis…that’s where the focus ought to be. Her delicate nature. Her frailty. Her kindness.” (pg 286) This is a perfect example of how men want women to be portrayed to society. A nice, typical housewife. Another example is when he presents this attitude to Ira when he says, “Make it homey. As a woman, you’ll do a far better job painting that picture.” (pg 287) Although, this is a bit off topic from Mildred, this example just proves how men objectify women, and not just their own wives. This is a significant part of the whole story, as we see her story being told from the perspective of other men as well. The reason behind Andrew doing this is to make their life as a couple much more simple and easy than it actually is. In conclusion, he wants to share only the parts that make his life sound more pleasant while taking away the real human in Mildred.
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