Melanctha. BRIDGMAN, Richard.

"Melanctha"
Author(s): Richard Bridgman

Source: American Literature, Vol. 33, No. 3 (Nov., 1961), pp. 350-359
Published by: Duke University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2922129
Accessed: 11-03-2015 15:32 UTC
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content
in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship.
For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.
Duke University Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to American Literature.
http://www.jstor.org
This content downloaded from 128.235.251.160 on Wed, 11 Mar 2015 15:32:18 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
"Melanctha"
RICHARD BRIDGMAN
DartmouthCollege
GertrudeStein's long story"Melanctha" is generallysingled

out fromher ThreeLives(I909) as thefinestunitof an important
literary experimentof this century.' The specifics of the
praise,when given, are sometimesodd. For example,the story
is frequentlycommendedforitssympathetic treatment oftheNegro.
The authorof NiggerHeaven foundit "PerhapsthefirstAmerican
storyin whichthe Negro is regardedas a human beingand not as
an objectforcondescending compassionor derision."2Van Wyck
Brooks thought"the feelingfor Negro life was so deep and so
freshin everyway thatthe storybecamea landmarkin American
letters."3RichardWrightand JamesWeldon Johnsonagreed in
substancewith thesejudgments,but Claude McKay dissented:"I
foundnothingstriking and informative aboutNegrolife.Melanctha,
the mulattress,might have been a Jewess."4
As it happens,"Melanctha"is a full-scalereworkingof Gertrude
Stein'sfirstbook, Thingsas They Are, whichwas writtenin I903
and publishedposthumouslyin a limitededition in I950. The
plot has been changedand the centraltrioreducedby one, but the
characters and theirmotivations,
thefatalistic and some
philosophy,
phrasesremainfamiliar. Leo SteinaccuratelyrecalledthatThings
as TheyAre "was theoriginalmaterialof Melancthaand had noth-
ing to do withNegroes."5 Entitled"Quod Erat Demonstrandum"
in manuscript, thebook examineda triangleof femininelove,with
threewomen exertingsuch balanced pressuresat theirindividual
anglesas to producea stateof geometrical immobility.The book's
' See Carl Van Doren, The AmericanNovel (New York, 1940), p. 339; Donald Suther-
land, GertrudeStein: A Biographyof Her Work (New Haverf,1951), p. 44; and John
Malcolm Brinnin,The Third Rose (Boston, 1959), p. 120.
2 Carl Van Vechten,"Introduction," Three Lives (New York, 1933), p. x. References
hereinafterto this editionare cited by page numberin the text.
8 The Confident Years (New York, 1952), p. 437.
4 Brinnin,p. I2I.
6 Ibid., P. 45.
"Melanctha" 351
lastwordsread: " 'I am afraidit comesverynearbeinga dead-lock,'

she groaneddroppingher head on her arms."6
This static complex of personalities,joined yet incapable of
union,is retainedin "Melanctha." Here, ratherthanthreewomen
forminga fixedtriangle,a male and a femaleconfront one another
in an ironic stalemate. To effectthe transition, GertrudeStein
changedAdele, the "slow-minded"protagonist of Things as They
Are, into JeffCampbell,the moralizingphysicianwho becomes
Melanctha'slover. Adele and Jeffuphold the ideals of decency.
Adele defendsmiddle-classvirtue,and Jeffis anxiousfor his race
to assumemiddle-class socialstandards.Adele'schiefprotestagainst
her free-thinking femininecomradesis thattheytend"to go in for
thingssimplyforthe sake of an experience"(p. 9). Similarly,Jeff
objectsto Negroes"wantingto have all kindsof experienceall the
time" (p. II7). And just as at one pointin her affairwithHelen,
Adele is obligedto go "faster"than she honestlycan-since "their
pulsesweredifferently timed"(p. 57)-sO Jeff is forcedbyMelanctha
into the same unnaturalspeed of affection(p. i65).
Helen,who dominatesThingsas TheyAre,becomesMelanctha.
Both charactersare daughtersof "brutal"fathers,and theirrather
insipidmothersboth vocallyregretthat theirmore conventional
children,now dead, were survivedby theirwild daughters(p. 24:
p. 2I3). In theiryouthsbothwomenfall and breaktheirarms. In
both cases the accidentso angers each fatherthat at firsteach
refuseshis daughtermedicalattention(p. 25: p. I03).
In additionto theseclues to the relationship of the two stories,
one discoversthatcertainlines in Things as They Are have been
modifiedand expanded in "Melanctha." As such they become
useful indices for assessingGertrudeStein's stylisticintentions.
This exchangefromher firstbook-"'Tell me how much do you
care forme.' 'Care foryou my dear,'Helen answered'morethan
you know and less than you think"' (p. I5)-becomes in Three
Lives "'Care about you JeffCampbell,'said Melancthaslowly.'I
certainlydo care for you JeffCampbell less than you are always
thinkingand much more than you are ever knowing"' (p. I32).
Or, in a moreradicalrestatement, the concisionof,"'You have no
rightto constantly use yourpain as a weapon!' Adele flashedout
6 Pawlet, Vermont,1950, p. 88. are cited by page number
Referenceshereinafter
in the text.
352 AmericanLiterature
angrily"(p. 6o) swells to, "'You ain't got no right Melanctha
Herbert,'flashedout Jeffthroughhis dark,frowninganger,'you
certainlyain't got no rightalwaysto be usingyourbeinghurtand
beingsick,and havingpain,likea weapon...'" (p. I72).
Things as They Are may or may not be autobiographical, but
certainly theracialveneerof"Melanctha"onlysuperficially disguises
a new versionof an intimatestoryof Lesbianismwhich Gertrude
Steinneverpublishedin herlifetime, in spiteof BennettCerf'soffer
in I935 to printanythingshe wishedeach year. The racereferences
in "Melanctha"are infrequent, and when theydo appear,theyare
stereotyped.Negroes possess shiny or greasyblack faces; their
eyeballsroll; theirmouthsgape open as theyhowl with laughter;
theyfightwith razors,yell savagely,are oftenlazy, and are in-
sistently virile. In quick successionGertrudeStein refersto "the
earth-born, boundlessjoy ofnegroes,""thewide,abandonedlaughter
that makes the warm broad glow of negro sunshine,"and "the
simple, promiscuousimmoralityof the black people" (p. 86).
Worse than this,a mysticcolor scale is established. JaneHarden
is said to have "muchwhiteblood and thatmade her see clear....
Her whiteblood was strongin her and she had gritand endurance
and a vitalcourage" (p. I04). At besttheseattemptsto shiftthe
groundsof Things as They Are mustbe called indifferent.Mel-
ancthaherselfis said to be "a half whitegirl" (p. 86) "halfmade
with real whiteblood" (p. 86), yetshe is specificallyidentifiedas
thedaughterof a "blackfather"(p. 90) and a "pale yellowcolored
woman" (p. go). The inconsistency of these scatteredreferences
to the titlefiguresuggestssomethingof the apparentvagueness,
indeed the obviousuncertainty with which GertrudeStein under-
took the metamorphosis of Things as They Are.
II
Donald Sutherlandhas described"Melanctha"as "a tragiclove
story. . . composed on the dramatic trajectoryof a passion,"7 and
R. P. Blackmur,as "a studyof the intuitionsof an unmooredro-
manticlove."8 Neitherdescription, however,suggeststhe extent
to which,bymeansof a fewrepeatedkeywords,the storydiscusses
phasesof sexuallove. The word "wandering,"forexample,repre-
8nOP.Cit. P. 44.
8 Introductionto AmericanShortNovels (New York, 196o), p. 12.
"Melanctha" 353
sentstheonegeneral experience oflovesharedbyall themajorchar-
acters.Melanctha's motheris saidtohavebeen"a littlewandering"
(p. go),andtheaccount ofRoseJohnson's attitude
towards "wander-
ing"shadesoffintoa kindofvulgarity sometimes caused,perhaps
unintentionally,by Gertrude Stein'seuphemistic manner. "Rose
alwaysknewverywell in herself whatwas therightway to do
whenyouwandered.Roseknewverywell,she was notjustany
commonkindofblackgirl,forshehad beenraisedbywhitefolks,
and Rosealwayssaw to it thatshewas engagedto himwhenshe
had anyonemanwithwhomsheeveralwayswandered"(p. 200).
To establisha one-for-one meaningfor the varioususes of
"wandering" is impossible.It rarelymeansthesexualactalone,but
seemsto sumup thecuriosity and yearning towards sexualknowl-
edge,as wellas thesocialactivitiessurrounding congress.
The beginning of Melanctha's adolescenceis signalledby her
father'srageovera coachman's to his daughter.Its
attentiveness
endis markedbyan identically expressedragebrought on by the
fractureof herarm. The firstinstanceexplodesintothefurious
cryto Melanctha's mother, "Where'sthatMelanctha of yours?. . .
Whydon'tyousee to thatgirlbetter you,ain'tyouhermother!"
(p. 94). Despiteherfather's jealousopposition,Melanctha hence-
forthbeginstolearn"knowledge" fromadultmen. Her education
opensin the railroadyards. The yardsare offereda curious
rhapsodic tributein whichtheflutter of excitement,thepounding
engines-"Hullo,Sis, do you wantto sit on my engine?"-"the
swellingin thethroat,andthefullness," the"strong moving power,"
and the"steadysoothing worldof motion"all suggestsexualre-
sponses.
Railroadyardsare a ceaselessfascination.They satisfy everykind of
nature.For thelazy manwhosebloodflowsveryslowly,it is a steady
soothing worldofmotionwhichsupplieshimwiththesenseofa strong
movingpower. He need not workand yethe has it verydeeply;he
has it evenbetterthanthe man who worksin it or owns it. Then
fornaturesthatliketo feelemotionwithoutthetroubleof havingany
it is verynicetogettheswelling
suffering, and thefullness,
in thethroat,
and theheartbeats,and all theflutterof excitementthatcomesas one
watchesthepeoplecomeand go,and hearstheenginepoundand givea
longdrawnwhistle.For a childwatching through a holein thefence
abovetheyard,it is a wonderworldof mystery and movement.The
childlovesall thenoise,and thenit lovesthesilenceof thewindthat
comesbeforethefullrushof thepoundingtrain,thatburstsout from
and thechild
thetunnelwhereit lostitselfand all itsnoisein darkness,
lovesall thesmoke,thatsometimes comesin rings,andalwayspuffswith
fireand blue color.
(p. 98)
Such vicariousexperienceattracts the girl: "Melanctha

yetfrightens
Herbertwantedverymuchto know and yetshe fearedthe knowl-
edge" (p. Ioi).
Melancthais at last teased into ascendingan unspecifiedhigh
place on a buildingsite;fromwhichshefalls. Althougha workman
catchesher,her arm is broken. Stoicallybearingthe pain, she is
takenhome whereher enragedfatherdrivesthe admiringlaborers
away and refusesto let a doctortendthe arm. These violentrites
of initiation,GertrudeStein writes,conclude Melanctha's"four
yearsof her beginningas a woman" (p. IO3). By approachinga
man too closelyMelancthahas been significantly hurt,and when,
just as he had done when he suspectedJohnthe Coachmanof lust-
ing afterhis daughter,her fatheragain bellows,"Why don't you
not to assign some
see to that girl better"(p. 103), it is difficult
hymenalmeaning to this broken arm and the father'smorbid
jealousy.
In JaneHarden, a women with "much experience"and "very
much attractedby Melanctha" (p. IO3), Melancthanow gains a
tutor. They "wander" together,Jane teachesher "wisdom" and
makes her feel "her strengthand the power of her affection"(p.
IO5). In contextthesetermsseem to functionas verbalsurrogates.
GertrudeSteinthrowsa pall of verbiageoverthewomen'srelation-
ship,but once JaneHarden accusesMelancthaof an odd sortof
infidelity:"What righthad a girllike thatto go away to othermen
and leave her. ...9
When Melanctha finallymeets JeffCampbell, she finds his
objectionsto sex couchedin the phrase"gettingexcited"(p. 121).
His main criticismof Negroesis that theyspend too much time
stimulants.Like "wandering"the word "excited"
seekingartificial
connotesmorethanjust the sexualact. It coversthe use of music,
alcohol,and narcotics,as well as an emotionallyindulgentstateof
9 P. I I 2. See also Things as They Are, where Helen, arguing with Adele, says,
"I don't thinkthereis much doubt as to who is the betterman" (p. 63).
"Melanctha" 355
mind,to implementwhat Jeff calls "thisrunningaroundbusiness"
(P. II7). Jeff'sdecent,if prim,view of life allows him to tell
Melancthaproudly:"No Miss MelancthaI certainlydo onlyknow
just two kindsof waysof loving. One kind of lovingseemsto me,
is like one has a good quiet feelingin a familywhen one does his
work,and is alwayslivinggood and being regular,and then the
otherway of loving is just like havingit like any animal that's
low in the streetstogether. . ." (p. 124). As his experiencewith
Melancthahumanizeshim, Jeffswervesto the otherextremeand
identifieshis feelingsfor Melanctha as "real religion" (p. I59).
Only aftermuch more suffering and ponderingdoes Jefflose this
venerationfor love itself,and at last experiencea "real love in
him" (p. 206).
Throughoutthe halcyon days of their affair,the theme of
"wandering"is sustained. "Melancthanow neverwandered,un-
lessshewas withJeff Campbell. Sometimesshe and he wandereda
good deal together"(p. 134). But whenthegamblerJemRichards
takes over Melanctha'slife,GertrudeStein's language turnscor-
respondingly slangier. Jemhas a "swell turn-outto drivein" (p.
218). He is called "straight"and "game" (p. 217). The sexual
references also grossen. "Melancthawas veryproud to have Jem
Richardswant her. Melancthalovedit the way Jemknew how to
do it. MelancthalovedJemand lovedthathe shouldwanther" (p.
218). "It" lacks an antecedenthere,as it usuallydoes in the last
frenetic partof Melanctha'sstory. The elusivesomethingsheneeds
and huntsforbecomessetin theabstract"it." So pathetically forced
does her attachment to Jembecomethatat one pointshe is said to
"thrustit alwaysdeepintoJemRichards"(p. 221). Usuallythough,
"it" has the teasingmannerof the will-o-the-wisp, therebut not
there. "She alwaystrustedthatJemwould come back to her,deep
in his love,theway once he had had it.... But JemRichardswas
more game than Melanctha. He knew how to fightto win out,
better. Melancthareallyhad alreadylost it, in not keepingquiet
and waitingforJemto do it" (p. 223).
"It" takes its place as one of those words GertrudeStein re-
peated endlessly-wandering,wisdom, excited, real-until they
graduallyaccumulateda fundof multiplemeaning. But she seems
to have intendedtheseverbalambiguities to mask sexualreferences
ratherthanto reveallevelsof meaning,so thattheirexploration
moreoftenthannotdoesno morethanturnup rawand grinning
fact.
III
"Melanctha"'s stylehas beensaidto possess"nothing thatdoes
not genuinely belongto the subject,"'"and it has been called
"'so photographicallyexactthatit seemsbetteradaptedto clinical
thantoartistic workin Gertrude
purposes.""Still,as a transitional
Stein'sstylistic
development, "Melanctha"achievesonlya limited
success,whichmay in part accountfor some of the uncertain
criticalinventoriestakenof it. She herselfrecognizedthisand
normally preferred to date the openingof her careerwiththe
massiveThe Mating of Americans which,unlike"Melanctha" is
of a piece. She laterdescribed
stylistically "Melanctha" 's styleas
intendedto conivey "a constant recurringand beginning. "12 As
onestageon thewaytohergoalofa literature whichcouldexpress
"a continuouspresent,"thestory "a prolonged
represented present."13
In herpeculiarly ingenuous wayGertrude Steinadmitted thather
experiment was undertaken in uncertainty:"NaturallyI knew
nothing ofa continuous presentbutitcamenaturally tometomake
one,it was simpleit was clearto me and nobodyknewwhyit was
donelike that,I did notmyself althoughnaturally to me it was
natural."'4
The courseof Melanctha's lifethenis seenthrough a madden-
inglycapricious fogofrepetition andsyntacticdislocation.Gertrude
Stein'srandompunctuation thestylistic
illustrates anarchy dominat-
ing "Melanctha."She truncates thewords"instead"and "indeed"
to suggestvernacular speech.Butif thecontraction is "'stead"on
page 152, it will be an apostropheless"stead"on page 213. The
separateversions of "'deed" and "deed"are usedto no clearend
(pp. 135, 232), and similarwhimsicality directsthe contraction
of "it is." Normallypunctuated forthe mostpart,on at least
sevenoccasionsin the standardeditionof ThreeLives,the con-
1Frederick Hoffman,The ModernNovel in America(Chicago, I95I), pp. 8I-82.
" George F. Whicher,Part IV of The Literatureof the AmericanPeople, ed. Arthur
H. Quinn (New York, I95I), p. 865.
12 Compositionas Explanation(London, I926), p. i6.
1Ibid., p. I7.
14 Ibid.
"Melanctha" 357
mayhavebeenomitted
appearsas "its."'" The apostrophe
traction
forin thelectures
intentionally, GertrudeSteingavein theUnited
ontheapostrophe:
inI934, shecommented
States
One doesdo without it,I do,I mostlyalwaysdo,butI cannotdeny
thatfrom having
timetotimeI feelmyself andfrom
regrets timetotime
do notlikeit all
case. I absolutely
I putit in to makethepossessive
alonewhenitis outsidethewordwhenthewordis plural.... butin-
sidea wordanditss wellperhapsitdoesappealbyitsweaknesstoyour
weakness."'
styleof "Melanctha"
The unsettled resultsin a distracting in-
uponverbaltexture,
sistence oftenemphasized by various kinds of
suchas puns,"He wasa patient
word-play: doctor"(p. I70); deliber-
"yourkindof kindness"(p. I76); and high-
ate awkwardnesses,
developments,
participial
spirited "It ain'tveryhardforyouto be
standingthatI ain'tveryquick to be followingwhichever way
thatyouarealwaysleading"(p. I47). Antagonistic have
critics
sinceclaimedthatthisfondness forword-playoverpowered Gertrude
it does lead to thosehighlyorganizedverbal
Stein. Nevertheless
patternswherewordsare syntactically or droppedout,
displaced,
or piledup in jams of prolixity;wheresentences and paragraphs
singcounter-melodies,and mimicand playvariations on one an-
other. In thisarea GertrudeSteinoffered ex-
valuablestylistic
amples. Evenas herpainter friendswerebeginning to drawupon
thepowersof analyticabstraction in theplasticarts,so she was
beginningtoassessthepurely formal energiesofwords.The partial
intentionthenof radicalpatterning was to forcethe readerto
acknowledge formalrelationshipsin soundand in syntax.To this
end she somteimes repeatedphrases,followingan unmistakable
sequenceof meaning, but at the sametimeweavingan intricate
verbaldesign.
AlwaysnowJeff wondered did Melanctha lovehim.
Alwaysnowhe waswondering wasMelanctha right
whenshesaid it washe . . .
WasMelanctha right
whenshesaid it washe . .
Ppp.I58, I67, I72, i8i, i88, I92, 228. They are silentlycorrected
in SelectedWrit-
ingsof GertrudeStein,ed. Carl Van Vechten(New York, I946), but are retainedin Ameri-
can Short Novels, ed. R. P. Blackmur(New York, 1960).
'6Lecturesin America (New York, I935), p. 2I6.
If she was right...
Ifshewasright...
Butno,surelyshehad ...
Surelyhe was not . . .
Surelyhe could ...
Surelyhe was not...
andthenthetorment
surely,
Surely, minute
wouldgetworseevery
in him. (pp. I77-I78)
Sometimestheformalpatternsare capableof exposingadditional

meaning. To diverther mind fromher troubles,Melancthahelps
Rose Johnsonkeep house. But Rose will not invitethe lonely,
rejectedyoungwoman to live withher:
It could nevercome to Melancthato ask Rose to let her. It nevercould
come to Melancthato thinkthatRose would ask her. It would never
evercome to Melancthato wantit,if Rose shouldask her,but Melanctha
wouldhave done it forthe safetyshe alwaysfeltwhenshe was near
her. MelancthaHerbertwantedbadlyto be safenow,but thisliving
withher,that,Rose wouldnevergiveher. Rose had strongthesense
Rose had strongthe sense for properconduct,Rose
for decentcomfort,
had strongthesenseto get straight alwayswhatshe wanted,and she
alwaysknew whatwas the bestthingshe needed,and alwaysRose
got whatshe wanted. (p. 2I5-italics mine)
This paragraphgraphicallyexpressesthe difference betweenthe

complex"Melancthaand the "shrewd,simple,
"subtle,intelligent,
selfish"Rose. Melancthais a passive elementin her sentences.
The initialphrasesconcerning
hervaryslightly witheach repetition,
and periodsisolateherthoughtsin separateunits. But Rose'smind
to thepointthreetimes,so thatas theparagraphends,
goes straight
it is perfectlyclear why Rose always got what she wanted.
Gertrude Stein also used her stylisticinnovations to convey
thematic ironies. When Jeffwrites a letterto Melanctha breaking
off their affair,his very words mock him.
And so good-byenow forgood Melanctha. I say I can nevereverreally
trustyou real Melanctha,that'sonlyjust certainlyfromyourway of not
being ever equal in your feelingto anybodyreal, Melanctha,and your
way never to know right how to remember. Many ways I really
trustyou deep Melanctha.... (p. I92)
"Melanctha" 359
Althoughhe feelsjustified in rejecting Melanctha, even as Jeff
writes, his omission of commasand his adverbial use of adjectives
conspire to insistthatMelancthais good,Melancthais real,Mel-
ancthais deep.
The mostmarkedinstance of stylefurnishing a thematic irony
liesin thedroning oftheword"certainly."
repetition The epigraph
ofThreeLives,whichis credited to JulesLaforgue, butwhichmay
be invented, is "Doncje suisun malheureux etce n'estni ma faute
ni cellede la vie." In "Melanctha" we meetan unhappycouple
specificallyengagedin "a struggle thatwas as surealwaysto be
goingon between them,as theirmindsand heartsalwayswereto
have different waysof working"(p. I53). GertrudeSteinuses
"certainly" to signalbymeansofa vernacular ticthathumanbeings
move to the inexorable rhythms ofan indifferentuniverse,no matter
whattheythink.Evenas Jeff andMelanctha insist, do
"I certainly
know,""I certainly do understand,""I certainly
do see,""I certainly
do believe," theirdestinies contradict
efficiently theirexpressions of
certainty.
Here the repetitionworks. But if at timesone can arguea
pertinent of"Melanctha,"
eccentricities
reasonforthestylistic more
oftenoneis rendered mutebytheinexplicably erratic,uneven,and
tediousprose.Perhaps thisisbecauseinrecastingtheearlier
material
of Thingsas TheyAre, Gertrude Stein triedto concealhersubject
in swirlsof verbalobscurity.Interested by theresults,she made
sporadiceffortsto developcoherentpatternsof words,buthad not
yetdiscovered a controllingrationalefortheexperiment. What-
evertheanswer, though,no morejustification existsforregarding
"Melanctha" inquirythanforpraisingit
as an achievedstylistic
to theNegro,so thoroughly
as a tribute wrackedis thestoryby
theviolentunreasonof a revolution yetto end.

Melanctha. BRIDGMAN, Richard.

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Melanctha. BRIDGMAN, Richard.

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

"Melanctha"

Author(s): Richard Bridgman

GertrudeStein's long story"Melanctha" is generallysingled

lastwordsread: " 'I am afraidit comesverynearbeinga dead-lock,'

Such vicariousexperienceattracts the girl: "Melanctha

Sometimestheformalpatternsare capableof exposingadditional

This paragraphgraphicallyexpressesthe difference betweenthe

You might also like