William Dean Howells's Short Story 'Editha'

The story begins by introducing the two main characters who are Editha Balcom and George Gearson. Editha begins the story by gazing at George, who is walking towards her house from the avenue, once George reaches her he informs her that a war is starting. After kissing, both George and Editha express their polar opposite opinions about the war. Editha expresses her thoughts of the war as something good for the country and George thinks of it as unnecessary bloodshed. However, Editha’s excitement for the war does not truly stem from a feeling of patriotism, but more from an inner desire concerning George. In William Dean Howells’s short story “Editha,” Editha Balcom is motivated by her desire to have George Gearson become the “perfect” man. Early in the story Editha is absolutely thrilled that a war is going to occur and more importantly is excited by the idea of George going to fight in the war. Editha expresses her somewhat shallow opinion of her fiancé George, who is not quite good enough and in her words “very nearly perfect” (Howells 3). Editha believes that George should “be allowed to perfect himself” and this goal could be accomplished by George joining the war efforts (Howells 1). Editha’s desire for perfection is so …show more content…
At the time in which the short story takes place masculinity was looked upon from a much different viewpoint than it is in the modern day (Johnston 249). A man in this time had many duties, of these many duties only a few have continued to still be expected from a man in modern day. Christopher F. Johnston states in his critique of “Editha” that “the man she intends to marry is not in her eyes a ‘real man’” and this issue of manliness must be addressed before the two wed. The idea of George not being a ‘real man’ is one of, but not the major blockade preventing him from attaining Editha’s idea of perfection (Johnston