From the archives
Richard
Yates wrote two of my favorite novels, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD and THE
EASTER PARADE, but he also wrote this fabulous collection of ten short
stories (among others). Written in the fifties "The Best of Everything"
almost seems like a story written earlier. Were people in their twenties
this naive? This innocent? I have to assume some were.
It is
the story of a couple on the day before their marriage is to take place
in Atlantic City. The point of view switches between the two of them
and you can't help but notice how drastically different they are from
each other once you are in their heads. You also realize they don't know
each other at all and that their marriage will probably fail quickly.
The
woman is a typical middle class young woman working as a secretary. She
speaks well and is respected in her office. The man is a step or two
down the socioeconomic ladder and has a poor grasp of English, which the
woman's roommate makes her constantly aware of, calling he and his
friends, "Ratty little clerks."
But for whatever reason, Grace
goes forward with the marriage plans although we sense her worry. Her
roommate, feeling badly about the things she has said about Eddie,
leaves her alone the night before the wedding and Grace plans an early
consummation, feeling this will set things right.
But Eddie
has been the man of the hour with his friends at a bachelor party and he
is stunned by their good will. You get the feeling he has never been
the center of attention before this night. He hurries to Grace's
apartment to tell her he is going back to the party and her attempt to
seduce him goes to naught.
We understand now that Eddie will
always choose his friends over his wife and that will destroy their
marriage quickly. She goes so far to put his hand on her naked breast.
Nothing.
There is a lot of discussion online about this
story. One teacher said it was the cause of a female student in his
class dumping her boyfriend. Yates' real gift here is capturing the mind
and language of both characters so clearly and with sympathy. Eddie is
not a bad man and Grace is not a snob, but they certainly don't belong
together. They seem to have reached an age when they believe it is time
to marry no matter to whom.
Here is a nice piece
by Stewart O'Nan pondering the fate of the writing of Richard Yates. He
had an unhappy life and an undeserved disappearance from the shelves.
His resurgence in the early nineties quickly died out. A real shame.
George Kelley
Jerry House
TracyK
