Customer Reviews

My Mortal Enemy (Vintage Classics)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This short novella (about 20,000 words, close in size to a few of Cather's longer short stories) is a concentrated study of the decline and fall of a marriage. Cather herself agreed with the assessment offered by one of her contemporary reviewers: "there is the steady rhythm of the fundamental hatred of the sexes one of the other and their irresistible attraction one of the other."

The young and idealistic Nelly Birdseye describes the marriage of Myra Driscoll, her aunt's friend, to Oswald Henshawe. Their elopement incites Myra's uncle to disown her from a considerable inheritance, and the couple alternates between mutual bliss and impoverished misery. The fragility of their relationship is further imperiled by Myra's materialism and jealousy and Oswald's indolence and philandering.

"My Mortal Enemy" is, perhaps, one of Cather's most misunderstood novels, and the author seems to have intended that the title's meaning remain ambiguous. Most readers will assume, quite reasonably, that the "mortal enemy" who inflames Myra's inevitable disillusionment is Myra herself, and the text certainly supports such a reading. Yet in correspondence to friends and other writers, Cather admitted that she "had a premonition . . . most people wouldn't [understand]" that Myra's "mortal enemy" was Oswald, since he could never satisfy the excessiveness of her devotion, both to him and to others.

Although framed by the sparsest detail to be found in Cather's fiction, the story's forlorn perspective and memorable characterizations make this one of her most powerful works.

Too often, popular knowledge of important writers is limited to one or two books which may be neither representative of the author's work as a whole nor the author's best. This is true of Willa Cather. Her early books, such as My Antonia and O Pioneers are widely read and widely praised as is, to a lesser extent a work from her final years, Death Comes to the Archbishop. There is a range of writing from Cather's middle years which may show her at her best, without the sentimintality of the earlier writings. These middle period books are, alas, not well known.

One of these books, My Mortal Enemy, is a short tightly-written tale which can be read in a single sitting or two. But its short length holds great complexity and pathos. The book is difficult to approach because it includes a largely unsympathetic heroine, Myra Henshawe.

Ms. Henshawe left small-town Illinois behind her as a young woman to marry the man she thought she loved. In so doing, she turned her back on a large inheritance. She lives the high life in New York City as the wife of a businessman. She knows writers, artists, but is incorrigibly jealous and has a sharp tounge and a biting wit.

The elderly couple find themselves in hard times and settle in San Francisco. Myra Henshawe, sharp tounged and critical as in her youth, says harsh, irrevokable things about her life and her marriage and modernistic art and culture. She returns for value to the ritualistic elements of the Catholicism of her youth, the religion of her uncle who disinherited her when she eloped.

The story is told by a third party narrator, as is My Antonia, who functions in varied ways throughout the story.

The story is about the well of bitterness, of lost sad lives, the limitations of romantic love and the tarnished heroine's view of religion as a possible source of redemption.

This novel took me by surprise. I read itright after the rather poor novel Alexander's Bridge and didn't expect much out of this one. However, Cather remains focused on her characters and develops them steadily and with a deft ablity to sketch and leave the full details to develop in the reader's mind.

She's a pretty impressive writer here and this story of aging, marital love, and fulfillment was an eye opener to me about how one's life can slip away even as you are holding on to it and *trying* to live your honest and best self.

While not especially "moving," the story did attach tendrils of feeling to that place that connects my heart to my head.

When I finished "My Mortal Enemy," I closed the book and said out loud to myself, "Wow!"

For the past year I've been reading all of Cather's novels in order. "O Pioneers" and "My Antonia" are rightly praised, but don't miss "A Lost Lady" and this gem. ("Death Comes for the Archbishop" is next on my list.)

To me, this book is a never-to-be solved mystery. What exactly went wrong between Myra and Oswald? Too passionate and dramatic a beginning?? Oswald's being stuck in work that didn't suit him? Not enough money? Pride? Materialism? Innate incompatibility? All of the above/none of the above/some combination of the above?

There are clues, but no definite answers. And that's what makes the book so lifelike, so thought-provoking, and, ultimately, so moving. Can we ever know exactly why a relationship fails? Aren't the people in the relationship as clueless (or worse) as outsiders like Nellie Birdseye, the narrator of "My Mortal Enemy"?

I don't understand exactly HOW Cather gives the reader so much in so few words. But that is part of her genius here.

A great work of literature - and there aren't many books I say that about.

Don't miss it.

Natural questions a person might have when considering whether to read this book are: What kind of work of fiction is this? Does it fit into a major category of fiction? Who is the "mortal enemy" referred to in the title? I'll address those questions in this review.

My Mortal Enemy is not a classic romance, tragedy, or melodrama. It is a narrative view, from a fallible, secondary character's perspective. Some people might be put off by the title, incorreclty inferring: "Why would I want to read a book about someone ruminating over their interactions with their mortal enemy?" I can understand that apprehension. But hopefully, if you can make it to the end of this review - you may understand both why the above inferrence is partly inaccurate, and where it is accurate - there are plenty of worthwhile and thoughful cognitive twists to make this introspective novel a thrilling read.

"My Mortal Enemy" is a novel focused on the social observations of a young person, watching a close family friend's slow cognitive journey into almost invisible and hard to describe forms of mental dysfunction. I love this book. I read through it like a thrilling page-turner. I couldn't wait to get to the end, and was not disappointed when I got there. It is brilliant, sarcastic, and wise. It shows us, if we have the eyes to perceive, the seemingly benign steps a mind takes into horrific dysfunction.

I love Cather's characterization of Oswald. Cather's rare portrayal of him as a smart and compassionate man, dealing with a spouse who does not see her own self-inflicted demises, is a rare act of literary kindness from one gender to the other. After reading her characterization of Oswald, Cather cannot be characterized as a man-hater. He is so lovingly drawn, in the regular presence of Myra's berating.

It is hard for an author to write a character more interesting than the author. All of Cather's characters are interesting - so I would have loved to have met her. Reading this novel, I sometimes think of the conversations between Myra and Nellie (the narrator) as conversations between a younger generation and an older generation. But Myra does not represent "older and wiser." She represents "older." Many people don't get smarter as they get older or after they get married, and Myra is one of those people (and it appears Avril Lavigne is one also, at least for the moment, but that's a whole nother story). Myra is intelligent. But she is also not smart enough to see where she is misguided. And she is also so tunnel-visioned and bull-headed that she will not concede where she might be wrong. And if we're going to peg her with an Achilles' Heel - an inability and general unwillingness to change has to be near the top of the list of the reasons for most of her follies.

In some ways, Cather's 'My Antonia' can be thought of a young person's recollection and observations of what happens to first loves. 'My Mortal Enemy' can be thought of as a young person's discovery of how some people so easily make so many enemies. Some people are good at drawing many lovers to them. Others, like Myra and her father, are exceptional at creating enemies - even of the people closest to them. And the novel examines the social constructs and personality traits that easily create enemies.

This paragraph discusses the title of "My Mortal Enemy" and to what the title may be referring, so if you want to read the book before knowing the ending, please read the rest of this review thereafter. Who is the "My" referring to - in the title "My Mortal Enemy?" I think it can be read as several people. It could be a general "My," representing anyone. It could also specifically refer to Willa Cather, Nellie (the narrator), or Myra. Her name is "My"ra. And twice, at key plot places in the book (p. 78 and the final sentence), she says, "Why must I die like this, alone with my mortal enemy?" From Myra's perspective, she perceives Oswald to be her mortal enemy. I believe the title is intended to be interpreted in all the above ways.

So who is the "mortal enemy?" It could be most easily interpreted as Oswald. But it could also be interpeted as Myra's father who disowned and disinherited her. But I think Cather was smarter than either of those singular interpretations. This book was not intended to be some melodrama or whodunnit, where the protagonist whispers the killer's name in her dying breath. No, this is a book examining larger social and cultural rules and the real and damaging consequences of those boundaries.

Cather's lead characters are not known for their ability to adapt. Neither Antonia nor Myra are able to really see what may have held them back their whole lives. They are both brilliant, individual personalities and beauties. And it is not accurate to suggest Cather is like Thomas Hardy and is simply composing plots where no matter how hard the female leads try, fate seems to batter them down into their pre-ordained destinies. No, Cather's has more intelligent and modern perspectives. Cather wants to show the joys that are crushed by the combination of dominant social rules AND the women who follow them without questioning. Sometimes older generations, as they get older, think they have everything figured out. Myra is an example of this type of person. And Cather uses her as an example of an intelligent person who is also a fool, a fool who thinks all her enemies are the people around her, when tragically, her greatest enemy is her own thoughts, boundaries, and treatment of others.

Myra's mortal enemy is Myra.

As the book nears the end, Myra turns increasingly insentive and hostile toward Nellie, Oswald, and everyone else. She only shows mercy to her dead fatherly guardian, who never adopted her. But even her words toward him are cruel to everyone else - as she suggests he is worthy of mercy while all those who have cared for her daily for years are not worth her understanding, love or compassion.

The book implies Oswald may have had an affair with someone else after marrying Myra. But whether he did or not, is not Cather's great concern. Cather wants to stress that Myra's suspicion of Oswald's sexual or amorous feelings towards anyone else is a dominant basis for her hatred of him. Myra relies on her assumption that if Oswald ever loved another person after they married, then in Myra's moral reasoning, he should be her enemy. This charming, hard working, and loving man, who gave her years of love and compassion doing work he hated, to give her many ornate things he never wanted, is discarded and exiled from her affections. She takes extraordinary efforts to abandon him in the end to die alone.

Cather wants people to consider everything and to think for themselves. She wants people to look at the weight of these character's actions over their entire lifetimes and measure those against individual, exclusive moral standards. Cather shows us the fruit of Myra's and her father's (John's) hatreds and mistreatment of those close to them. Cather shows us what happens when some people require their loves to only love and follow them exclusively. According to several biographical accounts, Cather lived most of her adult life in love with a person who was married to another. Her writings often focus on related universal social concerns.

My Mortal Enemy is Cathers shortest novel and a bitter one as well.This is the story of the marriage of Oswald and Myra Hemshawe as told through the mind and eyes of Nellie Birdseye whose aunt is a good friend of Myras. The two of them visit the Hemshawes inNew York and Nellie sees trouble because Oswald is indolent and gracious to all and Myra is materialistic and extremely jealous. The question is who is Myras mortal enemy is it herself is it Oswald or is it life itself The ambiguity and the well developed character of Myra are the novels strengths. Her nastiness is offputting and more devoplment of Oswald would make the book even better than it is but I give it 4stars

This little novel seems to have all the components of great American fiction. Using simple vocabulary and short, tight sentences, the author has written an intriging book. There is equal importance encased in what is spoken and what is not spoken. The reader is introduced to complex characters that provoke thoughts long after the work is finished. With plain words, a phrase can convey a lifetime of truth. Read it slowly and savor the art that goes into a short piece of writing.

Willa Cather has gone deep into the minds, feelings, emotions of her characters. This short novella packs quite a wallop. The novella is seen through the eyes of Nellie Birdseye. She first meets Myra Henshawe when she is fifteen, Myra forty-five though she has always known about this lady. Myra is gossiped about by her mother and aunts so Nellie feels as though she has always known the lady. Her Aunt Lydia stays friends with Myra and goes often to New York City to visit her friend. Nellie is a favorite of Aunt Lydia who has only sons. Myra Henshawe makes only one visit to Parthia, a small town in southern Illinois and Aunt Lydia is anxious for her neice to meet her good friend.

Gossip is about Myra's elopement with Oswalk Henshawe. Myra, an orphan, has been raised by her very wealthy bachelor uncle, John Driscoll a devout Catholic. John Driscoll does a good job of spoiling his neice, his pride and joy. Myra is a pretty and popular girl. Both uncle and neice are fond of each other and both are very much alike.

Then Myra meets Oswald Henshawe. Her uncle takes a great dislike to the young man and tells his neice if she marries this man he would cut her off. She is to inherit two thirds of uncle's estate, one third is to go to the church. Myra's elopement is the talk of the town for many years. Uncle did what he promised he would do. His lovely home becomes a convent.

Myra and her husband move to New York City to a nice apartment. Nellie and Aunt Lydia visit the couple in their apartment. Nellie is impressed with their lifestyle. She delights in her New York visit. Myra loves people especially those in the arts who she invites to parties in her home. She cultivates the wealthy in order to promote her husband in his job. Oswald works as a secretary for a tycoon a job he doesn't like. He is an attractive man who likes the ladies and they like him. He would have liked to be a soldier of fortune or an adventurer, but he loves his wife who gave up a fortune for him and he wants to give her whatever she wants. Nellie finds that Myra can be two different people, the nicest, kindest person one can meet, then the meanest, most hateful one can meet.

Ten years pass. Things have changed. Nellie is living in a new, but poorly built apartment hotel in a large California city. She has taken a position as a teacher and is poorly paid. But she is young and her life can change. Surprisingly she runs into the Henshawes who have come down on their luck. They are also living in this residence of losers, of those of broken dreams. Myra is sick and in a wheelchair. Oswald must wait on her hand and foot and do all of the housework, Nellie comes in to help them out. Then Myra contracts cancer. There is a place along the beach she loves and wants to see it at dawn just as the sun comes up. She drags herself to this loved place and dies.

So who is the mortal enemy? Is it Myra who gave up a life of luxury to marry the man she loves? Is it Oswald who took her away from wealth to middle class to poverty? But Oswald has given up a life of adventure to work as a secretary in an office in order to give his wife what she wanted. Myra loved material things and wants to be surrounded by beautiful objects. And to the end Myra always regretted hurting her uncle who she had loved, old rascal that he was, and who she was so much like. Plus she could have been a help to young struggling artists who she so much admired. Or is the mortal enemy life itself that takes and beats people down, destroys dreams and hopes, steals from them youth, health and beauty?

Oswald dies sever years later in Alaska, one of the places he had always wanted to visit. Willa Cather has written a great book as she usually does.

Really enjoyed this book. It is only a very short book, but but a serious essay on what really ultimately matters.

MY MORTAL ENEMY by Willa Cather (one of my favorite authors) is about a couple who get married despite the concerns of others. Things do not go as wonderfully as they hoped, but at the end of the day, not as awfully everyone expected.

To say that this couple had a strange but profound way of loving each other is not giving away the story. Absorbing the nuances of such love can only be accomplished by reading the book yourself.