One of the themes that really stuck out to me in this first half of the book was this idea of an inherent classism in Vandover’s world. It is clear that his role as an upper class citizen, or social elite, has afforded him certain privileges, such as being able to essentially automatically attend Harvard, and then being able to become a “painter”. (Although he doesn’t have to rely on his painting abilities to make any money, unlike Ida’s mother.)
Coincidentally, his social status somehow absolves him from any wrong doing. When he essentially lusts after women of a lower social standing, his sexual attraction to them somehow becomes their problem. At the same time, their mere existence actually disgusts him. Specifically for Ida, the possibility that Vandover impregnated her becomes her family’s disgrace rather than his shame (even though he later admits to pressuring her into sex).
In terms of accountability, his social status saves him from any kind of persecution related to Ida’s suicide or the murder of the Jew boy (even though others were persecuted for letting him drown).
I agree and think this is essential to understanding Vandover as a character. One thing I noticed while reading the story is the way Vandover thinks in chapter 8 after Ida’s suicide, versus how he is described earlier on in chapters 3 and 5.
Fram Chapter 3:
“Vandover was self-indulgent—he loved these sensuous pleasures, he loved to eat good things, he loved to be warm, he loved to sleep. He hated to be bored and worried—he liked to have a good time.”
From Chapter 5:
“That certain little weakness of Vandover’s character, his self-indulgence, had brought him to such a point that he thought he had to be amused. If his painting amused him, very good; if not, he found something else that would.”
From Chapter 8:
“That was it, begin all over again. He had never seen more clearly than now that other life which it was possible for him to live, a life that was above the level of self-indulgence and animal pleasures, a life that was not made up of the society of lost women or fast girls, but yet a life of keen enjoyment.”
His coping mechanism and response to most everything, clearly, is simply turning to indulgence. One of the things I was thinking about is the difference between what the narrator knows about Vandover, and what Vandover knows about himself. In the first and second quotes, the narrator is describing Vandover’s want for self-indulgence. In the second, the narrator is describing Vandover’s realization that he wants and needs a life for self-indulgence. Perhaps, especially after our discussion last class, I’m looking too much into the role of the narrator, but for some reason repetition of “self-indulgent” stuck out to me. I suppose it’s because the self-indulgence manifests itself in Vandover is so many different ways. It goes from getting whatever he wants to eat to sexual exploitation. I think this reinforced the idea that for Vandover these things are all the same. When you want something you just take it, no matter what it is. This repetition is incredibly effective, and I think shows a lot about Vandover as a character.
Alexander brings up at really great point about inherent classism in this narrative, and I wanted to point out something else that really solidifies this sense of classism for me. Vandover—whether he’s aware of it or whether this is an observation that the narrator chooses to share—creates a problematic dichotomy of good/bad women, and identifies the women in his life by pairing the good/bad with the upper/lower classes. To him, any woman of low class is fair game for sexual exploitation because she is somehow low enough not to count, whereas Turner and the other upper class women automatically receive more outward respect from Vandover. (It’s hard to argue that he respects any woman though, because of the way he deceives Turner about their engagement.) It also really bothered me that Vandover uses his ‘artistic sensibilities’ to justify his different passions for women. At one point the narrator writes: “It was the sensitive artist nature in him that responded instantly to anything sensuously attractive. Each kind and class of beautiful women could arouse in Vandover passions of equal force, though of far different kind.” Vandover reserves his admiration and ‘respectful appreciation’ for women of the upper class and his sensuous, lustful passion for lower class women. Additionally, the second class women during the shipwreck scene evoke disgust rather than pity, showing that even in a crisis, Vandover sees and judges women according to their social standing.