Reveries of a bachelor is a day dream, a man imaging his life in different situations of enjoying or not enjoying a wife. Almost taking us through a pros and cons of why he is not married, or how it would feel to be married. In a way I see him taking on three different avatars throughout the reverie, living in three different realities.
In the first, he takes on the avatar of himself, but himself in a married life with a wife that he does not like. He makes many complaints about her, she reads too much, she doesn't cook well, she does not wait up for him at work, she does not like him. All these relate to one big theme of she doesn't like him more than she likes all these other things and he wants her full devotion. This avatar he does not enjoy particularly but it gives him the opportunity to imagine this reality and see how different it is from his natural state.
His next avatar he takes on himself as well, but with a companion that he loves, and that loves him. He sees his wife as loving him and only him, completely attentive to him and he is happy for the company. He remarks that it would be nice to have someone to sit beside the fire with and to talk to about his work and his day. He enjoys this avatar immensely, imagining her there at his death caressing his forehead as he dies, and just enjoying not being alone. This avatar allows him to see himself in a scenario where he would enjoy marriage.
His next avatar he again takes on marriage, and he loves his wife, but his whole family is dying! its awful, first his daughter, and then his son and eventually his beloved wife. He is so distraught losing everything he loves in that that moment and being alone again watching his wife die. However since it just an avatar, a daydream, he is able to wake from it and be sitting next to his fire, petting his dog.
I think it is interesting how once again you must return to reality after all, you cannot stay in that dream world. He was able to experience and live through all those different realities but in the end he is going to stay a bachelor living alone in his big house, because that is his reality and that is what he enjoys.
In the first, he takes on the avatar of himself, but himself in a married life with a wife that he does not like. He makes many complaints about her, she reads too much, she doesn't cook well, she does not wait up for him at work, she does not like him. All these relate to one big theme of she doesn't like him more than she likes all these other things and he wants her full devotion. This avatar he does not enjoy particularly but it gives him the opportunity to imagine this reality and see how different it is from his natural state.
His next avatar he takes on himself as well, but with a companion that he loves, and that loves him. He sees his wife as loving him and only him, completely attentive to him and he is happy for the company. He remarks that it would be nice to have someone to sit beside the fire with and to talk to about his work and his day. He enjoys this avatar immensely, imagining her there at his death caressing his forehead as he dies, and just enjoying not being alone. This avatar allows him to see himself in a scenario where he would enjoy marriage.
His next avatar he again takes on marriage, and he loves his wife, but his whole family is dying! its awful, first his daughter, and then his son and eventually his beloved wife. He is so distraught losing everything he loves in that that moment and being alone again watching his wife die. However since it just an avatar, a daydream, he is able to wake from it and be sitting next to his fire, petting his dog.
I think it is interesting how once again you must return to reality after all, you cannot stay in that dream world. He was able to experience and live through all those different realities but in the end he is going to stay a bachelor living alone in his big house, because that is his reality and that is what he enjoys.
This is great, Anna. It's so interesting that considering these women to be avatars really foregrounds their expendability.
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