University:
California State University, San Marcos
Course:
ENG 301 | English Literature
Academic year:

2021
Views:

186

Pages:

1
Author:

folclord7m

“But can you imagine anybody knowing this old man, that’s raped four women?” persisted Mrs. Fletcher, and she shuddered audibly. “Did Mrs. Pike speak to him when she met him in the freak show?” Leota had begun to comb Mrs. Fletcher's hair. “..... I says, ‘I didn’t notice you fallin’ on his neck when he was the petrified man---don’t tell me you didn’t recognize your fine friend?’ (Mrs Fletcher): "Listen---don’t tell me. I’d ‘a’ felt something.” (Leota): "Four women. I guess those women didn't have the faintest notion at the time they'd be worth a hunderd an' twenty-five bucks apiece someday to Mrs. Pike. (Welty, "The Petrified Man," 379) As a reader, I am responding to this particular moment in a critical aspect. I am judging Leota in this way because this portion of the text demonstrates that Leota is a truly hypocritical and condescending figure. Leota’s character development throughout the text continues to present her as a manipulative and catty-natured woman. This passage helps show that both Leota and Mrs. Fletcher show shock and disgust toward Mrs. Pike because she did not identify the serial rapist (Mr. Petri) early on. The text subtly indicates that the big-city woman (Mrs. Pike) may have known that “The Petrified Man” was Mr. Petri all along. Mrs. Pike may have been unaware or frightened of the confirmed rapist; however, Leota and Mrs. Fletcher showed her no mercy. Leota is extremely two-faced, due to the fact that she used to be excessively admirant of Mrs. Pike; however, this admiration has transitioned to being shallow and condemning instead. The quickness in which Leota turned on her formerly attractive friend is astonishing. Additionally, Leota makes Mrs. Fletcher feel pretty, while being phony behind her back. The assumptions in the text support Leota’s vindictive and competitive nature because Leota did not receive the $500 reward for identifying the serial rapist (Mr. Petri/The Petrified Man). Leota shows no empathy toward the four rape victims, and this can allude to the idea of how deformed her moral core actually is, as well as how cruel and cynical she is in both her behavior and language. Leota seems to perceive the four victims as objects instead of human beings who have been deflected by the abusive and brutal power men can withhold. Leota can be thought of as a “freak” as well, by how she plays the victim in expressing her worthiness for the monetary reward---as though she has endured sexually violent trauma. Mrs. Fletcher is another figure in this passage who can be criticized for her judgmental persona, stemming from her hasty actions and comments against Mrs. Pike. Mrs. Fletcher quickly judges Mrs. Pike for being unaware of Mr. Petri’s wrongdoings and verbally attacks the New Orleans woman for not being precautious of the men who she engages with. These reactions may portray me as a condemning reader, due to the fact that Leota’s snide actions (against the beauty parlor women) create an unsettling vibe.