Analytical Analysis Of Astronomer's Wife, By Kay Boyle
Lauren Parent
Foundations of Literature Study
Dr. Paniccia Carden
February 18, 2014
Analytical Essay of Astronomer’s Wife “Astronomer’s Wife, by Kay Boyle, is an enlightening story of a woman, Mrs. Katharine Ames, who is very much alone in the world she exists in. Her husband, an astronomer, is a man who is not fulfilling her emotional needs, due to the love and devotion he has for his profession. Due to her state of vulnerability and emotional distress, a plumber who visits the villa of Mrs. Ames and Mr. Ames demonstrates characteristics which cause Mrs. Ames to think of how little her husband is connected to her. She ultimately leads herself to believe men are either of the mind or of the body. “Astronomer’s Wife” demonstrates the distinctions of humans between their physical nature and the need to stimulate their intellectual desires through …show more content…
the characters of the story. While reading “Astronomer’s Wife”, the reader is able to sense Mrs. Ames, informally known as Katherine, is lacking an emotional connect to her husband. The story begins with Mrs. Ames waking up while her husband is still sleeping soundly next to her. Boyle notes of their absence of each other throughout the day. “Although scarcely ever out of sight of the impenetrable silence of his brow, she would be absent from him all the day in being clean, busy, kind” (Boyle 62). As the plumber arrives, Mrs. Ames repeats her name softly three times to him, which is a sign she is disconnected from her title as a wife to the astronomer. As Mrs. Ames is leading the plumber down to the flood, which had accumulated in the house due to a drain problem, Mr. Ames calls out to his wife for help. Mrs. Ames ignores the astronomer because she is much interested in the nature of the plumber’s business. She agrees to go down into the drains with the plumber to inspect the problem, but before she walks down in the trap she notices his strong features and his handsome body structures, which, not only causes her to become even more dissatisfied with her husband, but also allows her to conclude two opinions of mankind and human nature. “Whereas her husband had always gone up, as the dead go, she knew now that there were others who went down . . . That men were then divided into two bodies now seems clear to Mrs. Ames . . . Her husband was the mind, this other man the meat, of all mankind” (Boyle 65). Mrs. Ames is comparing her husband and the plumber and illustrates him as a human who is, “. . . a man of other things, a dreamer” (Boyle 62). Mrs. Ames is longing for her husband to be a man more like the person the plumber is, a man of emotion and physicality. Mr. Ames is a man whose interests mainly revolve around the stimulation of his mind. His wife, Katherine, describes him as someone who tends to dream and likes to explore places of a higher elevation. “He likes going up. On the roof. Or on the mountains. He’s been up on the tops of them many times” (Boyle 64). This description of Mr. Ames alludes at the fact he is not so interested in his wife, but more so only to his leisure’s and studies. The reader only encounters Mr. Ames once, which is when he calls out for Katherine while she is helping the plumber discover the drain complication. “Katherine! There’s a problem worthy of your mettle!” (Boyle 64). As the outcome of this dialogue, Mr. Ames insinuates to the reader he is only interested in the company of Mrs. Ames when an issue arrives he cannot solve for himself, as if he is incapable of solving problems which occur down on earth. Therefore, instead of being one to enjoy the physical natures of humans, he instead contradicts physical human nature and delights in the joys of the heavens. The plumber, a man utterly opposite of the astronomer, arrives to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ames to alleviate a drainage problem, but yet seems to stir the desires of Mrs. Ames. He is a direct representation of a human’s physical nature. Mrs. Ames notices the qualities of his body and describes a few of his features in detail. “The astronomer’s wife saw his lean cheeks, his high, rugged bones, and the deep seams in his brow. His flesh was as firm and clean as wood, stained richly tan with the climate’s rigor” (Boyle 64). Not only does she admire his embodiment and morale, but she dotes on the fact he pays attention to her. The plumber prefers to be a man who stays on the ground, and because of this quality he notices the state of being Mrs. Ames is experiencing. Upon his arrival to the villa, the plumber becomes aware to the softness of Mrs. Ames voice, as well as a few other traits she possesses. “[Mrs. Ames] was a youngish woman, but this she had forgotten. The mystery and silence of her husband’s mind lay like a chiding finger on her lips. Her eyes were grey, for the light had been extinguished in them” (Boyle 63). The plumber becomes interested in Mrs. Ames during their short time spent together, and he in fact hints to his interest at the end of the story. Just as Mrs. Ames decides she wants to go down to the drains with him, leaving her husband behind to be alone with matters of the heavens, the plumber shares with her a story in which he was able to remedy a problem at hand. “I once had a cow that lost her cud, but I made her another in no time, out of flowers and things and what-not.” (Boyle 65). This dialogue shared with Mrs. Ames is the plumber’s subtle way of telling her that he wishes to fulfill her earthly, physical desires. Throughout the story of “Astronomer’s Wife,” the reader is enlightened by the desires of Mrs.
Katherine Ames, the wife to an astronomer who seems to be more interested in his profession than his marriage. Because of the astronomers disconnect to Mrs. Ames, she is delighted by the physical features and virtues of a plumber who visits her villa due to a pipe dilemma. Their visit together awakens a part of Mrs. Ames emotional senses, which have been set aside for quite some time. During the time they spend together, Mrs. Ames and the plumber dance among a dangerous path, becoming more and more interested in each other as each person discovers amiable qualities each person possesses. Mrs. Ames begins to compare her husband to the plumber, and ultimately gives in to the physical being of the plumber who is the one person who she has been waiting for to render to her state of well-being by stimulating her emotional needs. Since the astronomer is a man who would much rather prosper from philosophical and intellectual research, Mrs. Ames finds solace in the man the plumber is, an expert in the physical nature of human
beings.
Works Cited
Boyle, Kay. “Astronomer’s Wife.” Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008. 62-65. Print.
Analytical Essay Evaluation Rubric
Review essay for specific comments Thesis and Ideas
Support
Organization
Style and Mechanics
Citation and Format thesis is clear and concrete essay presents ideas in clear and compelling terms essay displays mastery of text(s) essay remains focused on thesis essay uses literary terms and concepts correctly and competently
the essay’s thesis is effectively supported with appropriate and persuasive evidence from the text(s) evidence is incorporated smoothly and grammatically essay contains no textual mis-readings or factual errors textual materials are correctly attributed the essay is logically structured for a smooth flow of ideas relationships between ideas are clear and logical transitional words and sentences lead from one idea to the next paragraphs are unified and coherent the essay demonstrates command of the conventions of standard written English sentences are varied, clearly structured, and carefully focused sentences are neither long and rambling nor short and choppy prose is clear and precise few (if any) errors in spelling, punctuation, syntax and grammar the essay contains no lapses in proper quotation and paraphrase citations are correctly formatted according to MLA style all necessary bibliographic information is provided entries on bibliography are correctly formatted according to MLA style essay adheres to MLA document design specifications
S G F P
S G F P
S G F P
S G F P
S G F P S: Superior G: Good F: Fair P: Poor Grade:
Foundations of Literature Study
Dr. Paniccia Carden
February 18, 2014
Analytical Essay of Astronomer’s Wife “Astronomer’s Wife, by Kay Boyle, is an enlightening story of a woman, Mrs. Katharine Ames, who is very much alone in the world she exists in. Her husband, an astronomer, is a man who is not fulfilling her emotional needs, due to the love and devotion he has for his profession. Due to her state of vulnerability and emotional distress, a plumber who visits the villa of Mrs. Ames and Mr. Ames demonstrates characteristics which cause Mrs. Ames to think of how little her husband is connected to her. She ultimately leads herself to believe men are either of the mind or of the body. “Astronomer’s Wife” demonstrates the distinctions of humans between their physical nature and the need to stimulate their intellectual desires through …show more content…
the characters of the story. While reading “Astronomer’s Wife”, the reader is able to sense Mrs. Ames, informally known as Katherine, is lacking an emotional connect to her husband. The story begins with Mrs. Ames waking up while her husband is still sleeping soundly next to her. Boyle notes of their absence of each other throughout the day. “Although scarcely ever out of sight of the impenetrable silence of his brow, she would be absent from him all the day in being clean, busy, kind” (Boyle 62). As the plumber arrives, Mrs. Ames repeats her name softly three times to him, which is a sign she is disconnected from her title as a wife to the astronomer. As Mrs. Ames is leading the plumber down to the flood, which had accumulated in the house due to a drain problem, Mr. Ames calls out to his wife for help. Mrs. Ames ignores the astronomer because she is much interested in the nature of the plumber’s business. She agrees to go down into the drains with the plumber to inspect the problem, but before she walks down in the trap she notices his strong features and his handsome body structures, which, not only causes her to become even more dissatisfied with her husband, but also allows her to conclude two opinions of mankind and human nature. “Whereas her husband had always gone up, as the dead go, she knew now that there were others who went down . . . That men were then divided into two bodies now seems clear to Mrs. Ames . . . Her husband was the mind, this other man the meat, of all mankind” (Boyle 65). Mrs. Ames is comparing her husband and the plumber and illustrates him as a human who is, “. . . a man of other things, a dreamer” (Boyle 62). Mrs. Ames is longing for her husband to be a man more like the person the plumber is, a man of emotion and physicality. Mr. Ames is a man whose interests mainly revolve around the stimulation of his mind. His wife, Katherine, describes him as someone who tends to dream and likes to explore places of a higher elevation. “He likes going up. On the roof. Or on the mountains. He’s been up on the tops of them many times” (Boyle 64). This description of Mr. Ames alludes at the fact he is not so interested in his wife, but more so only to his leisure’s and studies. The reader only encounters Mr. Ames once, which is when he calls out for Katherine while she is helping the plumber discover the drain complication. “Katherine! There’s a problem worthy of your mettle!” (Boyle 64). As the outcome of this dialogue, Mr. Ames insinuates to the reader he is only interested in the company of Mrs. Ames when an issue arrives he cannot solve for himself, as if he is incapable of solving problems which occur down on earth. Therefore, instead of being one to enjoy the physical natures of humans, he instead contradicts physical human nature and delights in the joys of the heavens. The plumber, a man utterly opposite of the astronomer, arrives to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ames to alleviate a drainage problem, but yet seems to stir the desires of Mrs. Ames. He is a direct representation of a human’s physical nature. Mrs. Ames notices the qualities of his body and describes a few of his features in detail. “The astronomer’s wife saw his lean cheeks, his high, rugged bones, and the deep seams in his brow. His flesh was as firm and clean as wood, stained richly tan with the climate’s rigor” (Boyle 64). Not only does she admire his embodiment and morale, but she dotes on the fact he pays attention to her. The plumber prefers to be a man who stays on the ground, and because of this quality he notices the state of being Mrs. Ames is experiencing. Upon his arrival to the villa, the plumber becomes aware to the softness of Mrs. Ames voice, as well as a few other traits she possesses. “[Mrs. Ames] was a youngish woman, but this she had forgotten. The mystery and silence of her husband’s mind lay like a chiding finger on her lips. Her eyes were grey, for the light had been extinguished in them” (Boyle 63). The plumber becomes interested in Mrs. Ames during their short time spent together, and he in fact hints to his interest at the end of the story. Just as Mrs. Ames decides she wants to go down to the drains with him, leaving her husband behind to be alone with matters of the heavens, the plumber shares with her a story in which he was able to remedy a problem at hand. “I once had a cow that lost her cud, but I made her another in no time, out of flowers and things and what-not.” (Boyle 65). This dialogue shared with Mrs. Ames is the plumber’s subtle way of telling her that he wishes to fulfill her earthly, physical desires. Throughout the story of “Astronomer’s Wife,” the reader is enlightened by the desires of Mrs.
Katherine Ames, the wife to an astronomer who seems to be more interested in his profession than his marriage. Because of the astronomers disconnect to Mrs. Ames, she is delighted by the physical features and virtues of a plumber who visits her villa due to a pipe dilemma. Their visit together awakens a part of Mrs. Ames emotional senses, which have been set aside for quite some time. During the time they spend together, Mrs. Ames and the plumber dance among a dangerous path, becoming more and more interested in each other as each person discovers amiable qualities each person possesses. Mrs. Ames begins to compare her husband to the plumber, and ultimately gives in to the physical being of the plumber who is the one person who she has been waiting for to render to her state of well-being by stimulating her emotional needs. Since the astronomer is a man who would much rather prosper from philosophical and intellectual research, Mrs. Ames finds solace in the man the plumber is, an expert in the physical nature of human
beings.
Works Cited
Boyle, Kay. “Astronomer’s Wife.” Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Robert DiYanni. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2008. 62-65. Print.
Analytical Essay Evaluation Rubric
Review essay for specific comments Thesis and Ideas
Support
Organization
Style and Mechanics
Citation and Format thesis is clear and concrete essay presents ideas in clear and compelling terms essay displays mastery of text(s) essay remains focused on thesis essay uses literary terms and concepts correctly and competently
the essay’s thesis is effectively supported with appropriate and persuasive evidence from the text(s) evidence is incorporated smoothly and grammatically essay contains no textual mis-readings or factual errors textual materials are correctly attributed the essay is logically structured for a smooth flow of ideas relationships between ideas are clear and logical transitional words and sentences lead from one idea to the next paragraphs are unified and coherent the essay demonstrates command of the conventions of standard written English sentences are varied, clearly structured, and carefully focused sentences are neither long and rambling nor short and choppy prose is clear and precise few (if any) errors in spelling, punctuation, syntax and grammar the essay contains no lapses in proper quotation and paraphrase citations are correctly formatted according to MLA style all necessary bibliographic information is provided entries on bibliography are correctly formatted according to MLA style essay adheres to MLA document design specifications
S G F P
S G F P
S G F P
S G F P
S G F P S: Superior G: Good F: Fair P: Poor Grade: