As for Me and My House
In 1941 Canadian author Sinclair Ross published As for Me and My House, a tale about an unhappy pair, a Protestant minister and his wife, who live and work in a small rural Canadian town, Horizon, where inhabitants and the local economy suffer from the Depression. The small novel was released to very little fanfare and gathered dust on bookstore shelves. The failure of Ross' novel might have been due to its timing. In 1941 Canadians may have been too preoccupied with a menacing world war to read about the years of poverty they were slowly escaping from. Or perhaps the unique style of "As for Me and My House" (it's composed entirely of diary entries from the minister's wife) stifled sales. Nevertheless, the novel slowly gained a following and by 1970 Ross was regarded as one of the best Canadian novelists.
Today, As for Me and My House is a staple for many college lit classes and is often compared to John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" for its portrayal of how poverty and a cruel nature can bend the spirits of those who suffer the twin afflictions. The story concerns Rev. Philip Bentley and his wife (whose first name is never mentioned). Philip has just received orders to Horizons, a dusty town withering under the Depression. From his wife's diaries, we learn of Philip's bitterness (he's a frustrated artist), his contempt and loathing for the towns' fussy church-goers, and his frequent callousness toward and withdrawal from his wife. Conversely, the life of his wife (the narrator) is one of despair. She's unable to draw Philip into her life, and is also unhappy with their pinched existence and the boring repetition of the same towns Philip preaches in. She also is blessed with artistic talent at the piano, and it particularly hurts her that her playing, which attracted Philip to her, can no longer move him.
"It's difficult at times anyway, just two people in a house, They become sensitive to each other; a sullen or irritable mood always communicates itself," writes Mrs. Bentley. All through the novel, the diary entries convey, subtly and openly, how much Philip wants a child. His wife only bore one â stillborn. Philip's mood is often conveyed in his drawings of the townspeople; he sketches them as mean, pinched figures with small eyes. One certainly wouldn't blame Philip or his wife for loathing their parishioners. Most of the town's church congregation are either shallow or mean-spirited cardboard characters who seem similar to the cast from Sinclair Lewis' Elmer Gantry. There's Mrs. Finley, the self-righteous Ladies Aid leader with brats for children; Mrs. Ellingson, who offers friendship in order to improve her own social status; Judith West, a pretty single girl in the choir who meets with tragedy as a result of a sexual indiscretion with Philip; and the comical Mrs. Bird, who although very pretentious comes the closest among the town's women to offer friendship to Mrs. Bentley.
One friend Mrs. Bentley makes is Paul, a schoolteacher who is also an amateur philologist (a lover of words). They remain friends through the novel, but gradually their relationship cools as Paul is unable to draw Philip to friendship. Philip is ruthless in his sometimes loathing for his wife. After their plan to adopt a boy fails, he deliberately ruins a young woman (Judith) in order to eventually adopt her bastard child. Unaware that his wife knows of the plan, he hypocritically accuses her of having a crush on Paul. Although the narrator loves her husband and puts up with adultery to keep him, Philip is one of the most loathsome characters in literature. Ross has created a selfish, self-pitying, angry, bitter hypocrite. What's ironic is this portrayal comes directly from the observations of his wife, who loves him. As for Me and My House may take place during the Depression, but it's mostly a tale about loneliness, and wanting to mean something to somebody. Ross' prose conveys that emotion very well, and the reader will admire the narrator for her emotional survival, while deploring her choice of a mate.