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Appearance

Excerpt ​

Excerpt from Buttered Side Down: Stories, by Edna Ferber

The walk in front of Pearlie's house was guarded by a row of big trees
that cast kindly shadows. The strolling couples used to step gratefully
into the embrace of these shadows, and from them into other embraces.
Pearlie, sitting on the porch, could see them dimly, although they could
not see her. She could not help remarking that these strolling couples
were strangely lacking in sprightly conversation. Their remarks were but
fragmentary, disjointed affairs, spoken in low tones with a queer,
tremulous note in them. When they reached the deepest, blackest,
kindliest shadow, which fell just before the end of the row of trees, the
strolling couples almost always stopped, and then there came a quick
movement, and a little smothered cry from the girl, and then a sound, and
then a silence. Pearlie, sitting alone on the porch in the dark,
listened to these things and blushed furiously. Pearlie had never
strolled into the kindly shadows with a little beating of the heart, and
she had never been surprised with a quick arm about her and eager lips
pressed warmly against her own.

In the daytime Pearlie worked as public stenographer at the Burke Hotel.
She rose at seven in the morning, and rolled for fifteen minutes, and lay
on her back and elevated her heels in the air, and stood stiff-kneed
while she touched the floor with her finger tips one hundred times, and
went without her breakfast. At the end of each month she usually found
that she weighed three pounds more than she had the month before.

The folks at home never joked with Pearlie about her weight. Even one's
family has some respect for a life sorrow. Whenever Pearlie asked that
inevitable question of the fat woman: "Am I as fat as she is?" her
mother always answered: "You! Well, I should hope not! You're looking
real peaked lately, Pearlie. And your blue skirt just ripples in the
back, it's getting so big for you."

Explanation ​

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Buttered Side Down by Edna Ferber ​

Context of the Source ​

Edna Ferber (1885–1968) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist and short story writer known for her sharp social commentary, strong female protagonists, and keen observations of early 20th-century American life. Buttered Side Down (1912) is a collection of short stories that often explore themes of loneliness, societal expectations, and the quiet struggles of ordinary women. Ferber’s work frequently critiques the constraints placed on women, particularly in terms of marriage, beauty standards, and economic independence.

This excerpt introduces Pearlie, a young woman whose life is marked by isolation, unfulfilled romantic longing, and societal pressure regarding her appearance. The passage contrasts Pearlie’s internal world—her desires, frustrations, and self-consciousness—with the external reality of her monotonous, disciplined routine.

Themes in the Excerpt ​

  1. Loneliness and Unfulfilled Desire

    • Pearlie is an observer of romance but never a participant. The "strolling couples" who seek intimacy in the "kindly shadows" of the trees highlight her exclusion from such experiences. Their "fragmentary, disjointed" whispers and "smothered cries" suggest passion and connection, things Pearlie has never known.
    • The line "Pearlie had never strolled into the kindly shadows with a little beating of the heart" underscores her emotional deprivation. The imagery of shadows—usually symbolic of mystery, secrecy, or even danger—here becomes a place of warmth and intimacy that Pearlie is denied.

  2. Societal Expectations and Female Body Image

    • Pearlie’s rigid daily routine (exercise, dieting, self-denial) reflects the pressure on women to conform to beauty standards, particularly thinness. Her efforts are futile—she gains weight despite her discipline, reinforcing the cruel irony of societal demands.
    • The family’s delicate avoidance of her weight ("You're looking real peaked lately") reveals how her body is a source of shame. The phrase "a life sorrow" suggests that her weight is treated as a personal tragedy, something to be pitied rather than addressed honestly.

  3. The Illusion of Control vs. Powerlessness

    • Pearlie’s disciplined morning routine (rolling, elevating her heels, finger-tip touches) is almost mechanical, suggesting a desperate attempt to exert control over her body and, by extension, her life. Yet, her monthly weight gain proves that her efforts are in vain.
    • The contrast between her structured, joyless days (working as a stenographer, denying herself breakfast) and the spontaneous, passionate encounters she witnesses at night emphasizes her emotional and physical stagnation.

  4. The Pain of Being Unseen

    • Pearlie watches others from the darkness of her porch, invisible to them just as she is invisible to romantic love. The couples cannot see her, just as society overlooks her as a desirable or worthy woman.
    • The blushing she experiences while listening to the couples suggests both embarrassment and longing—she is acutely aware of what she lacks but cannot express it.

Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices ​

  1. Imagery & Symbolism

    • Shadows: The "kindly shadows" are a paradox—they are dark yet comforting, hiding yet revealing. For the couples, they provide privacy for intimacy; for Pearlie, they are a symbol of exclusion, a place where she can only watch, never participate.
    • Light vs. Dark: The daytime is associated with labor, discipline, and failure (her weight gain), while the nighttime is tied to desire, mystery, and unfulfilled longing.
    • Physical Movement vs. Stasis:
      • The couples "stop," "move quickly," and embrace—their actions are dynamic and passionate.
      • Pearlie, in contrast, is static—sitting alone, rigid in her exercises, trapped in routine.

  2. Irony

    • Situational Irony: Pearlie’s extreme efforts to lose weight result in gaining weight, highlighting the futility of her struggle.
    • Dramatic Irony: The reader understands that Pearlie’s family lies to spare her feelings ("You're looking real peaked"), but this only deepens her isolation—no one acknowledges her pain honestly.

  3. Sensory & Auditory Details

    • The sounds Pearlie hears—"fragmentary remarks," "a little smothered cry," "a sound, and then a silence"—create an atmosphere of intimacy and exclusion. The unspecified "sound" is particularly effective, leaving the reader to imagine the kiss or embrace that Pearlie can only hear, not experience.
    • The tactile imagery of the couples ("quick arm about her," "eager lips pressed warmly") contrasts sharply with Pearlie’s physical rigidity (stiff-kneed exercises, finger-tip touches to the floor).

  4. Repetition & Rhythm

    • The repetition of "and" in Pearlie’s exercise routine ("rolled for fifteen minutes, and lay on her back and elevated her heels") mimics the monotony of her life.
    • The abrupt shift from the lyrical, sensual descriptions of the couples to the clinical, almost robotic description of Pearlie’s routine reinforces the emotional distance between her and the world of romance.

  5. Characterization Through Absence

    • Pearlie is defined by what she lacks:
      • No romantic partner.
      • No joy in her routine.
      • No honest acknowledgment from her family.
    • Her internalized shame is evident in how she blushes in the dark, alone—even her embarrassment has no witness.

Significance of the Passage ​

  1. Critique of Gender Roles & Beauty Standards

    • Ferber exposes the harsh expectations placed on women in the early 1900s—Pearlie’s worth is tied to her appearance and marital prospects. Her failure to meet these standards leaves her in a state of perpetual longing and self-loathing.
    • The passage suggests that women’s bodies are policed not just by society but by their own families, who participate in the delusion that she is not "as fat as she is."

  2. The Tragedy of the "Invisible Woman"

    • Pearlie is physically present but emotionally absent from her own life. She is a stenographer—someone who records others’ words but has no voice of her own.
    • Her nighttime observations make her a symbol of the unseen, unheard women who are relegated to the margins of romantic and social life.

  3. The Illusion of Agency

    • Pearlie’s strict regimen is an attempt to take control, but her body betrays her (weight gain). This reflects the larger societal message that women’s bodies are never fully their own—they are subject to external judgment and unforgiving standards.

  4. The Power of Longing

    • The passage is heartbreaking in its restraint—Pearlie’s desire is never stated outright, only implied through her reactions to others. This subtle portrayal of yearning makes her loneliness more poignant.

Conclusion: Pearlie as a Symbol of Female Disillusionment ​

This excerpt is a masterful study in contrast—between passion and discipline, visibility and invisibility, fulfillment and lack. Pearlie’s life is a cycle of futile effort and quiet despair, mirroring the experiences of many women in a society that values them only for their appearance and marital status.

Ferber does not offer easy solutions; instead, she exposes the cruelty of societal expectations and the isolating effect of unmet desires. Pearlie’s story is tragic precisely because it is ordinary—she is not a villain or a heroine, but a woman trapped in the gaps between what she is told to be and what she longs to experience.

The kindly shadows that embrace the couples mock her with their warmth, just as the world mocks her with its standards. In the end, Pearlie remains on the porch, in the dark—always watching, never touched.