Introduction to “Paper Pills” and “Nobody Knows”
Sherwood Anderson is popular for weaving cobwebs for his characters as he has done in two stories “Paper Pills” and “Nobody Knows”. However, mostly he has demonstrated male characters who are aggressive, and bold and show their adventurism in case of confrontation with female characters. In fact, this is not merely an encounter, it is a phenomenon that has taken place in the world of fiction and Sherwood Anderson did not stay unaffected by feminism. His both stories “Nobody Knows” and “Paper Pills” show two male characters. It is another case that there are two extra male characters in “Paper Pills” but they also show the sinister side of the male nature. However, the rest of the two protagonists dominate the female characters at the end but they both demonstrate their aggressiveness, boldness, and dominating nature.
Males in “Paper Pills” and “Nobody Knows”
Males are naturally aggressive and it is in their nature to be so in both stories “Paper Pills” and “Nobody Knows”. It is in their nature that whenever they see a female, they get aggressive due to a psychological bent of mind. George Willard in “Nobody Knows” is a male of adventurous nature, which clearly shows that he should be aggressive, and he is that he shows at the end. Although he is not so courageous that he should get aggressive, as “he did not dare think” (Anderson 20) . He is first timid to face Louise Trunnion when he goes there. However, at the end when they met, “he became wholly the male, bold and aggressive” (22). Similar is the case of Doctor Reefy when he makes paper balls and says, “This is to confound you” (7) which is said when confronting a female. Both male characters show their dominance in their aggression and both females suffer due to their aggressive behavior, though in the case of Willard, Louise does not suffer, but their secret love affair does not mature, while in the case of the doctor, the girl dies after marrying him. This is a sign of male aggression.
Boldness of Male Characters in “Paper Pills” and “Nobody Knows”
The second thing is boldness which is also natural to a male when confronting a female. Anderson has shown this male character trait in both stories “Paper Pills” and “Nobody Knows”. This is clear in case of George Willard when he meets Louise and goes to her house. He thinks differently than he actually does as he thinks “I am not very bold” (22) by which he means that he is not actually a bold person that he should take such a huge step to meet the lady secretly. However, when he meets her, he becomes bold and courageous saying her, “Ah, come on, it’ll be all right” (22) which shows that he is showing her that he is a bold fellow. His last predictive sentence that “She hasn’t got anything on me” is also a demonstration of his boldness. Similarly, it is the boldness of Doctor Reefy that he has formed a truth in his mind out of his thoughts and knows that “the truth clouded the world” which is a sign of boldness.
Dominating Males in “Paper Pills” and “Nobody Knows”
The third point is that male is always dominating in one or the other way, as in the case of George Willard, he not only invites the girl but also meets and after meeting her he has his own ways. It is because domination is necessary for having sex and his coaxing the girl to come with him that nothing would happen is a sign of his domination over females. However, it is another issue that it proves meaningless. Similarly, Doctor Reefy in “Paper Pills” and meets the dark little girl who has already been made pregnant by a silent young man instead of the chatterbox to whom she gave most of her time. However, when the doctor proves his domination, she got attracted to him. It is quite another matter that she shortly died after that, leave the doctor alone. His domination could not let him enjoy love and he is left without anybody to take care of him.
Conclusion to Male Characters of Anderson in “Paper Pills” and “Nobody Knows”
In a nutshell, Sherwood Anderson has given a fine touch to his male characters that sometimes seems bordering on feminism which means that he is favoring female characters. This somewhat shows that his tendency is to demonstrate male in bold terms. However, it is quite natural that male is always dominant, bold, and aggressive when confronting female. This not only happens in the world of ours, but also happens in the animal world where male is found dominating the female even when courting for sex. George and Doctor Reefy both play their male games in order to court their females and they succeed in their adventures. However, the point is that they show all the masculine qualities that female loves to see in men. That is why Louise is attracted to George and the dark little girl to Doctor Reefy though it could not be found whether the young man having made pregnant was also dominating and bold or not. This is not shown in the story.
Works Cited
Relevant Questions about “Paper Pills” and “Nobody Knows”: Bold and Aggressive Males
- How do the characters in “Paper Pills” and “Nobody Knows” exemplify the portrayal of bold and aggressive males, and how do these traits impact their relationships and interactions within the respective narratives?
- In “Paper Pills” and “Nobody Knows,” how do the depictions of bold and aggressive males shed light on the broader themes of masculinity, vulnerability, and power dynamics in Sherwood Anderson’s storytelling?
- What parallels and differences can be drawn between the bold and aggressive males presented in “Paper Pills” and “Nobody Knows,” and how do these characters contribute to the overall exploration of human nature and behavior in Anderson’s works?