Johnson’s Idea in Mind

            The short story Parker Adderson, Philosopher by Ambrose Bierce is a perfect example of what Samuel Johnson (1938) referred to as a “just representation of general nature”.  The short story, though it dealt with about death and has an unexpected denouement, is a character story. Being a character story it illustrates the basic human nature – the strength and weakness of man, through its two main characters, Parker Adderson, the captive spy and General Clavering. In the review on Parker Adderson, Philosopher by Alfred Kazin (1977), he reiterated that in the short story, Herodotus’ wise quote, “Character is fate” is once again proven to be true. This suggests that man generally triumph or fail depending upon his character. We see this universal truth in Parker Adderson, Philosopher. The major characters are two opposing personalities of man which Bierce demonstrated as something that is significant in the way man lives and dies.

Parker Adderson, though at first seems to be the one in control of the situation and far better than his captors, was in the end proven to be nothing but a weak silver tongued man deserving his death that very night. His mockery of death, “How can I know that? I have never been dead in all my life. I have heard that death is a serious matter, but never from any of those who have experienced it” (Bierce, 1977) and his, “Death is at least a loss… A loss of which we shall never be conscious can be borne with composure and therefore expected without apprehension” (Bierce, 1977) proved to be nothing but an act, an attempt to hide the true weakness of his character in the face of death. His true self was thus revealed in his, “But, General, I beg--I implore you to remember; I am to hang! It will take some time to erect the gallows--two hours--an hour. Spies are hanged; I have rights under military law. For Heaven's sake, General, consider how short —” (Bierce, 1977). His swift and undignified death is indirectly, but justly, the result of his weakness. Perhaps had he shown the General that being a true soldier, he faces death with the respect it deserves, the General would have given him a death befitting a soldier of war.

            On the other hand, General Clavering’s composure which was demonstrated all through out the story even to his death showed that true strength is consistent, ever present even at the face of death. Though killed by the spy, his death wish was fulfilled and he died the way he wanted: “his face suffused with a smile of ineffable sweetness, he said, faintly: ‘I suppose this must be death,’ and so passed away” (Bierce, 1977) proved once again that a man’s character shall be his fate.

The short story also touched on the universal mystery that man has been trying to philosophize since the beginning of time – death. Though just a sub theme of the short story, this of course gave it another “just representation of general nature”. The lines, “If the being dead is not a regrettable condition, yet the becoming so--the act of dying--appears to be distinctly disagreeable to one who has not lost the power to feel. Pain is disagreeable, no doubt. I never suffer it without more or less discomfort. But he who lives longest is most exposed to it.” (Bierce, 1977) proved Bierce injected the age old mystery and debate of life and death in his story.

            On the other hand, the short story by F. Scot Fitzgerald’s Bernice Bobs her Hair least represents a common or universal experience. Though quite amusing and entertaining, it lacks typicality to make it rise above the boundaries of time and place. Though some may refute that the short story is a generalization of the young men and women’s rituals of growing up, it failed in comparison with the types of generalization produced by his contemporaries as Hemingway, Faulkner and Wolfe.

            In Bernice Bobs Her Hair, Fitzgerald told nothing else but the manners and morals, class and caste in the Midwest after World War I. The story, told in a very fascinating way, is about when young women’s ultimate ambition in life is to marry well, when her identity is dictated by her popularity because ultimately it will decide her fate. As a whole it is a shallow representation of women confined only to that specific “Jazz Age” and not at all relevant today. This was clearly demonstrated in one of the characters: “Well,” said Marjorie, “no girl can permanently bolster up a lame duck visitor, because these days it’s every girl for herself. I’ve even tried to drop hints about her clothes and things, and she’s been furious – giving me the funniest looks. She’s sensitive enough to know she’s not getting away with much, but I’ll bet she consoles herself by thinking that she’s virtuous and that I’m too gay and fickle and will come to bad end. All unpopular girls think that way (Fitzgerald, 1920).” 

            As for the young men, the men in the short story see success in the university as exercise or prelude to being successful in life. An example would be the description of Warren and his views in life: ‘Warren was nineteen and rather pitying with those of his friends who hadn't gone East to college. But, like most boys, he bragged tremendously about the girls of his city when he was away from it (Fitzgerald, 1920).’

            Today, men and women have different problems and options in life. For that matter, the same could be said of the young Greek students of the ancient philosophers who debated about deeper things in life. Except the generation told in the short story, the youth have better perspective, though maybe not always accurate, about life. These trivial young men and women are not “a just representations of general nature” of youth. All in all, Fitzgerald’s short story is nothing but an amusing anthropological anecdote. The plot’s reversal of fortune is not a generalization but a mere observance of an animal instinct of adaptation and survival or of the stronger species overcoming the weak.

Works Cited

Bierce, Ambrose. n.d. Parker Addison, Philosopher. The American Short Story Vol. 1.

Dell Publishing Co., Inc. New York, NY. p 19 – 25

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. 1920. Bernice Bobs Her Hair. F. Scott Fitzgerald Centenary.

Retrieved 10 September 2007

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/bernice/bernice.html

Johnson, Samuel. 1938. “Preface to Shakespeare” Prefaces and Prologues to Famous Books, ed. 

Charles W. Eliot. New York: P.F. Collier & Son. p 208-250.

Kazin, Alfred, 1977. On Ambrose Bierce and “Parker Addison, Philosopher”.

The American Short Story Vol. 1. Del Publishing, Co. Inc. New York NY. p 31 – 34