Bowman’s Judgment and Discovery

陳瀅宇

When reading the story of Death of a Traveling Salesman， readers will feel as if they followed the protagonist， Bowman to enter a labyrinth. The deeper they explore， the more truth they will dig out. The story develops and the truths are unraveled step by step as Bowman makes judgments， finds misjudgments， and then rejudges. These are obviously seen from several scenes， Bowmans judgment on the woman in the cabin， the relationship between her and the man Sonny， and what is really in the house.

At first glance， the woman in Bowmans eyes is old. “a big woman” and “a weather-beaten face” is the womans appearance the readers get from Bowmans description. About the age， Bowman， “automatically” makes his judgment-at fifty. The image of the old woman makes Bowman feel secure and quiet. Sick Bowman is now like a child in need of mothers warm fondling and care. Therefore， the image of a old woman establishes the footing of emotional tone and the judgment of Bowman.

And the next judgment Bowman makes assuredly affirms the womans image. Bowman tells the woman about his car accident， only to get the reply “Sonny he aint here”. His on-going asking “Sonny？” still gets the same response “Sonny aint here now”. Having the previous judgment of the woman， Bowman makes another judgment- Sonny is “Her son- a fellow able to bring my car up”. Bowman explains the situation of his car and his need of help， but get the still weary answer “Sonny aint here， but hell be here”. （Welty 227） The delay of revelation of Sonnys real identity and the relationship arrives at a suspense effect. This misjudgment still goes on when Sonny comes back home. Bowmans inner howl makes him pathetic and tragic.

The image of the woman and Sonny and their relationship hold on to almost the last page when Bowman finds the truth. Until then， all the truths are revealed： the woman is a young woman at the same age as Sonny； the young woman is Bowmans wife； they are going to have a baby. Bowman emphasizes “she was not an old woman. She was young， still young…she was young.” （Welty 232） On hearing the news that they are expecting a baby， Bowman knows the full story- what is really in the house- a fruitful marriage.

How the misjudgments are produced？ The limited point of view of Bowman， the scrupulous limited language of the woman and the dark atmosphere jointly help to make the misjudgments and achieve the dramatic effect. Though in the story， the external focalizer and the internal focalizer are shifting from time to time， the observation and judgment are mainly made through the internal focalizer， which is Bowmans point of view. On the basis of these messages， Bowman sets his age at fifty. Actually， Bowman is an unreliable observer because of his unsteady mental condition. Another important factor is the limited language of the woman. Her answers to Bowmans constant questions remains the same and always the one “Sonny aint here now”. Nobody knows who Sonny is and she keeps it a secret from others. And the tone between her and Sonny， when making conversation， remains rational and restrained， without romantic words. Lastly， the surroundings， the dark atmosphere contributes to the misjudgments. The dark passage between rooms， the lamp “half darkened， half clear” and no fire in the room make everything cast in almost invisibleness. Welty makes use of these devices to achieve a vague meaning and produce a hallucination as well in which Bowman and readers grope their way.

Bowmans judgments and misjudgments， and the last discovery have a rich artistic effect and add the tragic color to his fate and the whole story. After Bowman has a drink with Sonny， he painfully discovers the whole fact and truth. The first truth is that the woman is young as the same age as Sonny. The image of an old woman vanishes like bubbles， and her warmness and sympathy he temporarily relies on also melts into the air. Another cruel truth for him is that she belongs to Sonny， her husband. Relationship between mother and son suddenly turns into love between husband and wife. He never gains this kind of reward in fourteen-year sales life. The last truth shocks him and knocks him down into pieces， leading to his final discovery- what he really needs： a simple family life that anyone could have. If the readers are cheated by Bowman， then Bowman is cheated by the fast-paced working life， the money–worship society and the cold and detached social relations. Using this kind of way of telling story， like peeling the onions， rather than putting all the things on the table， Welty attracts the readers and enhances the artistic effect.

Reference：

[1]Comtemporary Literary Criticism，Vol.22.Eudora Welty（1909-2001）.

[2]More than a Death：Narrative Techniques in Death of a Traveling Salesman（handout）.

[3]Welty，Eudora.Death of a Traveling Salesman（text）.