"Yeehaw!" Does Betsy or Lenny Yell it Louder?
This past semester I learned about the lore of the cowboy in US History. I learned societies views of cowboys as heroes who fight vigilante has morphed over the years. A few main themes that arise are their horseback riding skills, low levels of fear, connection with the wild west, gun fight skills, and their advantageous use of land. Cowboys are famed as crime fighting heroes and cowgirls are known for stepping outside societies boundaries to sling a whip for the good of all. In "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath, two characters attempt to take on the roles of 'cowpeople', but neither quite succeeds.
The first character who attempts to play the famous role of a cowgirl is Betsy, though she does so subconsciously. She's described as someone who tries to save Esther from the confines of her room, and from Doreen, who may or may not be a bad influence. This savior dynamic is one cowboys often portray in western movies, books, and tv shows. Even though Betsy does demonstrate this characteristic, she is very different from any cowgirl one would expect to see in the media. Betsy is a cover girl in ads, so her outward appearance doesn't match. But, she does have extensive knowledge of corn, meaning she knows the lay of the land and how to use it.
The second character who acts like a cowboy is Lenny. One could argue he does a better job putting on the act than Betsy. Lenny dresses in cowboy boots and owns an apartment styled like a ranch. He fits the part outwardly whereas Betsy does not. However, Lenny's personality doesn't match that of the famous cowboy. He's a DJ, meaning he doesn't ride horses or work to stop outlaws. And the only thing he's ever injured is a jackrabbit, which he hung proudly on his wall after running over it with his car.
Both of these people don't fit the norm of cowgirls and cowboys, but they still take it on in one way or another. Interestingly, Betsy is called a "Pollyanna Cowgirl" by Doreen, meaning the label relates to her knowledge of the land, rather than her looks (Plath 7). Contrastingly, Lenny dresses as cowboys do in the media, demonstrating how he is puts the role on himself.
These characters are representations of cowgirls/boys. Betsy has personality traits that match to the cowboy traits such as the savior complex and the knowledge. Lenny has the looks of a cowboy. I think that Betsy has more cowgirl like traits. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteHow funny; never did I think that we would be comparing characters from The Bell Jar to cowgirls/boys, but you did so quite well. I take them as modern cowgirls/boys and with the slightly degrading depiction of Lenny only fighting with nature using a car doesn't do him the same justice as a hunting down a jackrabbit like a traditional cowboy. Betsy is another good pick for this vision: once from the farm always from the farm. Well done, Cadence!
ReplyDeleteGreat analysis! I found it interesting how you pointed out that Betsy's cowgirl identity comes from within, while Lenny's is purely surface-level. I completely agree. It says a lot about their characters that Lenny puts so much effort into looking the part but lacks the substance behind it, whereas Betsy doesn't even realize she embodies the role at all. It makes Betsy feel like the more authentic of the two, even if she'd never call herself a cowgirl!
ReplyDeleteOhhhh I agree that Betsy has some inner cowgirl in her. I wonder if Lenny's cowboyness is something Esther has merely over-emphasized in her narrative (as she does with, for example Dodo Conway who is described in a very disturbing manner), or if he is truly, on the exterior, cowboy-core. I also wonder if Doreen could be the steed to these cowpeople, in Esther's imagination. Wonderful job picking up on the wild west vibes. Yeehaw!
ReplyDelete*Joan, not Doreen. Joan could be the steed.
DeleteDear Cadence, this was a wonderful blog to read. I thought your point on Betsy being a cowgirl was interesting, as I never really thought she fit the role (but I agree with the points that you pose!). I think Doreen could also possibly fit into this "cowgirl" mold, as she seems to want to "save" Esther from a "Betsy" type life. I think that Lenny being a cowboy is quite interesting - while he certainly seems so with his attire and living quarter decor, he seems to be a villain in Esther's life because of the terrible dates he arranges for her.
ReplyDeleteThis was so fun! With most other people in the comment section, I agree that Betsy is more of the genuine cowboy type, and Lenny is simply buying into the aesthetic (As Harmony said, he is merely "cowboy-core".) Thank you so much for reminding us of the fact that Lenny was so proud to have run over a jackrabbit that he put it on his (incredibly large) apartment walls. I would say that Lenny also probably also has a hero complex, maybe with thinking he's sweeping Doreen off her feet or something, and doing the gentlemanly thing by bringing his girlfriend's friend out on dates with them. But of course, every time he actually interacts with Esther, she ends up miserable, so he makes for an awful cowboy hero. I wonder if Esther's care(?) for Betsy during the scene where they go to the movies and go home sick together could also be viewed as cowboy-like? Either way, loved this blog!
ReplyDeleteSomehow this blog post needs to get together with Adrian's post on Holden and horses to produce a multifaceted cowboy-and-horse-related analysis of _The Catcher in the Rye_ and _The Bell Jar_. And let's throw Joan into the mix, since according to Esther she seems to have more equine characteristics than human. I never realized there are so many cow-people and horses on this syllabus! I don't, off the top of my head, recall any particular horse or cowboy content in _Black Swan Green_, although there are a couple of nasty dogs.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about the constrastability of the yeehawness of Betsy and Lenny. Could I potentially offer another point in favor of Betsy's cowgirl-ness: The name Betsy itself to me is very akin to a cow name. (I googled it, the top cow name is bessie, whcih feels close enough, and who knows maybe that was Betsy's real name). Lenny to me sounds less farm like, but whatever. I'm inclined to argue that Betsy is more naturally cowgirl/boy/western, whereas Lenny is kind of playing a part, and is therefore an artificial cowboy. Thus, betsy is the winner in my eyes. Love the blog!
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