Before midnight on November 18, please publish a comment of two, well-developed paragraphs about the reasons for what happens to Ralph Marvell in Edith Wharton's The Custom of the Country. in Chapters XXXIV-XXXVI. What are the social and biological causes of what happens to him?
After you publish your comment, please reply to one of the other students' comments.
Thank you
Dr. Kornasky
Ralph Marvell from Custom of the Country firstly, is in a desperate situation. He has lost money loaned and/or given to him and is no closer to getting back his son. Additionally, he is facing the crumbling of the “whole archaic structure of his rites and sanctions” (Wharton 326). Ralph finds out that his wife Undine was lying about not being married before their marriage- from her ex-husband, Moffat, no less. Ralph feels humiliated and used. A certain truth and foundation of his old-society life- that he does not marry a divorcee- has now fallen out the window. Additionally, Ralph- traditional high society old money- feels usurped by the new money and Wall Street “monster” (Wharton 325) that is Moffat.
ReplyDeleteRalph is unable to handle this reality and the sheer weight of his hopes crashing down with his finances “high and dry” (Wharton 321). These are the social reasons that drive him to suicide, but they also contribute to his unusual biological state. He is unable to really be present in the world around, only noticing the tiniest details, and feels “beads of perspiration...the heat” (Wharton 328) to an uncanny degree. His state of mind is not stable, with every “hurrying thoughts...unreal and meaningless” (Wharton 328). He is in a palpable state of distress biologically, almost as if in shock. The surrounding social reasons push him into this biological state which in the end, brings him to suicide.
Your comment is very interesting to me; I love that you touch more on how the revelation of Undine being married before within your first paragraph. It really is detrimental what that information does to him. His whole life is already beginning to change, and this foundational piece of his life was a lie for him. This devastating information on top of losing a lump sum of money and, most importantly, his son is what sent him over the edge. He didn't have anything else to live for, so he left this world and everything in it.
DeleteI find this interesting as you outlie the true desperation that points Ralph to committing suicide, and his perhaps biological need to be with his son. Ralph truly cares for his boy and losing Paul is a great blow to him. I find it interesting on how you identify Undine's actions as ransoming in a way, and how it truly outlines the sheer cruelness of her character.
ReplyDeleteIn this week's reading of Custom of the Country, Ralph Marvell experienced a lot of hardship that ended up in tragedy. Ironically, the center of his sorrow is Undine. Their love does not last and ends in divorce. This is not a shock as the readers know that Undine marries often for social status. However, what she does not understand is that divorce is a disgrace and not something to be proud of. Undine will easily abandon a disappointing husband to make her life better somewhere else. Anyways, back to Ralph. He wants custody of his soon so bad, Undine tells him that she will take his money in exchange for the sole custody of their son, but this doesn't happen. Undine surprisingly gets full custody of Paul which surprises everyone... I mean she did leave them for 2 years! Ralph not being around for Paul broke his heart and he felt as if his son was being held as a bribe for money from Undine. So, at this point, Ralph has no money, no wife, and realizes that he will not have custody of his biological son. Ralph is seeing his life disintegrate and the “whole archaic structure of his rites and sanctions” (Wharton 326).
ReplyDeleteRalph is also driven to suicide for social reasons. He realizes that he has no money as his finances are "high and dry" (Wharton 321). He is in a bad place mentally since he is a divorced man with a family that doesn't support this situation, he had to ask his family for a lump sum of money to give to Undine (which ultimately is not enough), and will not have custody of his son, Paul. This whole situation was way too much to bare and Ralph sadly said, “’ My wife…this will make it all right for her…’ and a last flash of irony twitched through him. Then he felt again, more deliberately, for the spot her wanted, and put the muzzle of his revolver against it,” (Wharton, 214).
I think you did well with bringing all reasons as to why he did what he did and giving an explanation. I completely agree that he is mentally going through a lot and a good part of that is due to Udine. Very well done in all your explanations.
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ReplyDeleteWhile Ralph Marvell is affected both biologically and socially in this week's chapter of The Custom of the Country, I believe that both aspects of affects happened in coherence of each other. To start with the biological effects, Ralph and Undine’s short-lived marriage, and Undine’s severe obsession with material wealth, led to a very disheartening divorce for Ralph. It was clear that Undine had zero empathy when making her decisions throughout the entire book. In these chapters, the fact that she decided to divorce Ralph because she was simply bored because she did not have money or possessions to entertain her, opposed to being satisfied with her husband’s love and dedication to make her life what she wanted. Ralph’s biological state was recognized and drastically declined as the events of Undine’s selfishness unraveled. Ralph was in a time of distress because his own child was being held for ransom from him, unless the person he put all his trust and faith into could provide a positive turnaround with his investments. The chapter even elaborated on the details of what this divorce was doing to Ralph when it stated that every, “hurrying thoughts…unreal and meaningless,” (Wharton 328). This line from the novel tells the reader exactly what the failed investment, custody battle, and lies about Undine’s past marriages did to Ralph biologically, which plummeted his mental health, his self-confidence, and ultimately what he thought of as his identity.
Ralph and Undine’s divorce went against the foundation of the lifestyle and culture Ralph’s family lived in. Even with this, the scandal escalated when Ralph found out that Undine was lying about her past divorces, when people of the financial status that Ralph is, were found out of line if they were to marry a divorcee. On top of getting divorced from a woman that had already been divorced prior to him, society then found out that she was marrying someone solely because the other man had more money. This had the potential to reflect very badly on who Ralph was as a person, and his judgment of women. The social judgements with the added chaos of the custody battle for his son, unfortunately, led to Ralph committing suicide stating, “My wife…this will make it all right for her…’ and a last flash of irony twitched through him. Then he felt again, more deliberately, for the spot her wanted, and put the muzzle of his revolver against it,” (Wharton 214).Ralph felt like a disappointment from marrying a divorced woman, to borrowing money from his family for custody, to then being what society would have then considered upstaged by a weather, more successful man.
Ralph's story is tragic. He lost everything he had ever known, the lifestyle he once found comfort in betrayed him. I enjoyed reading what you had to say about Ralph and his journey. It's very sad that his story had to end in suicide, but it's an ode to how sallow high society truly can be.
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DeleteBailey I found it stunning how well you connected with Ralph in the regards of empathizing for his character very deeply. I found it interesting how you deciphered the separation between the social and biological effects on Ralph. I personally was on able to see the correlation between the two, but after reading yours, I was enlightened by the separation and heaviness of both aspects of effects.
ReplyDeleteRalph always struggled to make Undine happy, he was never properly taught how to work, let alone support a family. These issues among others lead to the ending of their marriage. It is very clear that Ralph is struggling mentally after divorcing Undine. The pairs entire relationship faced issues regarding betrayal and dishonesty. Undine requests money from Ralph which he does not have, Ralph puts the money he has in stocks in hopes that'll double in value, but his plan fails. Disappointed with how things are going, on top of finding out that Undine was married to Elmer, the man helping him. Ralph feels as if he has lost everything, his wife, his son, his money, even possibly his dignity. Ralph takes his own life causing his son to move with Undine to France where she marries Raymond.
ReplyDeleteRalph lost a lot, physically and mentally. He struggled to support his small family which I'm sure could take a toll on a mans dignity. He also married a divorced woman which was very uncommon at the time. Ralph was considered a successful man in the eyes of society, but internally he was struggling to survive. Ralph's death is rather emotional to think about, he lost everything he had ever known, this would be devastating to anyone. Ralph had been lied to about everything, and when Undine leaves him for a wealthier man, it reflects on how society will now see him, unsuccessful.
I agree with your views completely. It is hard to imagine the pain Ralph must have been dealing with, realizing that he has lost his wife, his money, and addition will lose his son. Ultimately, sending him into a depression that he is unable to get out of. Undine's greedy and cruel intentions and the way she treats and uses people is infuriating and the ultimate reasoning behind Ralph's circumstances in which he decides to make the devastating decision to take his life.
DeleteRalph is faced with many trials and hardships from the divorce of Undine, the situation of losing his son due to Undine’s cruel and heartless efforts to acquire more money from Ralph, and the loss of money in which Ralph has invested to try and meet the requests of Undine to keep his son. Undine’s demeanor and obsession with materialistic possessions show an even more cruel side of Undine when she demands more money in exchange for Ralph to keep custody of their son. Although Undine does not care for her son and is only using him to gain financial stability for herself, she uses him to make Ralph do as she says at the expense of her son.
ReplyDeleteAmid everything, Ralph does his best to meet the needs of Undine to keep his Son. Making decisions to invest money that was borrowed to do so. Faced with a devastating realization after he is confronted with the truth of Undine’s previous marriage to the man with whom he has invested money with is just another blow to Ralph’s life. Next, Ralph finds out the money in which he invested to pay off Undine has failed, and he will not be able to meet her needs. Struck with the realization that he will not be able to win against Undine, Ralph ultimately makes a choice to take his life.
Kyra, I enjoyed reading your blog. You are right Undine is materialistic and will do anything to get what she wants including selling her son to raise the money she needs to obtain a marriage annulment, to marry Raymond de Chelles. At the same time by pretending to fight for her son, she knows that it will make her look better in the eyes of Raymond. She manipulates Ralph to get the money she needs and does not consider Ralph’s or her son’s feelings.
DeleteRalph Marvell is a member of the Elite in New York City; he is a happy bachelor who wants to continue his life as such and dreams of becoming a writer; that is until Ralph meets Undine. Ralph is smitten by her beauty and knowing the other men’s intentions, he sees himself as her savior. Unfortunately, Ralph underestimates Undine and believes that she is a nice innocent girl and disregards his family’s concerns about Undine. Undine marries Ralph as a way to gain respectability, and a position among the Elite. Ralph soon has to give up his dream of becoming a writer and has to get a job to pay for Undine’s substantial spending. Ralph is unable to control her spending, or her behavior and instead focuses on their son Paul.
ReplyDeleteThroughout their marriage Ralph goes through a multitude of emotions because Undine is an insatiable, materialistic woman who is never satisfied. Ralph gets very sick to the point of being near death while Undine is having an affair with Ralph’s cousin, Clare Van Degen’s husband (a wealthy womanizer) and files for divorce leaving Ralph angry and depressed to raise his son Paul. Van Degen soon figures out that he does not want to marry Undine because he does not want Undine to treat him the way she has treated Ralph. After some time, Ralph begins to move on and is finally content with his life and happy to have Paul in his life; that is until Undine decides to take Paul. Ralph is at first mind boggled and anxious and visits her parents to better understand, his lawyer to find out his options, and Clare to vent. Clare helps Ralph to understand Undine’s rationale by telling him that she will take money, but it will be a large amount and she is willing to help. Clare turns out to be right and Ralph feels, as the author says, “His mood was one of pure exaltation…He had the blissful sense of relief...” (p 202). Undine wants $100,000.00 and with Clare and Ralph’s family’s financial help Ralph is happy that he will finally have his son for good. Ralph feels elated because he figures a way to double his money and raise the hundred thousand needed. Ralph feels doubts, anxious and hopeful as he waits for the money. But when his investment does not pay off as fast as he needs the money, he is once again afraid of losing his son. He is also devastated and shocked upon learning form Moffat that he had been married to Undine. Learning that his life with Undine had been a lie together with the thought of losing his son is more than Ralph can take, and as he says, “My wife…this will make it all right for her…” right before he shoots himself.
It's really sad and somewhat shocking that Ralph takes his life. It makes sense for the plot because now Undine can marry someone else.
DeleteI wonder what the "last flash of irony" is that he thinks of at the end of the chapter.
With the marriage between Undine and Ralph coming to an end, their child’s placement comes up for discourse between the two. Ralph speaks with his long-time friend Clare and they try to figure out why Undine would want Paul even though they know she doesn’t want guardianship. Clare points out that to pay for the annulment that would eventually allow for another marriage of Undine’s, she is using Paul to get ralph to pay her off. While trying to keep paul’s custody and speaking with Undine’s lawyers, Ralph feels a sense of insignificance and misery due to his having to deal with Undine’s demands.
ReplyDeleteRalph’s feelings intensify when he founds out the lie about Undine being married to Moffatt nine years ago. He thinks back to past times like when Moffatt came to dinner and wonders if it was Undine that invited him and wonders if it was because she thought of him intimately. Ralph is hit with an overwhelming feeling of grief perhaps. Right after he finds out this information, it’s announced that Undine is coming, and he kills himself.
ReplyDeleteRalph went through so much pain, and I would say one of the main causes for this was because of Undine’s selfishness. She used Ralph to get rich and when she didn’t her way, she left. Ralph was never taught how to work so he really was trying his best to support Undine and make her happy. However, no matter what he did, she was unhappy. Unfortunately, their marriage was destined to end. Undine wants money, like always, however Ralph didn’t have. He attempted to invest in expectations that he would make more money for Undine. Ralph truly felt like he lost everything when Undine divorced him. Ralph was considered a high and functioning member of society, but he was depressed. He went through so much in order to make Undine happy, only to lose everything he had, including his self-respect and dignity. Ralph was lied to and literally used in order for Undine to live a lavish lifestyle. Undine left him for a wealthier man, and it truly broke him. He was left with so much grief, that his only escape from it was to kill himself.
Reading The Custom of The Country, by Edith Wharton, you can see the strain Udine puts on Ralph for her own good. Ralph needs his son to survive basically because he is all ralph has left and the only love that lasts in his life is from his kid that Udine is trying to take away. Ralph wasn’t raised where he was taught to handle his money or save his money to better their future. When Undine left him because he did not have any money, she left him in a horrible situation of how to keep his son because he had no money for the request she was making. This wore on Ralph till he did not think there was any other way out of his mess but to commit suicide. Yes, his son would go to Udine but he knew he wasn’t going to get to keep him anyway. The social aspect was that Ralph just couldn’t keep up and disassociated with reality and it just continued to get worse once his money in bonds did not double and the figuring out of Udine being previously married before him. He was in utter defeat of what was happening to his life, which leaded to the biological aspect of it all which is that he seems to be dealing with anxiety and deep depression from it all, because he is just one man that did no harm and now his wife just want o leave him and take everything from him for her own good. The social aspects of his life are what made him commit suicide but the social explains the biological reasoning’s which gives us a deeper meaning to what happened.
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