564
PARTISAN REVIEW
she allowed him to love a heightened image of herself, a
Henrietta far more merry, adorable, witty and surprising than
the one she happened to be. She couldn't help it. Roy made her
feel phony when she was most her true self. "I didn't mean it as a
pun ," she'd protest half-heartedly after he'd misconstrue one of
her sentences; Roy would look at her sideways, see no livelier
way the sentence could have been intended, think her all the
more clever for protesting, and laugh with renewed apprecia–
tion. She would acquiesce, but it cost her her rights.
If
she
couldn't stick up for her tiue self, she had no right to stick up for
the rest of reality, including trees. An elk tree was just as real as
the Henrietta she allowed to exist.
Henrietta guessed that Roy had heightened images, queenly
but disturbed images, of all his women friends. It was his way of
flirting with women and ultimately of ruling them. Henrietta
always ended up feeling haggard and dull in the shadow of what
he supposed her to be.
16. Why didn't Henry correct Roy?
Physical cowardice.
Roy ruled men by sheer might and it was apparent that he
would relish an excuse to make mincemeat of Henry. He was
always wanting to lock horns with Henry. He would interrupt
the younger man, closing in with his colossal chest and saying:
"Ah hal You mean ... " and twisting what Henry had said. Then
he'd ruffle Henry's hair or playfully take a swing at him and the
argument would be over. And soon the next argument would
begin. Henry sensed that Roy did not keep male friendships very
long, that sooner or later he would have to prove himself
mightiest, that he'd have to start pushing. He wouldn't be able
to stop until he made his friend feel like a fairy .
17. W as Henry losing his hair?
And how.
Ii
wasn't to be ruffled.
So if Roy wanted to think there was such a thing as an elk
tree, that was alright by Henry.
18. To sum up, Roy's identification of the elm
or
oak as an elk
tree was received in silence?
Wrong! But to see where you made your mistake, it may be
useful to rewind our tale to the wee hours of the morning.
