Bliss follows a woman named Bertha, as she experiences a constant feeling of “bliss.” Throughout the story, she takes in different joyous and extravagant experiences and criticizes society for not being able to enjoy these pieces of life. By the end of Bliss, it’s revealed that Harry, Bertha’s husband, was having an affair with one of Bertha’s friends. But, looking back, there were instances with Harry that foreshadow his detachment from their relationship.
Early on, Bertha has an interaction with the Nanny and her baby. Throughout this interaction, Bertha expresses how she dislikes that her child is “not in a case like a rare, rare fiddle--but in another woman’s arms” (146). Bertha then quickly shoos off the Nanny, following up with a gesture to her baby as she cradles them saying, “Now I’ve got you to myself, my little precious,” (147). This exchange shows Bertha’s desire to interact with her child. She does not like the fact that the Nanny interferes, holding her back from the mother-daughter relationship she strives for.
On the other hand, during the dinner party when asked about the baby, Harry responds by saying, “... don’t ask me about my baby. I never see her. I shan’t feel like the slightest interest in her until she has a lover.’” (153). While they are both the child's parents, Bertha is the one with a want for a connection, making efforts to interact with her baby. This dynamic foreshadows his infidelity by giving insight into their relationship with each other. Bertha is putting a lot of energy and emotion into it, while Harry is detached, most likely more interested in his affair.
In the story, Bertha criticizes society by trying to understand why the world cannot be happier. She then criticizes herself by wondering why she is so dissatisfied, knowing she has a “good” life in a stable home. When Bertha and Harry talk about their baby, the readers only have enough information to believe that Bertha was truly just too joyous for her time. Only after the affair is revealed can we gauge how much Bertha was able to suppress due to her blissful ignorance.
I like this observation of Bliss! On my first read through of the story, the husband's affair seemed very sudden to me, but the details you highlight really show that it was there all along, through the details about the baby and Bertha's ignorance.
ReplyDeleteHi Athena, I really like how your blog relates Bertha's relationship to her child with her relationship with her husband! I'm especially interested in that part in your last paragraph: "suppress due to her blissful ignorance" makes me think that her blind happiness was something like a coping mechanism and not something pure and bright. This leaves room for some interesting interpretation: did Bertha subconsciously know about her husband's infidelity and use bliss as a to distract her from it, or did her bliss and naivety prevent her from seeing it in the first place?
ReplyDeleteI hadn't noticed this detail when I first read the story, but your analysis makes a lot of sense! I agree that there is some kind of tension behind Bertha's "blissfulness." She herself doesn't even seem to notice her unhappiness, at least in the beginning in the story. I also agree that the affair reveals Bertha's tainted bliss, especially since the affair is with Pearl Fulton, the woman who Bertha also secretly likes. I really liked your post!
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