The Professor's House
by Cather Willa
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Book Summary Information
Author: Cather WillaEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-03-26
ISBN: 1604595124
Number of pages: 140
Publisher: Wilder Publications
Book Reviews of The Professor's House
Book Review: A quiet and moving story that is long remembered when the last page is done.
Summary: 5 Stars
I came to the works of Willa Cather by way of my father, who was a deep admirer of her books, especially after he read The Song of the Lark. I knew that Cather wrote about the immigrant experience, but after having finished The Professor's House, I realized that her talent in capturing the nuances of the human experience was not solely limited to the immigrant life. It was just one slice of the pie that she happened to address. There is so much more to her books than I had judged, and admittedly, The Professor's House set me straight.
In life there are pitch-perfect moments, and when they arise, they are sometimes just so good you don't ever want to let them go. They are that euphoric bubble of bliss where everything is just right, not blemished nor off kilter. And those moments are few and far between. Yet, when they happen, we thirst for them. However, what happens when that bubble bursts? For many, the typical pattern is to become isolated and cope the best way possible. We try to accept and conform to what has been dealt even though we may not like it. Others flat-out rebel until their heads are through the wall, unyielding and defiant to the bitter end.
Now meet Godfrey St. Peter, husband, father, academic and writer; for the most part, he is an affable and compromising fellow. But in some regards he is not. He has his loyalty to his old study, what for him is his security blanket. It represents his life and how he came to be who he was. His study is simple and not overly adorned, but the things in there represent the tangible moments of his life and successes. And that is a comforting sense of fulfillment that he has rightfully earned. As the novel progresses, Professor St. Peter is forced to face an unpleasant onslaught of challenges in which he is looped into. His way of life is gradually being yanked away from him by the enemies of materialism, loneliness, new vs. old generation values, to simply being an old man. What is particularly moving is that all these battles are coming from within the family context. They are moving forward, but in so doing, they are leaving the past absolutely behind, not giving it an iota of concern or appreciation. When collected, it is all so dense and overwhelming St. Peter just wants an out, even if it goes contradictory to what his name represents: "Rock". He's tired of reflecting upon his family woes, the memory of Tom Outland (who gets the story off the ground), of missed opportunities... They all pile atop each other and thus causes St. Peter to be apathetic towards his own life: "When St. Peter at last awoke, the room was pitch-black and full of gas. He was cold and numb, felt sick and rather dazed. The long anticipated coincidence had happened, he realized. The storm had blown the stove out and the window shut. The thing to do was to get up and open the window. But suppose he did not get up--? How far was a man required to exert himself against accident? How would such a case be decided under English law? He hadn't lifted his hand against himself--was he required to lift it for himself?" Pages 251-252.
Ultimately, perseverance does prevail, but there is a lot of residual that needs to be sorted out. Whether young or old, all people have conflicts that bombard and oppress them. Professor Godfrey St. Peter is a survivor. Even though (to me) he is a very heroic figure, I personally don't think he wants to be one. But he copes: "...he could face with fortitudd...the future." Page 258. Overall, The Professor's House was a great read with many worthwhile lessons to be gleaned.
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