The Robber Bridegroom by Eudora Welty

Source of book: I own this

 

I am a part of a group of three (mostly online) friends who read books together. This is the most recent choice. 

 

I suggested reading something by Eudora Welty, because neither of my friends had. We ended up picking this one because it sounded interesting and because I hadn’t read it. 

In retrospect, this is such a different book from any of the other Welty books I have read that I think it may have given the wrong impression.

 

The Robber Bridegroom is based loosely on a Grimm story, with the setting changed to the deep South of a couple centuries ago. It incorporates elements from other fairy tales - the darker ones - so those familiar with Grimm and Andersen and others will undoubtedly find plenty that is familiar. There is also a definite reference to the Cupid and Psyche myth - something another member noted. 

 

This is, notably, quite different from Welty’s usual fare, which is contemporary Southern realism. (See my list at the end of this post.) 

 

Also different, in my view, is that this story seems to use a lot more stereotypes of African Americans and Native Americans than her other works. As one of our other members pointed out, these characters seem to fill the role of dwarves or fairies or other mythical beings in the story. I also noticed that at least the black stereotypes come from the characters themselves - we only get the white perspective.

 

Welty takes the fairy tale inspiration, and combines it with the “tall tale” tradition which is a notable American contribution to folk stories. Think Paul Bunyan and the various creations of Mark Twain and Bret Harte and others. This melding of genres actually works really well, in my opinion. 

 

Another thing Welty does is borrow a few historical figures for characters. Mike Fink was a legendary riverboat pilot, who, like many historical Americans such as Daniel Boone, became as much a legend as a real person. Little Harp also was a real person, and was as nasty as he is in the story. 

 

Given the source material, it is inevitable that a story like this have some uncomfortable elements. As in the Cupid and Psyche story, rape culture is taken for granted. A man or a god “ravishes” an innocent maiden, who later falls in love with him - and that is plenty icky. And yet, the story continues to fascinate us for many reasons, and every retelling - including the wonderful C. S. Lewis version - finds a different and fresh take.

 

In this book, the moral universe is…complicated. Are there any heroes? We take for granted that Jamie Lockhart, the robber bridegroom, is a hero because he saves Rosamund from her abusive stepmother and neglectful father, despite his rape and general dishonesty. 

 

We forgive Clement for his neglectful parenting because he claims to love his daughter. We condemn Salome for being a cruel stepmother. 

 

And yet, none of these really fits an obvious definition of good or evil if you think closely. Even Salome has been saddled with a child that isn’t hers, who her husband favors over her. And she knows she is unattractive and was married for reasons that had nothing to do with love. 

 

This is the thing with fairy tales, though: if you start thinking more deeply, the surface meaning is rarely the only point. 

 

Overall, an interesting story, but one flawed by the stereotypes. It is definitely worth reading, but not particularly representative of Welty’s usual writing. 

 

I did note one line that was memorable. Goat, a feeble-minded young man who works for Salome with the hope of helping get his sisters married off somehow, is put to work spying on Rosamond. He sees the bandit (Jamie in disguise) force Rosamond to remove her clothing, then ride off with them. 

 

But at the final point, seeing Rosamond separated from her clothes, he had had to make his mind up which to follow, and he had decided upon the clothes. It was evident that the clothes had cost money, and Rosamond had not, and he was influenced by the bandit’s choice in the matter as well. 

 

Now that is classic Welty snark. 

 

For those who haven’t discovered Welty, or want to read more, here are the other books I have written about:

 

A Curtain of Green (short story collection)

The Wide Net (short story collection)

The Optimist’s Daughter (Pulitzer Prize-winning novel)