The Sculptor's Funeral
Encyclopedia
"The Sculptor's Funeral" is a short story
by Willa Cather
. It was first published in McClure's
in 1905
, the body of Harvey Merrick, a famed sculptor, is brought back to his parents' house. Only Jim Laird, Harvey's old friend, and Henry Steavens, his student have any real emotion. While the mother cries out in overdone and insincere grief, Steavens and Laird remark on Harvey's harsh upbringing, and they wonder how he ever made it out of the town. Later, the mother yells at her maid for forgetting to do the salad dressing, displaying the mother's absolute cruelty and the falsity of her grieving. Before the funeral, the townspeople make fun of Harvey for his education and eastern lifestyle. Laird then lashes out at them, exposing the corruption of their ideals, along with practices of usury
, gambling
, shootings and so forth. Only Harvey escaped the corruption, and he was hated for it. The next day, Laird is too drunk to attend the funeral and Steavens returns East.
. Cather wrote a feature story about the first anniversary of the death of Reinhart in 1897 and the erection of his monument Allegheny Cemetery
in Pittsburgh.
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by Willa Cather
Willa Cather
Willa Seibert Cather was an American author who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, in works such as O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and The Song of the Lark. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours , a novel set during World War I...
. It was first published in McClure's
McClure's
McClure's or McClure's Magazine was an American illustrated monthly periodical popular at the turn of the 20th century. The magazine is credited with creating muckraking journalism. Ida Tarbell's series in 1902 exposing the monopoly abuses of John D...
in 1905
Plot summary
In a small-town in KansasKansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, the body of Harvey Merrick, a famed sculptor, is brought back to his parents' house. Only Jim Laird, Harvey's old friend, and Henry Steavens, his student have any real emotion. While the mother cries out in overdone and insincere grief, Steavens and Laird remark on Harvey's harsh upbringing, and they wonder how he ever made it out of the town. Later, the mother yells at her maid for forgetting to do the salad dressing, displaying the mother's absolute cruelty and the falsity of her grieving. Before the funeral, the townspeople make fun of Harvey for his education and eastern lifestyle. Laird then lashes out at them, exposing the corruption of their ideals, along with practices of usury
Usury
Usury Originally, when the charging of interest was still banned by Christian churches, usury simply meant the charging of interest at any rate . In countries where the charging of interest became acceptable, the term came to be used for interest above the rate allowed by law...
, gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, shootings and so forth. Only Harvey escaped the corruption, and he was hated for it. The next day, Laird is too drunk to attend the funeral and Steavens returns East.
Characters
- A group of townspeople
- Mr Harvey Merrick, a late sculptor with a 'lady-like voice'. He went to college in BostonBostonBoston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. - Annie, Harvey's mother.
- Martin,Harvey's father.
- Roxy, the mulatto maid in the Merricks's household.
- Jim Laird, the red-bearded lawyer.
- Philip Phelps, the banker.
- Elder, another banker.
- Thompson, the undertaker.
- Henry Steavens, a student of Harvey's.
Literary significance and criticism
It has been argued that the short story was foreshadowed by Willa Cather's poem "The Night Express." The story's protagonist's prototype was the Pittsburgh-born artist Charles Stanley ReinhartCharles Stanley Reinhart
Charles Stanley Reinhart was an American painter and illustrator.-Biography:He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After having been employed in railway work and at a steel factory, he studied art at the Atelier Suisse in Paris and at the Munich Academy under Straehuber and Otto...
. Cather wrote a feature story about the first anniversary of the death of Reinhart in 1897 and the erection of his monument Allegheny Cemetery
Allegheny Cemetery
Allegheny Cemetery is one of the largest and oldest burial grounds in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.It is a nonsectarian, wooded hillside park located at 4734 Butler Street in the Lawrenceville neighborhood and bounded by Bloomfield, Garfield, and Stanton Heights...
in Pittsburgh.