Question : Essay-type
Give an estimate of the character of the Boss in Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’.
Introduction
The central interest of Katherine Mansfield’s ‘The Fly’ lies in the revelation of one character, the man called the Boss. He is the hero of the story, a bereaved father whose only son was killed on the front some six years back. At the beginning of the story he is presented as a stout and happy-go-lucky man. But Mr. Woodifield’s reference to his son’s grave in Belgium takes up his old sorrow. The story centres round the sad feeling of the bereaved father at the revival of the old sorrow that remains so strong underneath and makes him so restless.
The Boss–A Heart-broken Man
The Boss, the protagonist is a very heart-broken man. His only son died in the war. The sorrow of his heart rankles, but he keeps in check by his work in the office, by his social occupation and meant of good wine. But when Mr. Woodifield refers to the grave of his son in Belgium, his latent sorrow comes to the surface and torments him—
“It was exactly as though the earth had opened and he had seen the boy lying there with Woodifield’s girls staring down at him.”
Fly Episode and Boss’s Helplessness
The Fly Episode illustrates the Boss’s sense of helplessness with his heart-rending sorrow. The fly falls in the ink pot. He picks the fly from the ink pot and puts it on the blotting paper. The fly throws off the ink from its wings and gets ready to fly. The Boss again throws ink on it and it again tries to stand on its legs. The Boss is full of praise for its stamina and courage, but it cannot survive the last drop. It dies of exhaustion—
“———-the draggled fly lay in it and did not stir.”
The Boss feels the utter futility of human stamina and effort. He tried to smoother his sorrow by his work and diversions. But the sorrow of the past is not dead. It comes out and torments him. Like the fly, he has thoughts against the odds, but he is afraid that he will not survive the shocks that come repeatedly on him.
The Fly–A Deep Psychological Study
We find that the story is remarkable for its deep psychological study. The conversation between Mr. Woodifield and the Boss at the beginning of the story throws light on the mental state of the Boss. If we want to understand the effect of ‘Fly Episode’, we should re-read the early part of the story. The Boss talks on new carpet and new furniture and his silence about his son’s photograph suggests his mental agitation. The remark about the grave of his son disturbs his mental balance. Then the ‘Fly Episode’ is introduced symbolically represents his state of mind. Throughout the story, we find that underneath the jovial exterior of the Boss runs the current of his deep sorrow. The writer thus unravels the mental balance and wretchedness of the Boss.
The Boss–The Role of Destiny
In the ‘Fly Episode’ the Boss assumes the role of destiny. The action of the Boss is apparently cruel but it shows his malicious reactions to the cruelties of fate. It is only a repercussion of the shocks of the sorrow. The death of the fly is very painful to him. A grinding feeling of wretchedness possesses him. He sees his own helplessness in the helpless death of the little fly.
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