Ghost and Flesh, Water and Dirt by William Goyen
"Ghost and Flesh, Water and Dirt" by William Goyen is a poignant narrative centered around Margy Emmons, who reflects on her life and relationships with two significant men: Raymon Emmons, referred to as the "ghost," and Nick Natowski, the "flesh." The story unfolds as Margy recounts her experiences while sitting in a bar, engaging in conversation and recollecting her past filled with love, loss, and sorrow. Margy's relationship with Raymon, whom she married at a young age, is marked by tragedy, as both their child and Raymon himself succumb to death, leaving her in a prolonged state of mourning.
The narrative explores themes of memory, regret, and the complexity of human connections, as Margy grapples with the emotional weight of her past. Her friend Fursta challenges her to move beyond her grief, urging her to embrace life rather than dwell in sorrow. This prompts Margy to seek a new beginning in California during World War II, where she finds fleeting happiness before facing further loss. Ultimately, Margy learns to coexist with the ghosts of her past, reflecting a belief that life is an intricate interplay of memories and present experiences. The story invites readers to consider how the past shapes our identities and the importance of being open to the future, even amidst grief.
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Ghost and Flesh, Water and Dirt by William Goyen
First published: 1952
Type of plot: Ghost story
Time of work: About 1930 to 1950
Locale: A small town in East Texas
Principal Characters:
Margy Emmons , the narrator and protagonist, a resigned older womanFursta Evans , a friend of MargyAn unnamed young woman , to whom Margy is speaking
The Story
"Ghost and Flesh, Water and Dirt" is the story of Margy Emmons's life as told by her; it is a sad but evocative and mysterious tale that centers on her relationships with two men: Raymon Emmons, the "ghost" of the title, whom Margy "lost" to "dirt," and Nick Natowski, the "flesh," whom she "lost" to "water." Throughout the story, Margy sits in the Pass Time Club drinking beer, talking to a young woman, recalling the "fire" of her life, and sifting through the "ashes" of her memories. Margy is in her "time a tellin," and she warns her companion to "run fast if you don wanna hear what I tell, cause I'm goin ta tell." Margy speaks very briefly of the present, which for her is inextricably linked to the past and dominated by the ghost of Raymon Emmons, who comes to visit her virtually every night. She begins her story with an account of the first time she ever saw Raymon Emmons. Emmons was a thirty-year-old railroad man whom she met, fell in love with, pursued, and married when she was seventeen. Margy says almost nothing about their life together, but she talks at length about how she was devastated by his death. She did not feel that she could face life alone: "I cain't stand a life of just me and our furniture in a room, who's gonna be with me?" Margy went to the preacher for advice and counsel, but "he uz no earthly help." She went to her friend, Fursta Evans, but Fursta's wisdom did not satisfy her either, and so Margy dedicated herself to mourning the dead (her daughter, Chitta, died two weeks before her husband) and avoiding the life around her. She went from her house to the graveyard and back.
After a year, Margy's miserable routine was interrupted by a visit from Fursta. Fursta came knocking on her door to assail Margy for her hypocrisy and self-pity: "Why are you so glued to Raymon Emmonses memry when you never cared a hoot bout him while he was on earth . . . ?" According to Fursta, Margy's marriage was not a happy one; she was endlessly critical of Emmons and ultimately drove him to suicide by blaming him for the death of their child. Fursta argued that Margy should forget the past and begin to make the most of the days she had left: "honey, we got to greet life not grieve life." Margy responded that Raymon Emmons had "fastened" her to her house, but Fursta convinced her to turn her face toward the future and to give life another chance. Margy reluctantly closed up her house and boarded a train bound for California. There, she found that "the sun was out, wide . . . the world was still there." Margy arrived in California during World War II and promptly took a job in an airplane factory and fell in love with a sailor, Nick Natowski. After a brief period of joy during which Nick and Margy "lived like a king and queen," Natowski sailed away to war and his death, and Margy returned to Texas defeated and feeling like she had "been pastured on a rope in California."
Margy opened her house, got a job in Richardson's Shoe Shop, and resigned herself to the life she has been living since her return to Texas: days of menial labor and nights "full of talkin" with Raymon Emmons's ghost. Margy asserts that she has gained some measure of freedom in these last years by learning to accept Raymon Emmon's power over her: "I set real still and let it all be, claimed by that ghost until he unclaims me—and then I get up and go roun, free, and that's why I'm here, settin with you here in the Pass Time Club."
Once she has told her story, Margy goes on to try to impart some of what she has learned from life to her young companion. She believes that "all life is just a sharin of ghosts and flesh," which is to say that the past and the present are intimately linked to each other, that the ghosts of lost days, of lost friends and family and lovers, are very much a part of the everyday world. Margy even goes so far as to say that she believes that the spirits of the past, the ashes of past experiences, are the dominant elements in human life: "Maybe the ghost part is the longest lastin, the fire blazes but the ashes last forever." Margy encourages her young companion to be open and receptive to the various realms of life and twists of fate: "I believe the real right way is to take our worlds, of ghosts or of flesh, take each one as they come and take what comes in em: . . . even run out to meet what worlds come in to our lives."