Reflections in a Golden Eye by Carson McCullers
"Reflections in a Golden Eye" is a novel by Carson McCullers that explores themes of isolation and complex human relationships within the confines of a military post in the American South. The story revolves around a murder linked to a group of characters that includes two army officers, their spouses, a soldier, a Filipino servant, and even a horse. Set against a backdrop of "insularity" and leisure typical of peacetime army life, the character-driven narrative delves into the psychological, emotional, and sexual entanglements among the individuals.
Key characters navigate a web of sexual identities, including adultery, bisexuality, and taboo attractions, each grappling with their own fears and desires. Private Ellgee Williams, for instance, harbors an attraction to animals stemming from childhood fears about women, while Captain Weldon Penderton struggles with his impotence and latent homosexual desires. The intertwined lives of these characters ultimately lead to a violent confrontation fueled by jealousy and betrayal. McCullers' work paints a vivid portrait of a rigid social order, where individuals confront their isolation and seek connection through often destructive means. The novel invites readers to reflect on the intricacies of human nature and the societal pressures that shape personal identities.
On this Page
Reflections in a Golden Eye by Carson McCullers
First published: 1941
The Work
Reflections in a Golden Eye opens with a brief narrative establishing that because of “insularity” and excess “leisure and safety” army posts during peacetime are dull. After establishing the setting, the narrator lists “two officers, a soldier, two women, a Filipino, and a horse” as participants of a murder that occurred in a particular Southern fort.
The events that occur in the novel lead to the murder mentioned in the beginning passages. The plot is developed primarily through character development rather than through action. The characters in the novel are geographically connected by virtue of their position at the army post. They are also united and estranged psychologically, emotionally, and sexually.
The characters are involved in myriad sexual identities, including adultery, bisexuality, and bestiality. Private Ellgee Williams is afraid of women because as a child he was told they carry ailing diseases and will send him to hell. Sexually attracted to animals, he works in the stables. Williams stares at Leonora through her window and enters her room at night to watch her sleep.
Captain Weldon Penderton is married to Leonora, and although they share hostile feelings each for the other, Leonora provides a shield for his latent homosexual desires. The sexually impotent Penderton is attracted to women and men, but he is most attracted to the men who find his wife attractive. Penderton is also a masochist.
Major Morris Langdon is married to Alison but involved in an adulterous affair with Leonora. Alison is only attracted to Anacleto, her androgenous, dwarflike Filipino servant. When Alison decides to divorce Langdon and leave with Anacleto, she is committed to a mental hospital, where she dies. Langdon grieves for her, although their marriage was futile.
The animosities the characters feel for one another lead to the murder the narrator mentions at the beginning of the novel. Alison feels outraged when she sees someone at the Pendertons’ house because she thinks her husband is visiting Leonora. It is Captain Penderton who is the person at the Pendertons’ house. Alison enters the house. Alison discovers not her husband but Williams in Leonora’s bedroom. She tells Captain Penderton to look in Leonora’s bedroom, and he feels awkward because he fears he will find Langdon in his wife’s room and does not want to confront his superior officer. When Penderton walks Alison home, he sees Langdon at home and realizes someone else is in Leonora’s room. A few weeks later, Penderton discovers Williams in Leonora’s room and shoots him.
Reflections in a Golden Eye depicts an environment with a rigid, oppressive social order, in which people exist in a confused, chaotic state, trying to escape feelings of isolation through sexual gratification.
Bibliography
Carr, Virginia Spencer. The Lonely Hunter: A Biography of Carson McCullers. Garden City, N.J.: Anchor Press, 1975. This definitive biography of Carson McCullers has numerous photographs and a good index. Discusses the circumstances surrounding the writing and publication of Reflections in a Golden Eye.
Carr, Virginia Spencer. Understanding Carson McCullers. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1990. Argues that the characters in Reflections in a Golden Eye are grotesque. Describes characters and plot, giving a brief overview of contemporary reviews of the book.
Cook, Richard M. Carson McCullers. New York: Frederick Ungar, 1975. Cook analyzes the main characters in the novel and discusses the theme of isolation.
Graver, Lawrence. Carson McCullers. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1969. Noteworthy for its vituperative attack on Reflections in a Golden Eye, which Graver criticizes for “luridness of subject” and “lack of artistry.”
McDowell, Margaret B. Carson McCullers. Boston: Twayne, 1980. Describes the book’s plot, then discusses its comic effects, the use of the gothic, its “fragmented vision of human existence,” the motif of isolation, and its horror.