Fenstad’s Mother

In the story, Fenstad’s Mother, by Charles Baxter, characters take our attention to the story and we as readers try to understand them. The characters’ actions and the things they say are controlled by the author, of course, just like everything else in the story is controlled. The author uses the action and dialogue to portray each person in a particular way, to develop personalities. Then, we participate in analyzing and understanding these story characters.

The main character, Harry Fernstad, is a brouchure writer, but he also teaches an extension English composition class at the downtown campus of the state university two nights a week. He doesn’t need the money, but it is stated that he likes teaching strangers and enjoys the sense of hope that classrooms hold for him. He has some students from different jobs; a hairdresser, a garage mechanic, a housewife named Mrs. Nelson, three sanitation workers and a black man, called York Follette. Although Fenstad seems to enjoy spending time with them, it is obvious that he likes to be around people who do not know his inner world. He keeps some kind of a distance with them. He chooses to observe these people, he doesn’t participate in their speech, he only begs for the answers he has asked. He teaches logic, but when he is confronted with questions concerning real life, he can’t answer. He maintains this distance to both life and people.

In the beginnig of the story, we see that Fenstad is very fond of ice-skating. As he’s going to visit his mother he stops and decides to skate a little bit. From the words used to describe the situation, we see that Fenstad also here keeps the distance with his friends. He only waves to his friends, he doesn’t utter any word to them. It seems that his friends are very similar to Fenstad. They like the same things and show the same attitudes towards life. Fenstad never wants to change his rutine way of life.

Fenstad’s mother, Mrs.Clara Fenstad, is an old lady who spent her life in the company of rebels and deviationists. She used to be very active in politics and she stil writes to her congressman and to political dictators around the globe. She is opposite to her son that she loves to be with people and she shares her opinions concerning the ‘real’ world.She starts to attend his son’s logic class. She is very kind to the students and they seem to enjoy spending
time with her. She also likes the atmosphere of the class because she adores people with ideas. That is why she wants to attend the class for the second time. She is a very marginal woman. Her mind is open to new possibilities.She becomes so interested with the man, York Follette, that they instantly become friends. That is because he is a different man .He is African American, he has different political views, he listens to music Mrs.Fenstad is not familiar
with. They both try to understand each other. Mr.Fenstad also knew that his mother would like to meet this man and as the story continues we see that is true. One of the reasons she likes this man is that she does not want people agree with existing theories; she always searches for the ‘new’.

They go to Country Bob’s to have some tea after the lecture. This scene shows us how the mother and his son contrast with each other. A beggar come to their table and asks for some money. Mrs Fenstad pities the woman and wants to give her the coat she is wearing. Fenstad is almost appaled by the audicity of the homeless woman and by his mother’s action. He feels very uncomfortable and offers the woman some Money in order to leave them. This middle-aged man is not as generous as his mother and he thinks of himself first before thinking about the comfort of others. Mr Fenstad seems to be disgusted by the woman: “The woman’s mouth was open, and her stagnant-water breath washed over him”(pg 122).

Fenstad also carries a dilemma in his innerself. It is said that he attends church regularly. But, in the beginning of the story, as he is coming from the church, he is trying to determine if the wine of his breath could be understood by his mother. He conradicts with himself. If he is not doing it for himself , it is possible to think that he lives for the sake of his mother.Her mother is the one who is amused by her son’s churchgoings.

Although these two people contradict with each other in some ways, they have some similarities.They are considerate people. They both care for each other. As Fenstad enters her house, he immediately checks it for any signs of memory loss or depression.He is also so worried about her health after he sees her sitting on a bank in a cold night.He is afraid that she might catch an illness. Mrs.Fenstad also cares for her son’s mental well-being.She asks him some questions about his soul. She feels that his son does not enough time thinking about himself. They both try to understand each other by asking questions.

Fenstad is divorced from Eleanor. He has a girlfriend called Susan. They enjoy spending time with each other because in the story it is said that they go skating some nights. Susan is a very silent girl. She once makes a conversation with the mother; and in that Mrs.Fenstad does not listen her. Clara Fenstad tries to be an active woman in the story. Even she fails in some parts she tries her best and the end of the story is a proof of that. Contrary to Mrs.
Fenstad, Susan shows no course of action. Fenstad’s choice of such a girl shows that he wants someone different from his mother.

As we understand from the title of the story, Clare Fenstad is always referred as “Fernstad’s mother”. The author and also Fenstad himself do not refer to her using the name Clara. It’s only once that Fenstad introduced his mother to the class using her first name “Clara”. It is again here a man introducing a woman. She’s not given a voice here. It’s not Mrs. Clara Fenstad here who tells the class her name. It’s the same when she wants to give her coat to the beggar. She says “Take it before my son stops me.” (pg. 122) This sentence shows us that in a way she’s dependent on her son. Nevertheless, her going to the bathroom shows us a sign of her rebellious side. She doesn’t want tos tay there anymore. She wants to leave her son alone. This kind of rebellion reminds me the play A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. Nora, the major character of the play is a voiceless woman. She is always referred as “little, bird, doll”. She has no right to decide on her own. She behaves according to expectations of her husband. Her husband needs her to be a good wife for him. On the other hand, Nora needs him for protection. As the play contiunes Nora starts realize her self identity. In the end she becomes aware of her oppression and decides to leave her husband declaring that she must “make sense of [her]self and everything around her” she walks out and slams the door behind her. When we go back to our story, we will find Clara Fenstad listening to jazz music with this black man, York Follette, in her own house..When her son sees them together, she declares being alone for so many years as her unique problem. Here, she does not behave according to her son’s expectations. She does something for her own and she enjoys it. Moreover, her broadly speaking about politics, writing letters to congressman, spending her life in the company of rebels are proofs to her rebellious side. She is always open to new things and she prefers people with ‘new’ ideas.

As the story continues we see both good and bad sides of these characters.Charles Baxter has developed them so that we see several sides of their natures. Fenstad and his ‘mother’ work well together . While I was studying on my essay, these contrasts helped me to develop my ideas about their characters.