The theme of pleasure is established several times throughout The Sport of Kings. Henrietta, who is often the victim of her father's plight for pleasure, grows up to be a woman always in search of a new body she can conquer. Having sex is her way of taking back what her father stole from her, which is control over her body. This is proven when Henrietta first gives herself to the Irishman, and she quickly learns to "take what she could get, because these men would offer her no pleasure of their own accord" (154).
This theme is further exemplified as Henrietta starts to become a familiar sight at the bars. Men are willing to take her home, not because they find her attractive, but because she is a woman willing to give herself to them. Usually, it is the men who find thrill in the chase of a woman, but this is not so in the case of Henrietta. Henrietta willingly gives herself to these men, because as Morgan indicates, "she was after pleasure" (171). However, Henrietta makes it clear that she "had to have a man to do it," (154) that she can't just find pleasure from anything and everything.
Henrietta additionally tries to avoid the men that complicate her pursuit, by using her for admiration. She states that the "point of fucking was to crush the pearl, not polish it" (171). Not wanting to be used as a toy to boost men's egos, Henrietta stays away from the men that ask too many questions, who pretend "interest in her private mind" (171). Rather, she takes her sexuality into her own hands by seeking out men who are only there for one thing alone.
Some might argue that Henrietta's actions are far from how a woman should behave, however, this seriously begs the question—isn't this what men have always done? Take from a woman what is rightfully hers and then call her a whore for behaving the same way? Those who call into question the actions of Henrietta must call into the question the actions of men as a whole. All Henrietta has done throughout her entire adult life is attempt to reclaim what her father took from her as a child. She cannot help what cruel injustice has been done to her, so if fucking is her way of feeling some kind of empowerment over her body again, then so be it.
Throughout the novel, The Sport of Kings, pleasure is a constantly recurring theme. While pleasure can be a way to demonstrate power and control in the novel, as seen in Henrietta’s situations with men, it carries a different symbolism throughout the entirety of the book. Henrietta’s interactions with men stem from her experiences of having intercourse with her own father. Henrietta does not have power over her body when it comes to sex with her father because she does not have a choice. Henrietta seeks out other men, giving her power in choosing who to let into her body, which is what Ally states. But, there is another meaning to pleasure in The Sport of Kings, one that is more significant than pleasure creating power.
ReplyDeleteC.E. Morgan includes the act/feeling of pleasure in the book, but it is always linked with a consequence. Henrietta feels a sense of empowerment from pleasure, but she experiences a consequence from her pleasure. There are multiple examples of this throughout the novel. C.E. Morgan defines pleasure as “a sensation of enjoyment, satisfaction; the indulgence of appetite… Considered by most to be the opposite of pain.” (101). While Morgan notes that pleasure is the opposite of pain, it is always followed by a form of pain.
At the very start of the novel, a young Henry Forge desires pleasure. Henry’s sense of pleasure is found in his moments of fun. These moments include running away from his father and killing the neighbor’s cattle. Henry found fun and entertainment in “his striking of the match—until the firecracker burst” that kills the bull on the Miller property (10). Henry is then whipped by his father so badly that he cannot “shit without pain for two months.” (13). This is the first instance where pleasure is followed by pain. Then, Henry’s mother has sexual relations with a slave, which is a sense of pleasure for both of them. This results in the murder of the slave. Additionally, Henrietta finds pleasure in fucking Allmon. As a result, Henrietta becomes pregnant with his child and dies during labor. There are many more examples of pleasure followed by a severe consequence or pain in the novel.
C.E. Morgan includes a story of the God of Pine Mountain and a rabbit. This further emphasizes the established relationship between pleasure and consequence in the book. The rabbit states “all I want… is a little pleasure.” (393). This pleasure stems from the forbidden pawpaw fruit. Ultimately, the woman eats the fruit, which instantly “filled her with delight” (394). The woman shares this pleasure with the man, and they both consume the forbidden fruit. Consequently, the two are punished by the God. The man blames the woman and ends up murdering her. Both the man and woman have negative consequences from their small moment of pleasure.
While pleasure does represent empowerment for Henrietta, more importantly, it resembles a short-lived happiness, followed by an undesirable consequence. Pleasure is followed by pain for her, and ultimately the rest of the characters in the novel.
I agree that pleasure is a recurring theme in the novel and that Henrietta uses it to empower herself after a life of living to please her father. Morgan seems to place emphasis on the fact that only the men in the novel can have pleasure or pursue it. The backbone of the novel is built on Henry’s striving for perfection, on his glory road to breeding a fast horse as well as breeding a pure family line. This is all in accordance to what he wants, so he subjects Henrietta to rape in order to achieve his goals that will ultimately give him pleasure. All of the women in the novel are mere tools for the men to use to achieve pleasure. This is evident when Judith explains to Henrietta how she realizes that a man marries because he wants something from the woman’s body, not because he loves her” (117). Even Lavinia on her death bed died “as if she had been expecting more” (179). Perhaps she wanted to be more than a tool, to have the option of having her own pleasure?
ReplyDeleteI do not necessarily commend Henrietta for sleeping around but I agree with you that we have no right to judge her for this. This is one of the few instances in the novel that any of the women are able to do what they want, to do what feels good to them, and I think it marked a significant step towards female independence.