The Professor's House by Willa Cather: A Review

🏠 The Professor's House is a frame story (story within a story). Professor Godfrey St. Peter and his wife is moving out to a new, more comfortable house - no doubt after their two daughters married.

🏠 But St. Peter couldn't be apart from his old house yet. He now realizes how uncomfortable his old house has been; yet, he loved it. Especially his study in the attic room - a room where Augusta, the sewing lady used to sew dresses for the ladies of the house. He even loved the "form" (mannequin bust) where Augusta put his daughters' pretty dresses. He didn't think it weird; on the contrary, he accepted it as an integral part of his study. Moreover, he enjoyed Augusta's silent company while they were doing their works.

🏠 The Professor feels acutely the loneliness which old age often brings. He feels mentally farther away from his family. Lilian, his wife, was jealous of his relationship with his pupil Tom Outland, whose arrival to the St. Peter's would change their entire life, even long after he died in the war.

🏠 The Professor's reminiscences of Tom Outland is the frame story I was talking about. And what a remarkable story! Together with his friend Rodney "Roddy" Brake, he found a hidden cliff city of an Indian tribe in the Blue Mesa of New Mexico. It was of a fine civilization that they found, which Tom treated as a solemn object. On the other hand, Roddy treated it as mere intrinsic object. He sold the remnants in good price without consulting Tom. This enraged Tom and resulted to their quarrel and separation.

🏠 Studying under St. Peter's direction, Tom excelled in science. He invented a vacuum system, which he patented right before he served in the Gulf War, and never came back. In his will, he bequeathed the money from the patent to Rosamond St. Peter, to whom he was engaged before leaving for the war.

🏠 So, this story, which at first I thought as easy and straightforward, turned out to be a complex and thought provoking one. There are few things that left me pondering hard. One of these is why or what made St. Peter felt isolated from his family and peers - besides mid life crisis? I think Tom Outland and the values which he stands for had a huge influence over him. That explains also Lilian's jealousy of Tom; it's him who pulled St. Peter away from her.

🏠 St. Peter and Tom Outland valued history and heritage higher than money. Lilian, the daughters, the son-in-laws didn't understand why St. Peter was annoyed when Marsellus (Rosamond's husband) proudly announced that they would named their new house (bought from Outland's patent) "Outland" (while realizing that it's from his wife's ex fiance's money). The same thing must have been felt by Roddy on Tom's annoyance over the selling of the curios from the cliff city.

🏠 I think this was Cather's silent critic of modern civilization's high praise of money and wealth. St. Peter and Tom Outland both belonged to the old world, where a house is more than a building to protect you, and a lost civilization is more than its charming remnants. These old objects became an identity, it's what had made one who one is today. And that's why they are precious.

🏠 I was surprised at how deep this reading has brought me reflecting, and am grateful to have read another of Cather's remarkable works. I can't say this as a fun read (it's more confusing than fun when I was at it), but I realized its meaning after much reflection. This is one proof of the importance of reviewing or blogging of classics; I often realize the true value/impact of a book while trying to write a review/post. This has really been an unexpected read.

Rating: 4 / 5