Short Story Review || The Old Man (1952)
"A neighbour's story of love & loss, performed by the intention of his own desires."
: 🌕 : SPOILER ALERT : 🌕 :
An ode to the story with a troubling end, du Maurier appears to have had a penchant for the silly tale of mystery, gleaming intrigue for her reader. Her short stories each brim with a malaise that is enticing, slippery & smooth, the backs of the characters carry the weight of their secrets, never to be shared. Meanwhile, the plot trudged forward like Hercules thumping on Hades’ door. A special reader will appreciate the dimensions that du Maurier sequesters in her tales, some of which seem nonsensical, yet all of which tickle the tongue for words of praise.
“Nobody seemed to take any interest in the couple living there but myself, so that it was only what I observed with my own eyes that makes this story, nothing that I heard from anybody else, no scraps of gossip or tales told about them behind their backs.”
This is the final story in an anthology I was kindly gifted by the Publisher. I had been apprehensive when reading the synopsis. It is no secret that I had not enjoyed du Maurier’s most popular work yet, I found this gave me an edge to try again. I remain ever grateful to have had the opportunity to read the anthology & for having had the chance to broaden my horizons.
The author’s talent shines in short form with rays of sunshine dressed as worming serpents across cool stone walkways. I encourage readers who have yet to read du Maurier, to begin with her short stories, as they offer the perfect view through the looking glass, a glimpse of her true talent.
‣‣‣
In essence, this is a story about the oddity of infatuation. The narrator comes upon another person in the community where they live. In this case, the reader plays this other person—a faceless listener who is perchance curious about the old man wandering by the lake. The narrator decides that now is the time to share. Having lived in the vicinity of the old man for many years, he has borne witness to a terrible tragedy that altered his trust in the world & manipulated his definition of beauty forever.
‣‣‣
I admit to requiring time to process this story. I wondered if perhaps my inner monologue, voicing the narrator, would have been clearer had I remained mute. That is, the narrator’s voice was curious to me. Sometimes, it felt like he knew the old man intimately, whereas, on other occasions, his reflections came across as dissociated recollections of a gossiping neighbour. Therefore, I went in search of an audio version of this story in the hopes that another reader’s interpretation might add dimension to our dear friend’s story.
The BBC’s recorded narration of du Maurier’s short story was immensely helpful to me. Though my initial reading had been clear & my conclusions met, I enjoyed the English accent & the emphasis that was put into certain pauses, the tranquil repose in highlighted importance.
I am reminded of the importance of diversity while writing this review. Certainly, I might have had a valid critique penned after reading the story on my own, but I feel better set to review this work now that I have heard it said in the speech pattern, which may have been natural for the narrator in his English community of the 1950s.
‣‣‣
What I found most curious about the narrator was his neutrality. I might refer to the narrator as a “he,” but I do not know this for certain. In fact, “he” might not be a male person at all rather, my assumption is made based on his behaviour & his train of thought—I might be altogether wrong about this & I think that leaving the physical aspects of the character to the discretion of the reader allows them the opportunity to further explore the actual mystery at hand. Whether a reader wishes to have the narrator remain neutral or whether they image the narrator as a young woman, the story itself does not depend on this.
‣‣‣
As the narrator recounts his interactions with the old man, the conclusion he came to, & the warning he was given when he first moved to the area, the reader will be given so few details as to make them question what the narrator is trying to convey. Perhaps he is lonely & has lived for too long on his own. Yet, as the tale roams onward, it becomes apparent that the generation & the time of the narrator have soured him.
To cut to the chase, the narrator has accused the old man & his wife of murdering their son—nicknamed “Boy” by the narrator. One summer, the old man & his wife wandered into town with their four children (three girls & Boy), where the narrator noted he could not know for certain what became of them but that, after many long years of watching the happy children grow, he never saw them again.
Boy returns to the family home, hoping perhaps to be readmitted to his comfort. The narrator notes that Boy is “simple,”—which could mean any number of things, but for the sake of this review, I believe it to mean that Boy had a developmental disability.
The old man squawks in Boy’s face becomes aggrieved, angry, & sodden. His wife remains in the background with an air of uncertainty that patiently waits with her. The narrator watches all this transpire; he even goes so far as to warn Boy that his parents do not want him at the house that he should leave.
Instead of leaving, Boy remains in the reeds by the lake, waiting for his parents to switch gears. They do, in fact, pivot, but instead of admitting him back home, they bludgeon him, leaving his body in the reeds for whomever to find. The narrator takes special care to mention this scene in detail & I am grateful for this as it paces the story, which seems to be moving altogether too fast & yet, inconceivably, is perfectly paced.
‣‣‣
I mention the pacing in such a way because this is a short story. It is often the case that authors lose themselves in the word count, attempting to ensure that they remain in the confines set by higher powers. When details are included, it allows the story to feel as though it were tenderly crafted—that is when details are relevant, such as in this case. As the narrator recounts burying Boy, scolding his parents, & turning his back to his neighbours, readers will have the chance to mourn the son who had no chance to thrive.
Oddly, the old man & his wife turn into swans & they fly away for the winter, leaving the narrator to admire their beauty. What is the purpose of this? Why would du Maurier transform villains into svelte porcelain avian beauties?
‣‣‣
The imagery produced by transforming such cruel parents into their animal kin may lead readers to wonder, as I did, about the practices of swans. I was certainly not entirely ignorant of the violent tempers that precede swans as they glaze the waters of every lake, pond, & waterway. Yet, I questioned whether something so majestic could be capable of such brutality. The answer is, in fact, yes, they can, & they do it so often it has become a scientific conundrum for observers of the species.
Although I do enjoy furthering my research & deepening my understanding of a subject, primarily triggered while reading, I will acknowledge that not every reader is this way. For many, the symbolism which du Maurier relies on will seem stupid. Why would she pretend that crones could be grandiose & lovely? In truth, I cannot know for certain that the author meant for this comparison to be any more profound than what is deduced at the surface level; beautiful creatures often do horrible things.
Therefore, the narrator must ponder what he deems a beautiful thing. The lake near where he lives is beautiful, but it is dangerous, people drown & are never found. The love of a parent is beautiful until it is proven fraudulent & wrought with abuse. The rose is beautiful, but it slices open veins & slithers across the skin for the mirror image of its ruby-red petals. What in the world exists as singularly beautiful but void of danger?
‣‣‣
Ultimately, what I enjoyed about this story was how easy it felt to understand. Readers from an array of levels will be able to appreciate what the author has penned, rather, no one needs to know anything about swans or their terrible murderous streak to know how sad it was for the narrator to find Boy dead in the greenery of the lovely lakefront.
I find myself curious where the couple went & who greeted them when they arrived. Do they return to their home knowing that no one is a danger to them? Does a person who murdered a child feel invincible in the face of human horrors, having committed, arguably, one of the worst? What becomes of the couple, so enamoured with one another, when half of their beauty shrivels & dies?
There is no certainty that a happy ending will arrive for anyone involved in this story. However, a reader may hold out hope that the three daughters caught the hint laid barren for them in the bruised palms of their beloved parents: leave home or perish in the depths. Whether the narrator will ever be able to believe in their fruitful, continuous existence remains unknown.
If you would like to read this story, please visit this link — « The Old Man » by Daphne du Maurier
Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK, & Daphne du Maurier for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
C. 💌