Still Life: What do you think of Timmer Hadley’s idea?

Timmer Hadley’s idea about Ruth Zardo—that her bitterness and suffering fuel her poetry—reflects a common belief that emotional pain often drives artistic creativity. I think that writers and other professionals in the Arts – painters, musicians, actors – are actively involved in the human condition, exploring emotions deeply. There is a longstanding romantic mythos around “suffering for one’s art” that threads through the history of Western art, where many artists with tumultuous and destructive personal lives were nevertheless elevated and popular because people enjoyed their work. Art, for whatever reason, often excuses behaviors that wouldn’t be acceptable in other professions.

I think Timmer is only partially right about what inspires Ruth’s poetry; Timmer misjudges Ruth’s suffering as being that she resents happiness. Yes, Ruth’s actions towards Jane are reprehensible. But Ruth tells Gamache that she told Jane’s parents about her intention to marry Andreas because she thought Jane was making a big mistake and had more potential. She couldn’t convince Jane, so she went behind her back. Ruth’s choice appears to be one motivated by wanting to protect her friend, not one driven by jealously. Was it an arrogant, “self-involved” (as Yvette thinks) decision? Maybe, yes. But Jane was only 17 at the time and so Ruth was also probably quite young too, so it was a foolish, youthful mistake, rather than one made out of resentment (at least according to Ruth.) Timmer is right in that Ruth recognizes her failings, but I am not fully on board that Ruth is resentful of other people’s happiness. At least, not from what we learn in Still Life. Ruth suffers because she recognizes everyone’s weaknesses including her own. And she is the harshest judge of her own faults – why else would Ruth write on the mirror “You’re looking at the problem.”

I think Tara captures well the more nuanced and complex picture of Ruth that we see even in “Still Life” and even more so in later books in the series. This is also the same Ruth who struggles to get on her knees to clean up manure. Ruth is absolutely no doubt her harshest critic. It is also interesting that this comment comes from Timmer who is described by Clara as an unfeeling and hateful individual. That is based on the stories Ben Hadley tells about his mother, of course. But I think it also speaks to how little we truly know of others unless we are willing to keep an open mind.

This reminds me of an Auden poem that Louise uses, “There is always another story, there is more than meets the eye.”

“A poem begins with a lump in the throat.” I think that is a quote from Ruth in a later book. It is a figure of speech that conveys sadness, struggle or suffering. There is an element of suffering that informs Ruth’s poetry. I think it is also an element of artistic expression, not so much because artists suffer more than others but because they are willing to look at the range of human experience including suffering. And to take the risk of expressing it in their work.

I think the most effective people in their work and those most respected in their lives are those who can see, acknowledge and respond to suffering. It is a trait sorely needed these days.

I love what you wrote Jane! And I agree, Tara. There are more layers to Ruth than what Timmer saw and judged. In society, we frequently see Timmer’s idea reflected in professions where deep empathy or emotional intensity is desirable. Artistic professions are one sphere but I’d add that professions like therapy, social work, medical professions, or even journalism, can often attract individuals who have experienced hardship and may have a heightened awareness of human suffering and they want to direct their experiences towards helping people heal and see the truth about themselves.

Maybe Ruth struggles with the happiness of others because her own pain makes joy seem distant or unattainable. So she puts up a shield that appears bitter and angry but that’s not what’s underneath. I’m not sure if Ruth sees her poetry as alleviating her suffering, but I guess it’s a conduit for healing in some ways because it puts her experience (and the greater human experience) into words. Her poetry certainly brings comfort and enjoyment to Gamache.

What excellent thoughts, and so well expressed, everyone! I agree with your premises– in many professions, the best understanding, empathy, and ability to capture the essence of something is often found through personal experience. I certainly believe it can enhance an actor’s performance, or a dancer’s, or an artist’s, or a writer’s — I’ve heard many such people explaining where they got their inspirations, and it’s often amazing what they can draw on to express themselves; and as Maureen says, other professions that require empathy and understanding often do the same as well.
Yet, there’s also the other side– some people, because they’ve suffered or been mistreated, use that for justification to become abusers themselves, to make others suffer because they have. I think that’s what Timmer was hinting at about Ruth, and there may well be a degree of that within her, but as Tara says, perhaps in the case of Jane and Andy, Ruth may simply have made an insensitive, immature error in judgment and didn’t consider the consequences. I know Ruth has a good heart (the manure cleanup, for example) but she seems unable to control certain outbursts of behavior (she apologized sincerely to Gamache after being rude at that first meeting, but admitted that she’d probably do it again). As she said, her entire life seemed to be a battle and she has no talent for choosing which battle to fight, but for the most part, she steps up when the chips are down, and she now harnesses her inner turmoil to see the world with greater insight, the dark and the light, and turn it into her poetry. Maybe it took her years to attain that state of self-awareness and insight, though. And she’s still a work in progress!