Elements In Willa Carter's 'Neighbour Rosicky'

After reading Willa Carter’s “Neighbour Rosicky” story, one can see that there are puritan, transcendental, regionalism, naturalism and realism characteristics in the story (1863). Carter was able to identify the puritan characteristics when describing Rosicky’s mental and physical toughness. The transcendental characteristic is experienced when Rosicky becomes a resident of New York City, which becomes as natural as walking the busy, noisy streets; in contrast, it can also be unnatural when the streets are empty or when the nostalgia of the big city wears off. The regionalism characteristics are represented throughout the story, as it relates to the specific places and people being impacted. Naturalism is discussed in the extreme situations

that Rosicky’s experiences throughout his life. In one perspective, the story follows the “motivational theory in psychology that argues that while people aim to meet basic needs, they seek to meet successively higher needs in the form of a pyramid” (Maslow). The focus of this essay is on the realism characteristics that Carter described distinctly in the early, middle, and late adulthood stages of Rosicky’s life.
Early on he lost his mother as a young boy and would live with his grandparents in the country. He thought his life would turn for the better when turned eighteen and was fortunate enough to move to London, to find his cousin (Carter 1875). Fortune did not follow him to London; his cousin was in America. He was now homeless, penniless, no family, and desperate. Reality is illustrated when he is sleeping in doorsteps and alleys. He would find shelter and some work through the kindness of a German tailor and his wife. His living quarters were located upstairs above a cobbler and tailor shop. The realism writing style used by Carter is evident the description of Rosicky’s meager lifestyle, i.e., “dirty rags for clothing and would have bites of food a day, due to working for his living quarters and received no money (Carter 1875 ) Carter articulated realism when describing Rosicky’s quarters in the three room apartment which had bugs and fleas and housed a total of nine people; his area consisted of a curtain providing privacy for him to sleep on a horsehair sofa covered with his feathered quilt.(Cater 1875). His life in London would not be repeated, as Carter’s realism of being wretchedly poor would scar him forever.
Fortune would find its way to Rosicky, when at the age of twenty he moved to New York and became a tailor. With hard work and attending night school to learn English, he was able to succeed. He would meet his wife Mary in the city and raise six children and was on his way to becoming a successful middle-age adult. Not forgetting his unfortunate life at a young age, he would apply himself to being a generous kind hearted man that always thought of others before himself. He cherished his time at the Opera, he worked feverishly to enjoy it. But he would not keep the money all to himself, he would loan money to his friends who needed it more than himself. This was the real man he was meant to be, he felt better when helping others. With every passing year he realized that he was not a city man at heart, he dreamed of living in the country with natural surroundings. New York City had become unnatural. At the age of thirty-five, with enough money saved he would buy a farm in Nebraska. (Carter pg 1871) He had returned to what he loved.
As a mature adult, Rosicky thoroughly enjoys the life of a farmer, taking care of the animals and making sure the farm would support his family and community.

The family had difficulties adjusting to the farm, with many ups and downs; but it never seems to get the best of him. Rosicky came to the realization that basics in life are by far the most important things. He discerns that Polly, his son’s wife, is lonely and becoming unhappy. She misses the people in the city. He would direct his son to take Polly to have a night on the town and away from the farm (Cather 1872). The simple things in life made him happy, caring for others and not worrying about himself was what he did best. At the age of sixty-five and having never seen a doctor, he senses heart problems and goes to see his friend, Dr Ed. He is given news no farmer wants to hear; he would not be allowed to work in the fields (Cather 1864). As Carter depicts, Rosicky believed a man’s place is in the fields and a woman’s place is in the house doing house work. On his way home, he stops by a cemetery to reminisce on his life (Cather1867). Not one to stay out of the fields, one day while he was working he had another heart attack. His daughter in-law, Polly, found him. He died the next

morning.
In conclusion, Rosicky lived a life that followed Maslow’s Theory, with each stage of life being better. As a young boy without a mother, no food, only rags as clothing, living in London he realized the basics of life as it pertains to shelter, food and clothing. The terrible faces of people, who live by grinding or cheating or poisoning their fellow-men. (pg 1879). He would earn a new start in New York, earning a good living for his family, appreciating the Opera, fine clothing, and food. The final move of Rosicky life would fulfill his life dream for contentment of the open land. On his Nebraska farm he found the natural surroundings and realization of his dreams with his family. Rosicky was buried in the cemetery that he loved so much; which held the meaning of life that only a Realistic could understand. The beauty surrounding the cemetery was open free land of many colors, deep blue skies, livestock and neighbors passing by. A place very much alive, real and natural as Dr. Ed realized.