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• 1 2016-03-07T23:41:19-08:00 Because I can 19 Last interaction between Gilley and Levin plain 2016-03-15T19:43:36-07:00

  A closer look at Malamud's editing process:  

  “Goodbye to your sweet dreams,” Gilley said called after him. 

  “I hope yours are sweet.” 

  “A woman older than yourself and not dependable, plus two adopted children kids, no relation to choice of yours, no job, nor any promises of one, plus and other assorted headaches. It beats me wWhy you will take that load on yourself.?”  

  “I have to,” Levin said. 

  “What do you mean ‘have to’?” 

  “Because I can, you son of a bitch” he said bitterly.  

  
  They drove to her the house. Levin entered it guiltily went unwillingly in, the signs of her the husband still around. I’ve paid not to but I still am. He felt imprisoned but didn’t say so. Pauline fed the children kids, then put them down for naps. She made sandwiches and they ate sat in the kitchen. Levin ate, looking at the leaning birch tree in the backyard; Pauline said Gerald had chopped it down in the spring. 
    

  Sample analysis:

  In terms of revision, this final interaction between Gilley and Levin reflects the least in terms of quantitative changes, but the qualitative changes are enormous. The manuscript betrays a weaker, less developed Levin who submits to his obligations with bitterness rather than accepting his new circumstances with grace. In his final attempt to dissuade Levin from leaving with his wife and children, in the manuscript version, Gilley calls attention to the fact that the children have no relation to Levin. Malamud’s shift from ‘no relation’ to ‘no choice’ in the published version of the novel paradoxically emphasizes the voluntary nature of Levin’s sacrifice. Even if the children are not something he would have chosen, in confronting Gilley, he proves that he is willing to sacrifice his “sweet dreams” as Gilley points out in both versions. Additionally, Gilley’s phrasing changes from a statement to a question, eliciting a more direct response from Levin. This direct inquiry leaves Levin open for the final line, “Because I can, you son of a bitch.”

  The removal of Levin’s outward feelings of bitterness serves as the completion of his transformation of character. Levin’s response in the manuscript, both in his hiding behind obligation in the line “ I have to” as well as his feelings of imprisonment when he returns with Pauline to her marital home indicate a loss of hope. This tone undermines any character growth on Levin’s part because it suggests that his endeavor to begin a new life has failed, confirming the self-doubt that plagues Levin through the majority of the novel in both versions. With the significantly more authoritative statement in the published draft, Levin’s character development is confirmed and his endeavor to begin again is renewed in the final scenes with Pauline. The addition of the line and removal of Levin’s bitterness also promote a sense of finality between Levin and Gilley.  

  In the manuscript version, Gilley still holds power over Levin in their final exchange, not only because he has robbed Levin of his dreams through deceitful means of blackmail, but also because Levin concedes defeat. Gilley’s victory is hollow in the published version, because Levin refuses to be victimized. In the face of Levin’s calm acceptance, Gilley’s successful blackmail serves only to make him appear weaker.  

  Levin’s meal with Pauline has also transformed to reflect Levin’s growth as well as an optimistic vision for the future. Most obviously, Levin doesn’t admit to feeling imprisoned by Pauline or his situation, as he does in the manuscript copy. Rather than going ‘guiltily’ in to Pauline’s house, Levin is merely unwilling, or perhaps reluctant to enter. The reasoning behind this unwillingness is left ambiguous, but the shift from ‘her’ husband to ‘the’ husband gives us a clue. Her husband implies fear or apprehension of Gilley because it applies to a specific person. ‘The’ husband merely refers to a role that, even as Pauline and Levin sit in the kitchen looking at the tree Gilley cut down, is diminishing as they move forward. This unwillingness feels more like a lingering side effect from his conversation with Gilley and not a sense of regret heavily linked to guilt.  

  Overall, these changes contribute to a greater sense of hope for the novel’s conclusion.