"Well, but, brother, positively I can't introduce you in these clothes; why, your coat looks as if it were calculated for the vulgar purpose of keeping yourself comfortable."
Let me repeat that for you: "The vulgar purpose of keeping yourself comfortable." This is what Charlotte tells her brother upon seeing his 'un-stylish' outfit.
This is America, the land of blue jeans. Comfort and utility are a very important aspect in our choice of clothing. This is the land of casual Fridays and this woman is telling me I can't wear my jacket because it's not fashionable which according to Charlotte is synonymous with respectable.
Manly defends his coat saying it was from his time in the war, but Charlotte and Letitia are not satisfied. They, Charlotte especially, have a specific dress code and wear whatever is in fashion simply because it is in fashion. The pocket-hoop is not good enough for flirting, they must have the bell-hoop. Similarly, Dimple will not downsize his wardrobe even though he is in debt. These characters are very vain and shallow; they do not exemplify the qualities that Taylor hopes to persuade are those of a good American. They are not desirable and therefore the characters that practice them do not end the play happily. Rather it is Maria and Manly who are wed and in love.
By giving a happy ending the Maria and Manly, Taylor is saying that to dress for comfort or for yourself and not solely for style is acceptable behaviour. I have to say as an American I agree wholeheartedly. Long live blue jeans.
Your post is very interesting and kind of comical. I had not thought of the simple idea that Tyler wanted people to just be comfortable and stop wearing things that aren't. Very good observation.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, it reminded me of something Manly specifically said: "I have often lamented the advantage which the French have over us in that particular.... but there every lady assumes a right to deviate from the general ton as far as will be advantage to her own appearance. In America, the cry is, what is the fashion? and we follow it, indiscriminately, because it is so (pg.23-24)." It can be seen that this quote supports where you state, "Taylor is saying that to dress for comfort or for yourself and not solely for style is acceptable behaviour."
ReplyDeleteHowever, this quote shows more than I had anticipated. There are many contrasts between the U.S. and the British or between the U.S. and the European countries. This is apparent with the many examples that our classmates have pointed out in their posts, but this quote is different. I thought Manly was supposed to be patriotically all-American, yet this quote supports the idea that although a person can be patriotic and very supportive of his/her country, he/she can still also respect and admire the principles, the culture, or other aspects of another country without betraying his/her own.
For Manly to approve of the French women's want for uniqueness in their style rather than the "wanna-be" fashionistas in America (like Charlotte or Letitia) is implying that "to dress for comfort or for yourself... is acceptable behavior" for people in general, no matter where they come from or who they are.