The Egg by Sherwood Anderson
In The Egg by Sherwood Anderson we have the theme of ambition, sacrifice, failure and happiness. Taken from his The Triumph of the Egg collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator who is looking back at a period in his life when he was ten years old and from the beginning of the story and throughout the story the reader realises that Anderson may be exploring the theme of ambition. In the second paragraph of the story the narrator tells the reader that ‘Something happened to the two people (narrator’s parents). They became ambitious. The American passion for getting up in the world took possession of them.’ This line is important as it is through it that the reader realises that the narrator’s parents are chasing or following what is commonly referred to as the American Dream. The fact that the narrator’s father appears to fail in all his endeavours after he leaves his job as a farm hand on Thomas Butterworth’s farm may also be important as Anderson could also be suggesting that for the majority of people the American Dream remains just that, a dream and in reality this dream is unattainable for most people no matter how hard they strive to succeed.
Anderson also appears to be exploring the theme of happiness. Prior to getting married and setting up the chicken farm, the narrator’s father seems to have been a happy man. It is only after he on his wife’s instigation becomes ambitious or chases the American Dream that the narrator’s father begins to become unhappy. It is possible that Anderson is linking personal happiness and the American Dream together and by doing so may be suggesting that both are incompatible with each other. If anything the pursuit of the American Dream leaves the narrator’s father unhappy. It is also possible that Anderson is suggesting that there are sacrifices to be made in the pursuit of the American Dream and for the narrator’s father that sacrifice is personal happiness. At no stage in the story, apart from the opening paragraph, does the reader get a sense that the narrator’s father has achieved personal happiness. If anything, through his pursuit of the American Dream, his life has become unbearable. It is also interesting that the narrator tells the reader in the opening sentence of the story that ‘My father was, I am sure, intended by nature to be a cheerful, kindly man.’ This line is significant as it is possible that the narrator is suggesting that should his father not have chased the American Dream, he would have been a happier man.
Symbolically the eggs in the story are also important as Anderson may be likening the fragility of an egg to the fragility that comes with the pursuit of the American Dream. Just as an egg is easily broken, it is possible that Anderson is also suggesting that through the pursuit of the American Dream, a person can also be broken, as seems to be the case when it comes to the narrator’s father. It is also possible that the eggs symbolise the American Dream itself. The chicken farm that the narrator’s father runs may also be symbolically important. The narrator tells the reader that ‘I am a gloomy man inclined to see the darker side of life, I attribute it to the fact that what should have been for me the happy joyous days of childhood were spent on a chicken farm.’ Anderson may be suggesting that through his parent’s ambition or pursuit of the American Dream by running the farm the narrator has lost an innocence that usually is associated with youth.
The theme of failure is self-evident in the story. The narrator’s father fails in all his endeavours after he leaves his job as a farm hand on Butterworth’s farm. He fails when it comes to running the chicken farm and the restaurant. It is also noticeable that the narrator’s father also fails to entertain or impress Joe Kane and fails with his magic tricks. If anything Kane views the narrator’s father as being insane. What is interesting about the magic tricks that the narrator’s father tries to perform is that they all involve eggs. If the eggs symbolises the American Dream it is possible that by having the narrator’s father fail in performing the tricks, Anderson is also further highlighting the father’s failure in his pursuit of the American Dream. The fact that Kane views the narrator’s father as insane may also be significant as it could suggest at least symbolically that the pursuit of the American Dream, at least for the narrator’s father, leads to insanity or is madness.
The fact that the narrator can still see the egg on the table at the end of the story after his father put it there and didn’t break it is also interesting as it suggests the continued if not blind pursuit of the American Dream by not only the narrator’s father but it would appear by the narrator too. Despite being aware of the ‘complete and final triumph of the egg,’ over both himself and his father there is a sense that the narrator and his family continued their pursuit of the American Dream and if anything it has cost both the narrator and his father their happiness.
However, keep in mind that at the end of the text, despite the fact that the egg is present, the family is finally together, in their grief, in their reconciling, in the moment. This contrasts with the father and mother taking shifts to operate the restaurant and adding to the theme that the artificial ambitions will indefinitely have a negative impact on family life and togetherness. There should always be even a glimmer of hope at the end of a story, and I think the family being together is that small glimmer.
Thanks for the comment Anton. You make a very insightful and valid point. A point I had not previously seen. There does appear to be a glimmer of hope at the end of the story and it is this possibility of hope that Anderson might have wanted to highlight to the reader. All is or was not lost.
what is literary movement in this story?
I don’t understand the question Anjali.
Modernism! It began roughly around in 1918, the end of the World War 1.
(If this is what you mean.)
Thanks Tingyuan.
What is the main symbol in Anderson story?
The egg. Anderson may be likening the fragility of an egg to the fragility that comes with the pursuit of the American Dream. Just as an egg is easily broken, it is possible that Anderson is also suggesting that through the pursuit of the American Dream, a person can also be broken, as seems to be the case when it comes to the narrator’s father.
To be honest, I do think that the story is told by the boy, the grownup man and the omniscient narrator—the God.
Thanks for that insight.
Anton and Dermot is it just hope at the story’s end, or is there the act of redemption as well which brings the family together? If so, then the symbol of the remaining egg (symbolic of a new life) completes the “literary movement” in the story.
Thanks for that insight Ron.
Thanks for the summary. I agree with your take on the eggs symbolic nature. In fact, in the beginning of the story, the narrator laments about the chick’s high mortality rate. This not only explains his gloomy attitude, but also may symbolize the high failure rate of those striving for the American Dream.
Thanks for the insight Joseph.
What is the symbolic meaning of chicks?
Possibly the believed realisation of the American Dream.
What is the tone in “the egg” by Sherwood Anderson.
I’m not sure. It has been a while since I last read the story.
Sarcastic
I’m confused about the meaning of this statement, “They are so much like people they mix one up in one’s judgments of life.” Can someone help me out?
The context is as follows: “Small chickens, just setting out on the journey of life, look so bright and alert, and they are, in fact, so dreadfully stupid. They are so much like people…”
It looks like Anderson is using personification. Personalizing the eggs to be the same as people. He may be suggesting that just as some people can confuse you. So too can the eggs.