Theodore Dreiser's "Free"

Theodore Dreiser's "Free" is one story that I have really taken an interest in because of its themes of fatalism and the idea that no matter how much one wants to take off the chains of convention and be "free", the only "freedom" that one can have is the freedom to die. A few years ago, I would have slammed my book shut on Dreiser probably within the first couple of pages, but for some reason, this piece now really fascinates me.

Perhaps this is because I am in a current doubting stage of my life and this story gives one solution (albeit morbid and slightly depressing). After reading "Free" I had all of these thoughts about my life and how doubting that I am becoming about things that I had always known. I, on Mr. Haymaker's terms, would define these things that I have always known as "conventions".

For years, I had Mrs. Haymaker's telling me that this is how I should act, what I should be, how I should do things. Everything was supposed to make me this "whole" person, this "saintly" person, this "amazing, wonderful, special, great, potentially perfect" person. Well, it might have helped for a while, but it has made my life no greater than if I would have been left to my own learning, understanding, and artistic license.

Maybe I am getting a bit off topic, but I think that going into why I am enjoying naturalistic literature is important to understanding why "Free" influences me so. Mr. Haymaker is the Romantic artist, but the Realistic architect, completely stunted by preciseness. This is not to say that art is not precise, because it certainly can be, but it is a different sort of precise. I am a poet--a sort of artist, but for years, I was also stunted by preciseness. The Naturalism comes in with Mr. Haymaker's conclusion at the end of "Free", and in my life comes in my doubt.

Another important issue in "Free" is Mr. Haymaker's notions on his marriage. He does not love his wife, and he wishes now that he would have ended it before it began. If only read this way, it makes Mr. Haymaker out to be this malicious man who hates womankind. But I choose to read Mr. Haymaker differently.

Mr. Haymaker does not love his wife because she represents conventionality. As a Romantic, he chooses to wonder of an ideal life in every aspect, and even what it would be like to be "free" after Mrs. Haymaker dies. Simply put, it is conventionalism v. idealism. As I said earlier, this is a direct reflection of what I am going through right now.

Of the many stories that we have read in this class, I really enjoy Dreiser's "Free" because it has truly made me think about my own life and my current thoughts.