Abstract
This article examines the sociological dimensions of Roald Dahl’s story “Mrs Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat,” exploring how the narrative reflects the social fabric of American society in the 1960s. The study investigates how two individuals — a husband and wife — think, feel, act and interact, analysing the story through the frameworks of existentialism, consumerism, and American social ethics. The article argues that Dahl’s story gives a wake-up call to save a sinking value system by highlighting the epidemic of divorce, the glorification of consumerism, and the characters’ rebellion against social norms in pursuit of self-fulfillment.
Keywords: Roald Dahl, sociology, consumerism, existentialism, American society, marriage, identity, Mrs Bixby
Introduction
Roald Dahl is one of the most widely read and influential writers of the twentieth century. He has already been acclaimed as one of the greatest storytellers of our time. He is considered not only a very successful children’s writer but also an adolescent’s and an adult’s writer. He is known for brilliant characterization, appropriate language and innovative narrative structure. Besides, his great sense of sociology (in the sense of his societal view) may also have a positive effect on readers. Here, sociology focuses on how individuals think, feel, act and interact between/among themselves and how some of the intimate relationships (such as, a relation between a husband and wife) change their colour and importance with the passage of time and the change of economy.
The genesis of this article lies in a fairly big, stitched-on Introduction to his story “Mrs Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat.” Dahl introduces the story by commenting on the ruthless practice of American women marrying men, using them, and divorcing them just for financial gain.
The Story and Its Social Commentary
This is a story of a hard working dentist and his duplicitous wife, Mrs Bixby. Mrs Bixby leaves home once a month apparently to meet her old aunt in Baltimore, but really she spends the time with her lover the Colonel. On a particular occasion, she receives a parting gift from the Colonel — an extremely beautiful and valuable mink coat. Since she does not want to be recognised by the pawnbroker, she lets him go to claim the item after he promises that he will give whatever it is to her. When he calls her from his clinic next morning, he has already received the item and she will definitely become happy to receive it. She is surprised when he places a mangy mink stole around her neck. On her way out of the office, she finds her husband’s secretary, Miss Pulteney passing by wearing the beautiful black mink coat that the Colonel had given to Mrs Bixby.
Now this simple story speaks volumes about the social fabric (especially the man-woman relationship) of the American Society in 1960s. The whole story witnesses a wonderful portrayal of adultery and its possible consequences. Mrs Bixby’s secret affair with the Colonel and the dentist’s involvement with his secretary are a mockery of the institution of marriage.
Consumerism and Existentialism
The second striking point about the story is the glorification of consumerism in the society. In fact, in the USA, the world war II generation (1940-1960) became materialistic, had business expansion and grew rich. Mrs Bixby’s reaction to the mink coat exemplifies Dahl’s mockery of the people’s (especially women’s) craze for consumerism. She looks at it, examines it, touches it and gets transported to a dream world away from problems and miseries. Such is the magical effect of that mink coat, which is not merely an object to her but a heaven body that transforms her entire being.
The third important idea about the story is to peep into the psyche of the characters and discover why they are found to throw social norms and regulations to the wind. Here it appears that they are governed by existentialism. The fundamental concern of this school of thought is the study of being. It stresses the fact that a human being has no essence if he does not think/work for his existence. He has liberty to choose and decide and, therefore, to make or mar himself.
Conclusion
To sum up the whole discussion, it can be safely said that the story is great not only in narrative structure and dialogues but also in highlighting some of the social facts of Americans in 1960s when the story was written. It also brings to the fore human psyche of American people and their rebellion against the tradition and existing value system in an attempt to assert their identities and live lives of fulfilments. Further, it highlights their excessive love for consumerism even at the cost of some of the finer aspects of life.