Natalie Garland
Professor Marshik
Second Paper Assignment
November 25, 2014

The Ease of Life that Money Delivers

The “comforts of home” go beyond serving just a person’s physical being, but provide comfort on a mental level as well. For artists, the state that occupies their mind is crucial to either succeeding, or failing with their craft. In George Orwell’s Keep The Aspidistra Flying, Gordon Comstock is a writer who firmly believes that the art of writing cannot be accomplished if an artist is fueled by the ‘money god.’ By embarking on a personal journey against the forces of capitalism evident in society, Gordon Comstock finds himself on the verge of complete poverty, with no improvement as an artist, then when he was a middle-class citizen. On the opposite end of things, is Stephen Gordon in The well of Loneliness, by Radclyffe Hall, who has grown up in a wealthy home her entire life, and has never had to sacrifice her work in order to work to support herself monetarily. Looking at these two artists, a reader is able to see that monetary wealth does play a significant role on an artist’s career, and can see between the two protagonists being scrutinized, that one must contain this wealth. Wealth is a privilege that opens many doors for a person, allowing for a predetermined path to success. This path is carved out not only by familial history and social standing, but also by the lack of adversity that an individual will have to face when trying to succeed as an artist. In Orwell’s Keep the Aspidistra Flying, Gordon Comstock is someone who detests the capitalist society he lives in, so much so, that he has left his professional job as a sacrifice to improve his writing career. Gordon had been working for an advertising firm, where he was able to utilize his literary skills, and was highly regarded in this position, but could not help but feel like he had sold his soul to the money god. However, Gordon’s transition from his position in middle class society to a now impoverished citizen struggling to make ends meet, was not as glamorous as he had hoped it would be. Traditionally, writers believe that in order to have ‘good’ writing, they must have life experiences that are exciting, and for Gordon, he did not think he could season his writing by working at an advertising company. With Gordon now a full-fledged member of the struggling working-class, a reader can see that his new lifestyle is far from exciting. Gordon has begun working at a second-hand bookstore, on wages where he struggles to make ends meet, and receives no personal satisfaction or fulfillment from the position. Following a shift at the bookshop, Gordon returns home to his “definitely not slummy, only dingy and depressing” tenement house where he finds himself struggling to write after the long day he has had (Orwell, 22). Not only is it a mental struggle to write, but the environment Gordon now lives in is an even bigger distraction than the ‘money god’ himself. With his low-paying job, Gordon cannot afford a place to live with sufficient lighting, heating, or a decent place to sleep. As he sits down at his ‘writing table,’ Gordon spends a considerable amount of time recalling how he acquired this table, and bartered with his landlady for this particular one versus a less ideal option. In looking around his apartment, Gordon observes a “film of dust over everything,” enhancing the severity of the monstrosity of his living conditions (27). As someone who is adamant on rebelling against the capitalist society he lives in, Gordon has only brought more misery and suffering upon himself. Gordon’s ongoing battle against the capitalist society of Britain only highlights how crucial it is to have money at this time. Gordon reminds himself constantly of how much money he has by always counting what is in his pocket, and then reminds himself of how expensive even the most basic lifestyle can cost. An even greater challenge he faces, is the presence of his girlfriend, Rosemary. By having a girlfriend he cares so much about, Gordon finds himself obligated to fulfill his social responsibility as a boyfriend to take her out to eat, and on trips that he cannot afford for even himself, let alone an additional person. The pressure of fulfilling social roles extends beyond his role as a boyfriend, but also as a member of society on a whole. Gordon grasps the importance of class differentiation, and therefore refuses to borrow money from anyone, and let people see the severity of his poverty for chance that they may treat him differently. Much of Gordon’s adversity is self-inflicted, as he drives himself mad obsessing over the presence of money, and what he does and does not have. However, as the novel points out, by trying to escape the ‘money god,’ Gordon only draws himself nearer to it. Ultimately, Gordon gives up on his dream to be a poet, after hearing the news of Rosemary’s pregnancy, and his need to fulfill his new social role as a father trumps all personal vendettas he has against society. A stark contrast to Gordon Comstock’s lifestyle in dealing with both wealth and ease is that of Stephen Gordon. Stephen grows ups at Morton in a home where she receives anything she would like. Being an only child, Stephen’s parents were disappointed when they did not receive the son that they had been hoping for, but her father still loved her entirely. Stephen’s mom on the other hand, always felt that there was something odd about Stephen, and failed to connect with her as a child because they did not share interests, being that Stephen was more of a tomboy. Stephen did not have a difficult childhood by any means, but as she grew up, she was aware that there was something innately different about her, which was ultimately the wedge that drove her and her mother apart. Following the death of Stephen’s father, Stephen began to discover herself more on her own, rather than having her role model tell her what to believe, what activities to partake in, and that there was nothing different about her. However, it was not the death of her father that was the most significant turning point in Stephen’s life and her career as a writer, but it was when her mother kicked her out of Morton that Stephen began to discover her true self. Regardless of the fact that she was kicked out of her own home, Stephen still has access to her personal inheritance and does not need to worry about how she will be living now, because she has no concern for money. Stephen’s living conditions are much different from Gordon’s, and where he only has a small table to write at, Stephen has a study “whose windows looked over the river” (Hall, 209). Where Gordon struggled for a peace of mind after returning home from a long day of work, Stephen has nothing but time and leisure on her side. For Stephen, she is not set out against the society she lives in to prove a point about the economic system, so she is not experiencing an inner battle against herself, as Gordon is. Yet, that is not to say that Stephen does not have an agenda when she writes. Her caretaker Puddle, recognizes Stephen’s talent as an artist, and pushes her to “have the courage to make good,” with her writing, which ends up being the backbone of her work (205). Puddle, like Stephen’s father, knows that Stephen is different, but instead of hiding this about her, Puddle encourages Stephen to use her writing as a means of not only discovering more about herself, but also educate society about introverts. Unlike Gordon, Stephen has marked success as a writer, at least in comparison to Gordon because she has been published. Because she as already received literary recognition, and is known as a writer, Stephen worries about much different things than the reader sees Gordon worrying about. She often felt “the discouragement common to all fine writers…she was hating what she had written,” where as Gordon did not discourage himself when it came to his writing so much as he was down-trodden about the life he was living (Hall, 215). Yet, her discouragement never extended beyond worry about her work, for she did not have the same problems as Gordon. For Gordon, not only did he have the pressure of not writing as often as he would like, and not seeing his work get published, but he also worried about things like when he would be able to afford himself cigarettes which he found to help him relax. While on the other hand, Stephen was constantly smoking and again, never had to go without a luxury because she could afford it. The presence of money, or lack thereof in Gordon’s case, was one of the main reasons, if not himself, why he did not fulfill his dreams to become a poet. Gordon’s obsession with money drove him to madness, and the belief that he had something to prove was his biggest downfall. Ultimately, his social responsibility was the end to his writing career. Gordon recognized that providing for Rosemary and his son was a more important task than running from the ‘money god.’ The difference between Stephen’s successes as a writer versus Gordon’s was the fact that she was able to afford the comforts of home, and life, that she felt necessary in order to keep herself happy. Unlike Stephen, Gordon was constantly focused on what he did not have, and how much more money he would need in order to get those things, that ultimately, he did not actually practice the art of writing as often as Stephen did. Looking at these two novels, there is a strong message that emphasizes the importance of money, and the ease that it is able to provide an artist. The stereotype of the ‘struggling artist’ still exists, because there are artists who have the misfortune of not being as fortunate as Stephen monetarily, so they have to work in order to afford the pleasure of writing.

Works Cited
Hall, Radclyffe. The Well of Loneliness. New York: Anchor, 1990. Print.
Orwell, George. Keep the Aspidistra Flying. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1956. Print.

Reflection: 1) I think the most successful aspect of this essay is that I stayed on topic (from what I can tell) I don’t feel like I went on tangents that strayed from the topic of the paper. 2) In theory, I tried to spend more time on this essay. 3) If I had more time, I would have actually given myself the time to write this essay and be happy with it. I apologize for taking advantage of the extension, and am disappointed in myself, because once again, my time management skills failed me. I really wish I had been motivated to write this essay, because it wasn’t until the last minute that I found myself getting interested and having ideas to add, but it was too late to add them to the paper because I would have had to start all over. 4) No. Definitely a strong no to the research paper reflecting on my track record this semester and my inability to properly manage essay assignments.