The Use of Artwork in As For Me and My House to Understand Mrs. Bentley’s True Thoughts on Her Relationship Alexandra Bayer College

Although the primary aesthetic focus in As For Me and My House by Sinclair Ross is on the barren landscape, Philip’s artwork plays an equally important part, even if it is not mentioned to the same degree. Philip Bentley’s artwork acts as a gateway into his wife’s inner thoughts and psychology; through her narrative commentary and interpretations of her husband’s drawings and paintings, we can see that although she may appreciate Philip’s talent, her feelings towards the artwork always contain a negative connotation. Mrs. Bentley blames her unhappiness and marital issues on Philip’s focus on his artwork and his failure to become a successful artist. Artwork is subjective, meant to have a different meaning to each different viewer, so no matter Philip’s feelings while creating his art or the nuances he places in it, Mrs. Bentley is only able to see failure and resentment.

Ever since Philip was a child, he wanted to take after his father and become an artist (Ross 40). Mrs. Bentley blames his meeting her for steering him off that path and into his unhappy life, stuck as a priest. As Paul Denham states: “Why did [Philip], as a student, ‘put his books away one night and [go] to a concert with a friend’? (p. 18). We infer, though we...