The Patented Gate and the Mean Hamburger
October 14, 1985
A review of "The Patented Gate and the Mean Hamburger" by Robert Penn Warren.
Copyright © 1997 Property of Deborah K. Fletcher. All rights reserved.
The title of this work refers to the main characters in the story. The Patented Gate is Jeff York. The Mean Hamburger is Mrs. York.
The story is written in the third person external point of view.
The environment in "The Patented Gate and the Mean Hamburger" is neither hostile nor safe; it is neutral. Each character seems to have control over his own life, and no character has to be affected by the set of the surroundings.
Warren's attitude toward his characters seems to be one of pride in their accomplishments. He discusses the typical oppression of York's contemporaries, then explains how York broke away from the established mold.
"It had taken him more than thirty years to do it, from the time when he was nothing but a big boy until he was fifty. It had taken him from sun to sun, year in and year out, and all the sweat in his body, and all the power of rejection he could muster, until the very act of rejection had become a kind of pleasure, a dark, secret, savage dissipation, like an obsessing vice. But those years had given him his place...."
This passage shows that Warren is sensitive to his characters' efforts and to their resultant accomplishments.
The atmosphere of this story is one of anticipatory calm. From the beginning, the story is fairly easy-going, yet there is a constant feeling of "waiting for the shoe to drop." Even the end is so quiet that it leaves one waiting - regardless of the fact that the main character has died.
With the exception of the initial description of Jeff York, there is very little figurative language in "The Patented Gate and the Mean Hamburger." The language that is used, however, produces a vivid picture.
"His long wrist bones hang out from the sleevs of the coat, the tendon showing along the bone like the dry twist of grapevine still corded on the stove-length of hickory sapling.... The big hands, with the knotted, cracked joints and the square, horn-thick nails, hang loose of the wrist bones like clumsy, homemade tools hung on the wall of the shed after work.... The face does not look alive. It seems to have been molded from the clay or hewed from the cedar...,"
is a description of Jeff York. The typically rustic references seem to bring the man to life.
Warren has used easy, sometimes colloquial vocabulary in this work. Terms such as "stuff" for "things" and "place" for "property" or "homestead" make the reader feel comfortable and familiar with the work.
"The Patented Gate and the Mean Hamburger" flows slowly and easily, calming, rather than exciting or dragging.
This story has an easily believable plot. The story of a man bettering himself to the point where he cannot bear the effort to improve further is classic. It has been well used in this case. Each event is presented in an unexpected manner.
The theme of this work is man's struggle to overcome stereotypes and to gain pride and self-respect. This theme is underlying in reality, as well as in fiction. The theme is well-presented and effectively developed.
Jeff York, as the best described character, is the most memorable character in this work. This is primarily because a vivid picture of him is formed in the mind. The realism of the picture helps to realize his ultimate suicide.
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