Reflections on Role Models of A Secret Sorrow
...that the target reader will read rapturously on, wondering when the hunk will inevitably discover the fatal truth: no matter how much he plows her fields, nothing living will ever peek its tiny head from the sand of her womb. As an unintended side effect, the strategy also guarantees Van der Zee a decent paycheck, assuming she is paid three cents per word. Faye shows a lot of feminine resolve when she is at last confronted after “mistakenly” leaving the number of her psychiatrist to be found by Sir Kai. They have a brief heated argument and then she grabs her keys and runs away. Most men would shake their heads in disbelief wondering how in an age of feminist enlightenment, Faye would hide the secret at all or why at this point she would flee rather than pursuing intelligent conversation to resolve the problem. Women would certainly smile at their pretense, because it is as clear as day that Faye knows her man better than most men know women. And of course Kai does what Faye expects, though he believes he is acting on his own free will. Yes, the brave knight climbs the tower to rescue the princess (not by climbing her hair, but by the more conventional staircase – fantasy has its limits even here). In the final confrontation, she impales him for good by offering to set him free, and our hero succumbs saying, “I don’t want anybody else, don’t you understand that? I want you, only you.” (35). If this were a satirical play, you could almost see her winking at the audience. As for our male role model, stubborn, unrelenting, hard-chested Kai, the man of intense blue eyes, strong brown hands, rising ardor, and husky voice… this is a man who is unafraid to take action. What I find most admirable though is his ability to communicate, especially with women who really need to know their proper place. Society is now so full of qualified opinions. We are a society that has embraced doubt and it weakens us by being so circumspect, so thoughtful. Thankfully, Kai doesn’t share this disease. He is a man of certainty which can be determined from his plaintive appeal: “Shut up!” he said in a low, tight voice. “Shut up and stop playing the martyr.” (34) When she complains about unfair he is with an outburst of her own, he shakes her (lik...