Two teachers assigned it in high school, and one in college, and none of them ever explained what the heck a catbird seat is.
A catbird is just a regular American bird. Thurber made up the catchphrase "sitting in the catbird seat," just to confuse his readers.
"The Catbird Seat" (1942) is about mild-mannered, gay-vague Mr. Martin, who is not interested in women and therefore reprehensible.
He clashes with brash, braying Mrs. Ulgine Barrows, a coworker who is dating the boss, and therefore invulnerable. She loves incomprehensible catch phrases like "Are you sitting in the catbird seat?"
She's really annoying, and about to take over the business, so Mr. Martin decides to kill her. But his plans don't work out as expected.
So its basically a conflict of wills between two people who are outcasts in 1942 society, a strong woman and a "weak" (read: gay) man.
Strong women and "weak" (read: gay) men were savagely lampooned during the 1940s. On the Burns and Allen radio program, Mel Blanc played a mild-mannered, nebbish postman who dreamed of killing his overbearing wife. But "The Catbird Seat" is notable for its utter misogyny and intense heterosexism.
1. In a 1948 episode of Actor's Studio, starring Broadway actor Hiram Sherman, who often played gay-vague roles.
2. In the 1959 movie The Battle of the Sexes, with Peter Sellers (34 years old, but wearing old-man makeup), which frames the conflict as a modern American vs. old-school British.
I first read "The Catbird Seat" in high-school, and I've re-read it several times since then. It's one of my favorite short-stories. I actually don't find it misogynistic or heterosexist. "Sitting in the Catbird Seat" is an old American colloquial expression for "sitting pretty" or having the upper hand. It's been around since the 1940s, but you seldom hear it used anymore. Mr. Martin, the protagonist. is a quiet, sedate, very conventional little man, of very regular habits, and very set in his way. Mrs. Barrows, the antagonist, is a loud, obnoxious, assertive woman. She ends up being outwitted by Mr. Martin. They are stereotypes, but the story is good-humored and amusing, and I didn't get any negative vibes from it.
ReplyDeleteThe story makes me uncomfortable in a way that I can only describe as "creepy." Sort of like "black comedy," horrible things happening and it's supposed to be funny. The guy is planning to kill his coworker.
ReplyDeleteAccording to wikipedia, there are two theories of the origin of the phrase. First, Thurder heard it from a famous baseball announcer of the era. Second, he made it up, and the baseball announcer got it from the story. Thurber and the announcer gave conflicting stories, so we can't know for sure.
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