The figure in the carpet: between contradiction and secret

Iulia-Alexandra Ciogescu

Much importance has been given to Henry James novel, The Figure in the Carpet. Critics
have considered it as the esoteric problem of the artist's meaning (Levy, 1962:459) and the
quest for a timeless world of absolute order, beauty, and truth (Lock, 1981:172). The
perspectives over the short story are quite diverse, but there are still many issues to be discussed.
It is indeed true that this story can be seen as the readers search for the secret behind every
writers intentions, but a further look is needed in order to penetrate the walls of the writers
mind. As Roland Barthes said the reader is not a consumer of pre-existing, embedded truths or
"representative" fictions or finalized forms but a continuous producer of interpretations involved
in an endless process of making sense out of the work. (Roland Barthes, 1970:12).
Every reader has a very distinct manner of interpreting a piece of writing when reading it, that
leading to numerous but not always valid interpretations. As discussing the secret behind The
Figure in the Carpet, we must firstly ask whether a secret truly exists. Every writer is firstly an
avid reader concerned about what a book wants to transmit and how it transmits its message
through its pages. In the following lines we hope to demonstrate the importance and relevance of
the attentive lecture and interpretation of a piece of writing, so that we can have a clear idea of
which the real intentions of the writer are and where should our attention be drawn to.

The observation should be focused on the motif of the carpet and its significance. Persian
rugs, through their selection of symbols and designs, give valuable information not only about
the weavers, but also about their ways of connecting with the past and traditions. The figure is a
central image, this being considered as the first clue in solving the mystery in Verekers books.
His creations are interrelated, each of them being a part of a puzzle. The completeness of the
puzzle might be the actual figure in the carpet. The complexity of the secret is given by its
simplicity. As more time was spent by the characters in discovering the secret, the less chances
they had in revealing it. The key of the secret was not thinking of it and it would reveal itself.
The madness of the secret could be seen as a manner of hypnosis. By reading Verekers books,
the characters were falling into a trance. The trance could be considered as the initiation in the
secret. Only those who had read all the books could put the pieces of the entire puzzle in order
and obtain the complex figure.

Gwendolen and Corvick are initiated into the secret, but do not reveal it. The narrator, whose
name we do not know, fails in becoming initiated into the secret and does not have the right of
being told. As being denied the secret, the narrator concludes that the mystery might be revealed
only to those who have met the supreme union and marriage. After Corvicks death, the narrator
considers marrying Gwendolen, as his only chance of being revealed the secret.

The existence of the secret is disputable. Every writer has different reasons for writing a
book and can hide different or multiple puzzles. If we consider looking at the carpet upside down
or looking at its reflection in a mirror, we see different perspectives over the same object or a
new point of view over the secret. As Mussil put into discussion, Corvicks death might be the
punishment for his hybris as being one of the keepers of the secret. (Mussil, 2008:774). It
should be noticed that all of the beholders of the secret die when they intend to reveal it.
Therefore, we must take into consideration the sacrality of the secret. Another observation that
has to be made is that once the supreme union is completed and the androgynous completes
itself, this unique creature has to die.

Discussing the characters, we shall start with Vereker. He is the initiator, the shaman, the
owner of the secret and the one who chooses who the initiates should be. Gwendolen and
Corvick fulfil the mission of reuniting the androgynous, solve the mystery and die. Corvick dies
first, and the androgyny is once again incomplete. Even though Gwendolen marries Drayton
Dean, the androgynous is not recompleted. Drayton Dean is not considered appropriate to be told
the secret, or at least that is what the narrator thinks. Levy considers that the opinion of the
narrator should not the trusted, and that Dean was probably aware of the secret. Deane is moved
by pity, perhaps by love, to give the narrator support in his forlorn and empty quest (Levy,
1962:463). The narrator could not be initiated, that leading to Deans denial of knowing anything
about the secret. We might consider that Dean was not aware of the secret only if we think that
he was a critic and not a writer, and neither had the gift nor had been chosen to know.
Gwendolen, in order to be chosen to be told the true, has to wait for her mothers death to be
initiated and marry Corvick.

As a whole, we can see this short story as an irony against the readers unable to penetrate
the superficial layer of a writing and understand its complexity. The death of the author is not
necessarily the wakening of a reader, the latter needing special training and maturity. If we are to
think of what Diana E. LeStourgeon, and Homer Nearing and Jr. discussed in The
Swedenborgian Figure in the Carpet: Henry James's Critical Point of View, we are obliged to
see things from a radically different angle. Their theory suggests that the secret above mentioned
does not exist at all and it is only a recurrent pattern in the works of a celebrated novelist in
order to entice his fiance, a literary compulsive, to marry him (LeStourgeon, Nearing and Jr.,
1975:328).

The above statement invalidates everything presented so far. The possible confirmation of
this theory might suggest that the entire story is based on a lie. Furthermore, it should be put into
discussion the possibility of a plan between Vereker and Corvick to convince Gwendolen to
marry the latter. From here we can enlarge the discussion by thinking that the departure of the
narrator to Germany was beneficial to all of the characters, except for the narrator.
This point of view might be seen as erroneous if we take into consideration Gwendolens
behaviour after Corvicks death, her denial of revealing the secret unless it would be for the
right person. By this, we are once again led to the conclusion that there is a secret now known
only by her. Gwendolen is the last keeper of the secret in life. She dies after giving birth to her
second child, after marrying Dean.

An important character which should be analysed carefully is Gwendolen herself. She, as

well as the narrator and Corvick, develop an obsession in discovering the truth behind Verekers
books. She dedicates her entire existence to her purpose. As Raymond J. Wilson III states in The
Possibility of Realism: "The Figure in the Carpet" and Hawthorne's Intertext, the narrator
suspects Gwendolen of having murdered her mother to get free to marry Corvick and gain the
secret (Wilson III, 1995:146). It may be the vision of a rather envious narrator, unable to
believe the true existence of her feelings for Corvick, but it could be taken into consideration that
her supreme goal was to discover the mystery of Vereker. If the former case can be applied, then
it might be said that her marriage to Corvick is nothing but a compromise. Marriage was the
primary condition for the discovery to be made. She is told the secret after the wedding, but soon
becomes widow.

As mentioned before, it is not clear whether her second husband, Deane, is aware of the
secret, but surely, after her death, the narrator proceeds his pursue of the truth. As Wilson III
wrote: Why should the narrator go out of his way to add pain to Deane's grief by emphasizing
to Deane that Gwendolen had not trusted Drayton with her most important secret? (Wilson III,
1995:149). If Drayton did not know anything about the obsessive search, it meant that
Gwendolen did not trust him enough in order to tell him the truth, or she did not consider him
intelligent enough. Being certain of having lost the ultimate chance of ending his obsession, the
narrators repressed desires, as Freud called them, come to life. In order to make another person
part of his anger and sadness, gives even more pain to the grieving Deane.

The interpretation of this short story might be seen as a cube. On each of its sides there is a
new interpretation. Henry James must have had a reason for writing a story where he is ironizing
readers, though mocking readers might have been a secondary consequence of his writing. James
himself admits writing such a story as his opposition to mistrust of anything like close or
analytic appreciation-, to be appreciation, implying, of course, some such rudimentary
zeal....What I most remember of my proper process is the lively impulse, at the root of it, to
reinstate analytic appreciation. The short story might also be the way in which Henry James
expressed his discontentment over his times critical appreciation. Through Verekers words,
the usual twaddle, James emphasizes his points of view and probably the lacks of the
criticism.

It is obvious that the characters are organized indirectly by Vereker into different groups.
The first is the group of those initiated into the art of writing, the chosen ones to preserve the
Holy Graal of his novels, his so obvious but obscure intentions hidden between the lines.
Corvick and Gwendolen are part of this first group. The second group is represented only by the
narrator. He has been submitted to the process of initiation but has failed it, therefore, he has lost
his chance of being taken to the next level of initiation. The third group is constituted only by
Deane. We do not have enough information about his knowledge of the well-kept secret. He
might have been initiated or not.

A ludic interpretation of the short story should be taken into account. We might consider Vereker
as a single player on a chess board. Every character is one his pieces and, following the rules, he
plays a game with them. The white pieces are the initiates and the black the uninitiated. Of
course, the characters can also be seen as puppets in hands of a puppeteer and him, watching
from above, handle their movements and their thoughts. The characters do not have free will.

We shall apply on the short story put into discussion Johan Huizingas Homo Ludens. A
Study of the play-element in culture and prove why playing is so important in the human society
and how it helps in the formation of the future adult. As Huizinga wrote: According to one
theory play constitutes a training of the young creature for the serious work that life will demand
later on. According to another it serves as an exercise in restraint needful to the individual.
Some find the principle of play in an innate urge to exercise a certain faculty, or in the desire to
dominate or compete. (Huizinga, 1949:2) The obsessive search of the characters is nothing but
a game of Vereker in order to give his neophytes the initiation into his art. By learning and
following his rules, they not only learn how to work individually, but also how to collaborate.
Corvick and Gwendolen, also united by love, dedicate their lives to the search and adulation of
the Verekerian art. Gwendolen is driven by an even more ardent desire to obtain the secret.
She is urged to affirm herself as a novelist. She and the narrator are driven by strong impulses,
willing to use any means to accomplish their purposes. The narrator is considering marrying
Gwendolen after Corvicks death only to be in the possession of the secret.

The competition of affirming themselves might be considered as the finalization of the initiating
journey. The winner of Verekers competition, the first initiate, is Corvick, sent to India. His
departure to India can be seen as a search for tranquility, a place appropriate for meditation and
inner peace. Gwendolen follows him in the discovery of the truth, but only because he reveals it
to her. In this case, the full initiate is Corvick, Gwendolen has not completely fulfilled her
revealing journey. The narrator is considered as a not to be trusted. He has not become initiated,
has lost its chance to become one and does not have the right to be told the truth. Consequently,
the only three people who possess the truth must die. They have accomplished their task on the
world. Vereker, as an initiator, Corvick and Gwendolen as initiates.

In Hinduism we are taught about the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance and
destruction. These concepts are personified by Brahma, the creator, Vishnu the preserver and
Shiva the destroyer. Applied on The figure in the carpet, we can state that: Brahma is
represented by Vereker, the creator of fiction, initiator in ezoteric sciences. Corvick is the
equivalent of Vishnu, the preserver. Corvick is the one to continue preserving Verekers secret
after the latters death. Shiva can be represented by the narrator. Due to the fact that he has not
accomplished his initiating journey, he must not receive the secret within Verekers books. His
hypothetical possession of the truth as not an initiate may disturb the equilibrium of the unit.
Gwendolen might represent the Hindu goddess Sarasvati, who is the inspiration for music,
poetry, drama and science. As a novelist, she represents the feminine ideal of creativity, ambition
and strength.

We are obliged to believe in the narrators story as we are not provided any further
information about Verekers books or his review over the formers writings. Another hypothesis
may be launched when discussing such a controvert text. If we take into account the narrators
conclusion that the secret is only for those who have met their love and that Gwendolen keeps
the secret of her late husband and Verekers, then, could we think that was a secret involving a
feminine figure? Shall we think that the vital secret is nothing but Verekers hidden love for
another woman? The real intention behind his books could be the sketch of a romance?
We might discover here a true conflict on interests. Each character follows his own
obsession and objectives to become the one to unmask Verekers intentions behind his books.
Vereker finds their struggle rather amusing as no critic has been capable of discovering the
string. In a discussion between the narrator and Hugh Vereker, the former asks the latter why
he does not assist the critic in finding the trick. The writers answer is quite arrogant and full of
self-esteem: "Assist him? What else have I done with every stroke of my pen? I've shouted my
intention in his great blank face!" It is easily noticeable a quite egotistic attitude. Vereker
considers his trick extremely obvious, but feels rather amused that none of the critics who
worship him has not been able to see what his true intention is. He is expecting more from his
times critics as they are capable only of the the usual twaddle.
As discussed above, the entire world of the characters revolves around a secret or a trick,
known only by Vereker, Corvick and Gwendolen. The narrator, possibly Dean, and the readers
do not have the opportunity to discover what the trick really is. Many questions are left behind
and the most important one is that if a secret really exists, or if only Henry James was mocking
his readers and critics by presenting a non-existing issue. Through Vereker, he advices his
readers to abandon any attempt of resolving the mystery. The search for a chimera becomes the
fight between the selfishness and ambition of the characters, the search of people for acceptance,
fame and blind faith into the unprovable.

Now, putting into discussion Verekers pride for his supposed trick, it should be seen as a
grand accomplishment of his, as he calls it: It IS the joy of my soul! The interpretation of the
novella should be taken to another point, the more or less obvious egocentric battle between the
narrator and Vereker. On the one hand, the narrator does not respect Gwendolens grief and
considers marrying her immediately and being in the possession of the trick. It is mostly a
manner of rejecting and ignoring the feelings of the people around. On the other hand, Vereker
sees his secret in such a wonderful manner that he does not consider revealing this monstrous
information. And he does not reveal it because he dies and the same thing happen to all of the
guradians of the secret. Corvick dies in his honeymoon, soon after passing the valuable
information to his wife. Gwendolen dies giving birth to her second child. Her death might mean
her end after the entire fulfilment as a person: successful in the personal life, in her social and
professional life and guardian of extremely precious information.

Another reason given to believe that the story is a harsh comment against the critics is that
both the narrator and Drayton Dean are critics, not authors, therefore not initiated, uncapable of
understanding or discovering the magnificence in such masterpieces as his writings. Henry
James might have wanted to prove that readers do not necessarily understand the concept of
reading correctly, as they are losing the most important parts of a book. They can only read
superficially and lose the essence of a piece of writing and its real purpose. A lesson to learn
from here is that a book might need several readings in order to evaluate its true value and to
receive its entire knowledge. Every detail that may seem unimportant or irrelevant, but it surely
has a well-thought purpose and it is the readers task to put himself in the authors place and put
every piece of the puzzle in order and create the story. The opposition between critic and writer
is probably represented by the actual words, intentions of the author and the distorted and
sometimes incorrect manner of a critic in interpreting the writing. Interpretation is primarily
subjective and the opinions related to a writing maybe be radically different and still not close to
the authors intentions. The first lecture of a writing in never completely revealing. The act of
reading is very complex, requiring with every reading of a piece of writing, the removal of
another layer from the surface in order to see the complexity of the middle, the reason why the
author has woven the figure in the carpet.

All in all, the complexity of the novella discussed is contained in all of its diverse
interpretations. Nevertheless, we might not know whether any of the interpretations has
approached the intentions of the creator. They are only speculations, suppositions reflecting the
environment, social status, professional preparation and personal interpretation of a critic. The
short story discussed in the pages above is constituted by multiple layers which correspond and
replace one and another. The concentric circles represent the variety of opinions regarding the
novella, given in time, considering Henry James life, other writings and point of view over its
own creations. The story leaves the readers with many questions, offers them the possibility of
imagining their own theories without giving them a final solution. The secret of such writing
may differ for every writer, so we shall not consider it as a unique, undiscoverable mystery. This
unknown of the equation consists on determining the values of every variable and see which
satisfies the equation. The perfect solution may never be found, but middle or acceptable solution
always come to mind.
Bibiography

Bathes, Roland, The pleasure of the text, Hill and Wand, New York, 1975
Huizinga, J., Homo Ludens - A Study of the Play-Element in Culture, London, 1949
Levy, B., Leo, A Reading of "The Figure in the Carpet, Duke University Press, 1962
Lock, Peter, W., The Figure in the Carpet: The Text as Riddle and Force, University of
California Press, 1981
Manguel, Alberto, A Reader on Reading, Yale University Press, 2010
Mussil, Stephan, A Secret in Spite of Itself: Recursive Meaning in Henry Jame's The Figure in
the Carpet, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008