Feminism echoes from the short story “River Run.”

By Chris Erwin

Within the pages of “River Run” by Anthony Doerr, we are treated to a tale of a man traveling to a river to escape his problems while fishing. Once there, the man is interrupted while reminiscing about his wife after reading a love letter sent by a woman whom he is having an affair with. The female voice in this story is stifled by the male protagonist. This is done by having them depicted as background characters, fitting only the mold that they were thrust into. When it comes to the period presented in River Run, females were often regarded as adultery and less honorable than men. With the help of a few sources; Egie Danarko’s research article, “Gender Narratives in Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See,” Goh Irving’s, “Introducing Touching Literature: Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See,” and Greg Landgraf’s article, “Pride and Diversity at Annual 2015,” we can see how feminism plays a role in Doerr’s story, using the female voice to highlight the struggle of women.

In “River Run,” the character of Mulligan is a man holding two relationships together. He is torn between his wife, a woman who is depicted as a stay-at-home wife who cleans and cooks. The other is a woman who is only referenced in a note but is longing for Mulligan’s love. “I’m addicted to you, I think. Maybe I am greedy, maybe wanting you all for myself is selfish. Isn’t love real, Mully, or was that a lie, too?” (Doerr 323) This sentence from the story shows the level of attachment the woman has to Mulligan, going as far as saying she is addicted to him. It also shows how greed and addiction are often tied into the female persona of novels. Between the depictions of these two women, we can also see a stark contrast. One is trying to capture the heart of a man who is already married, while the married wife is doing her best at her household duties. These sharp contrasts show the differences between the views of the women, creating an aura of contentment for the woman in the letter. Even so, Mulligan is looked at as the cohesive point where these two opposites combine. From this point, we derive that Mulligan is a man who is perplexed by the woman in his life. His coping skill is to run away to the river, escaping these women to reminisce and contemplate the future. In the serenity of the river, Mulligan is further interrupted by his niece and her husband. From this interaction, we see the niece being portrayed as, “…thick and with a hard look to her. She is the niece of Mulligan’s wife. A woman who fishes, hunts, and gambles. When he recognizes her, he cringes.” (326) From this passage, we see another depiction of a woman within the story. This woman is depicted in a way that makes her seem more akin to a man while Mulligan’s physical reaction to seeing her highlights how his perception of women is more of what he sees rather than the person’s collective self. Even so, Doerr’s story holds an air of sympathy for the woman within it. Mulligan’s disdain for his wife in his image of her shows how a man can devalue a woman’s sense of hard work and loyalty. The woman from the letter shows that a man can be full of lust and detachment as opposed to the common stereotype of women being lustful in novels of the past. The niece shows how men can take appearances and make assumptions based on them. With these combined characters, we can see the River Run strives to depict women as casualties of the calamity that Mulligan brought forth. Now let’s look at how Doerr uses the feminist voice in other works and aspects of his life.

When looking at the article, “Gender Narratives in Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See: Women in An American War Literature,” written by Egie Danarko with the first advisor being Dr. Widyastuti Purbani, M.A. and the second advisor being Nandy Intan Kurnia, M. Hum, we see it demonstrates how female subordination and male domination are depicted in the narrative, utilizing feminist criticism. The researchers show how patriarchy has influenced the perspective on females by stating, “Feminism arises as dissatisfaction to patriarchal culture and acts as a reminder to people regarding the problem of patriarchy.” (Danarko 256) This sentence shows that feminism stems from disdain for the patriarchal culture, connecting the two as opposites. The researchers continued their study by using employed textual analysis, gathering data from the novel’s words, phrases, and paragraphs that depict or imply gender narratives. The process involved reading and re-reading the text, identifying gender narratives, categorizing them, and interpreting them using feminist narratology. Triangulation and peer debriefing are utilized for validity.

From the findings, they found “Anthony Doerr in his All the Light We Cannot See portrays several narrations that depict the fragility of women. These narrations were found sporadically. An example of the narrations is this phrase below. He pulls off her stockings to inspect her heels. In his hands, her feet are as light as birds. (Doerr, 2014: 88)” (260) The researchers concluded that the statement above is related to the depiction of the female body as being fragile, comparing the aspects of a bird, a creature who is often looked at as small and frail, to that of her feet.

With that conclusion, the researchers focused on how females are displayed as subordinate in the narration of fear. They show moments where the story shows excessive fear of Frau Elena in welcoming a corporal into their house.  However, Werner from the novel is depicted as a calm individual in this situation. From the narration of Marie Laure’s attachment to her father as well as her persistent irrationality, the researchers concluded that this stood as a depiction of emotional instability often shown in the female persona of literature.

From this study, we can see that their conclusions draw parallels with the women depicted in “River Run”. The wife is depicted as having rotten ankles and flour-covered hands. This ties in with the fragility of women, but also shows the strength of her solidarity in the fact that she keeps working regardless of her state. Likewise, the woman from the letter is shown as being overly attached, making her emotionally unstable. From this, I can see the connection between the researcher’s views on feminism and the story.

In Goh, Irving’s “Introducing Touching Literature: Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See,” we are introduced to the idea that touch has significant meaning within Doerr’s text. This is shown through this passage, “Such experiences of reading and the expressed desires of literary characters have no doubt led certain theories of literature to allow the notion of seeing or the sensory operation of sight to guide their modes of inquiry, not to mention that such theories likewise seek to see everything in literature as they aspire to explicate the workings of literature as comprehensively as possible.” (Goh 2) He delves into the significance of touch in literary narratives, particularly focusing on its often-overlooked role compared to sight. Then, he begins by exploring the desire for comprehensive understanding inherent in characters and readers alike, emphasizing the use of sight in literary theories such as narratology. This is shown through this passage, “Such experiences of reading and the expressed desires of literary characters have no doubt led certain theories of literature to allow the notion of seeing or the sensory operation of sight to guide their modes of inquiry, not to mention that such theories likewise seek to see everything in literature as they aspire to explicate the workings of literature as comprehensively as possible.” (Goh 242) Drawing from this, Goh divulges how the historical neglect of touch in literary theory, attributing it to linguistic limitations in expressing tactile sensations. Recent scholarly works have started to address touch in literature, advocating for “carnal hermeneutics” and emphasizing the affective dimensions of touch in literary criticism. He then turns to a detailed analysis of Doerr’s novel “All the Light We Cannot See,” arguing that the narrative foregrounds touch profoundly and tangibly. Goh contends that the novel’s plot and characters are deeply intertwined with tactile experiences, inviting readers to engage with touch as a sensory reality rather than a mere metaphor. Through close readings of specific passages, Goh illustrates how touch permeates the narrative, particularly through the experiences of the blind protagonist Marie-Laure and the sensory descriptions of wartime environments.

“In the novel, touch does at times grant a certain liberating forgetfulness of time, as is Marie Laure’s moment at the beach. At others, though, the forgetting of time might be precarious. Marie-Laure no doubt feels that imminent vertiginous or maddening loss of sense of time, or even the sense of what is going on in the world, while hiding from von Rumpel in the attic. In this case, there are almost 256 Introducing Touching Literature desperate endeavors to grasp time. What crosses Marie-Laure’s mind, then, is the following: “Time is a slippery thing: lose hold of it once, and its string might sail out of your hands forever” (376).” (256)

With this, we can see that the story depicts a time in a way where it is tangible, an object that Marie-Laure relates to sailing out of your hands. From these thoughts on touch in literature, we can apply them to the female characters of River Run. The wife of Mulligan is seen as beating dough, which highlights hard work and perseverance. The sense of touch is also shown by the woman in the letter, showing how she longed for Mulligan’s embrace and love. Lastly, the niece of his wife is seen as a woman who loves fishing, gambling, and other typically male aspects. Through these, the reader can get a feel for the touch of each trait described by Mulligan, which is used to show different aspects of the character. These aspects show an evolution in Doerr’s work, highlighting a woman who took on male characteristics.

Looking at the article, “Pride and Diversity at Annual 2015,” by Greg Landgraf, we read an interview with Doerr asking him about his fascination with historical fiction and creating a story. In the article, Doerr states, “…storytelling is about watching individuals operate inside those historical narratives. In my case, I’m drawn to reading fully imagined fictions, because I want to watch individuals move under those greater forces, whether they’re aware of them or not. (Landgraf 16) From this, we see that Doerr likes to blend fact with fiction, but also tries to embed a greater antagonistic force. So, in River Run, who is the main powerful force Mulligan is facing? I think it is his hubris. By focusing on Mulligan’s hubris and thoughts, Doerr creates a story where the side characters are rarely present physically with Mulligan. From this, we can see that his character never interacts with the women to whom he is attached. His wife is only mentioned, and the other woman is confined to the walls of a letter. This lack of female presence shows the centering of male protagonists within literature.

In “River Run,” Doerr intricately weaves a tale where female voices are often subdued, relegated to background roles, and molded into stereotypes. Mulligan, the central character, grapples with the conflicting demands and desires of the women in his life, each representing different facets of femininity constrained by societal expectations. The wife who is depicted as a dutiful homemaker, contrasts sharply with the woman from the letter, whose longing and attachment challenge traditional notions of female passiveness. The examination of “River Run” alongside the articles sheds light on the nuanced portrayal of women and feminist themes within his narrative. Through aspects of feminism, it becomes evident that Doerr’s depiction of female characters underscores social norms and expectations relevant during the depicted periods. With all this information, I can conclude that River Run shouts echoes of feminism from within its pages.

Works Cited

Danarko, Egie. “Gender Narratives in Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See: Women in an American War Literature.” Sastra Inggris – Quill, 2017, journal.student.uny.ac.id/index.php/quill/article/view/6833.

Doerr, Anthony. “River Run.” The Sewanee Review, The Johns Hopkins University Press, vol. 109, no. 3, 2001, pp. 321-330.

Goh, Irving. “Introducing Touching Literature: Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See.” CR: The New Centennial Review, vol. 19, no. 3, 2019, pp. 241–64. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.14321/crnewcentrevi.19.3.0241. Accessed 5 May 2024.

Landgraf, Greg. “PRIDE AND DIVERSITY AT ANNUAL 2015.” American Libraries, vol. 46, no. 7–8, 2015, pp. 14–20. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26372150. Accessed 5 May 2024.