Big Blonde

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1929

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Summary

Background

Story Analysis

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Symbols & Motifs

Horses

Throughout the story, Hazel is particularly sensitive to animals, particularly horses, and the image of horses is a repeated motif. Whenever Hazel sees them on the street, her mood dips: “The old horses she saw on Sixth Avenue—struggling and slipping along the car-tracks, or standing at the curb, their heads dropped level with their worn knees” (20). She seems to identify with how these magnificent beasts are constantly weighed down by heavy burdens.

At one point, already in a low mood, Hazel leaves her flat to meet her latest lover, Art. On the way, she witnesses a horse being mercilessly lashed by its driver. The spectacle horrifies her and catapults her into an even lower mood. She tries to explain her sadness to Art, who merely chastises her. Feeling both low and misunderstood, she proceeds to drink “industriously” to chase away the blues, but her melancholy won’t lift. Art simply advises her to go home and sleep herself out of her gloom.

The same night, she swallows two vials of veronal in an attempt to die by suicide. When the attempt fails and she wakes up and realizes that she’s still very much alive, she envisions a future of misery, including “a long parade of weary horses and shivering beggars and all beaten, driven, stumbling things” (32).

Blond Hair

That the word “blonde” is part of this story’s title is no surprise; being blond is a central part of Hazel’s identity. The very first sentence indicates that the word “blonde” connotes a sense of sexuality: “Hazel Morse was a large, fair woman of the type that incites some men when they use the word ‘blonde’ to click their tongues and wag their heads roguishly” (1). Hazel’s primary form of diversion—attracting and entertaining men—is shared by “the other substantially built blondes in whom she found her friends” (2). One of these friends is Mrs. Martin, “a great blonde woman of forty, a promise in looks of what Mrs. Morse was to be” (9).

Hazel, who isn’t particularly self-aware of her inner feelings, is painfully aware of the effects that the ravages of time have on her physical self—particularly her hair. When she nears 30 and her hair shows signs of darkening, she takes steps to counteract this through “inexpert dabblings with peroxide” (3). Preserving her blond hair is essential to who she is—a “big blonde.”

Names

The names women call themselves throughout “Big Blonde” symbolize their desire for respectability. All of Hazel’s female acquaintances are known by their husbands’ last names, even though no husbands are in sight. This includes Hazel, who continues to go by “Mrs. Morse” long after Mr. Morse has abandoned her. The women pair their first names with the surnames of their former husbands, adding the title “Mrs.” to lend themselves an air of respectability: “This gave at the same time the solidity of marriage and the glamour of freedom” (16).

Hazel’s first name has additional significance. It reflects the haziness of her personality and acceptance of reality, which becomes even hazier as her drinking escalates and her melancholy worsens. Furthermore, when she’s addressed by her first name, it’s always shortened to “Haze,” suggesting that she’s vaporous and insubstantial, perhaps even mentally dull. This may be a legacy from her mother, whose single mention in the story is in a brief description of a “hazy widowed mother” (1).