The Field of Vision by Wright Morris
*The Field of Vision* by Wright Morris is a novel that explores themes of memory, choice, and the complexities of human relationships through the lens of a chance encounter. Set in the 1950s, the story follows Walter McKee, who, while vacationing in Mexico, unexpectedly reunites with his old friend Gordon Boyd, a free-spirited drifter who has lived a life of wandering and unfulfilled dreams. Their meeting stirs up past emotions for both men and their families, particularly for McKee's wife, Lois, who struggles with her lingering feelings for Boyd and her dissatisfaction with her own life choices.
The narrative weaves together elements of humor and poignancy, as it juxtaposes McKee’s stable yet monotonous existence with Boyd’s chaotic and unanchored lifestyle. A pivotal event occurs during a bullfight, where tensions rise and characters confront their realities, leading to moments of self-discovery and reflection. The story examines the impact of past decisions and the longing for a different path, ultimately questioning the nature of success and fulfillment. Through its richly drawn characters and vivid settings, *The Field of Vision* invites readers to consider the intersections of memory, identity, and the pursuit of meaning in their own lives.
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The Field of Vision by Wright Morris
First published: 1956
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Psychological realism
Time of plot: Mid-twentieth century
Locale: Mexico
Principal characters
Walter McKee , a middle-aged AmericanLois McKee , his wifeGordon McKee , their sonGordon Boyd , a failed playwrightDr. Leopold Lehmann , a psychiatristTom Scanlon , Lois McKee’s father
The Story:
Vacationing in Mexico in the 1950’s, Walter McKee runs into his best friend, Gordon Boyd, whom he had not seen for fifteen years. Without any introduction, Boyd says, “How’s the little woman?” McKee replies that he and his wife could not be happier, which irritates Boyd, who, instead of settling down like his friend McKee, spent his life on the road, wandering wherever fate took him. McKee made money and became a success, although years earlier he stood on his fiancé’s front porch while Boyd gave Lois her first kiss.
At a bullfight to which they all go, Lois is busy supervising her elderly father and her young grandson. Both wear coonskin caps reminiscent of Davy Crockett and of the old man’s solitary life on the midwestern plains. Mrs. McKee is alarmed when she hears that her husband met Boyd—for she wishes to conceal from the world that Boyd is the only man who ever excited her. Afraid of the desire he aroused in her that day on the porch, she instead married the steady but boring McKee, who annoys her with his overbearing manner and his habit of chewing such things as burned matches, cigars, and even things he picks up in the street. Above all, she dislikes the fact that her husband worships Boyd. Running into Boyd when they are on vacation strikes her as bad luck.
Boyd suggests to McKee that they all go to a bullfight together, explaining that he will also bring his psychiatrist, Dr. Lehmann, who is treating him for depression. None of Boyd’s youthful dreams is fulfilled. Instead of becoming a successful playwright, he ends up eking out an existence in New York. His namesake and McKee’s son, Gordon, is dissuaded from pursuing a career in the theater when he sees Gordon’s dingy apartment and lonely life.
Lois does not like the idea of a bullfight, but since Boyd invites them and clearly expects her to decline, she decides to attend. As for her grandson, Boyd assures her that children like blood. McKee pretends to look forward to the bullfight until Dr. Lehmann informs him that more than one bull will be killed. To comfort herself, Lois reads a book entitled Toros Without Tears.
After they take their seats on the shady side of the bullring, where it is cold, making them wish they had seats in the sun, the first bull enters. McKee thinks he looks small. Up to his old clowning days, Boyd calls the bull over to the edge of the ring, shakes up a bottle of soda pop, and squirts the little bull in the face. The bull licks it off and the crowd laughs. Boyd takes a bow and McKee is thrilled, but his wife is embarrassed. Boyd still has not grown up, and it appears he never will. She is reminded of the time he tore the pocket of baseball legend Ty Cobb’s pants as he rounded third at an exhibition game; in all the years that went by, that dirty piece of cloth is the only thing Boyd manages to keep. Much to her amazement, Lois saw it in Boyd’s apartment in New York.
McKee tries to explain to his wife that Boyd is special, that once he even tried to walk on water at a sand pit where he nearly drowned, but Lois remains unconvinced. Boyd is an interesting and aging con man and nothing else. She admits, however, that she still finds him exciting.
Only Dr. Lehmann is not fooled. During the bullfight he catches Boyd’s eye while Boyd is fooling around, to show him that as his physician he understands why Boyd is acting up. Dr. Lehmann forces his patient to confront the truth about himself: that his life did not work and that he even failed at failure.
At the end of the bullfight, Boyd throws Gordon McKee’s coonskin cap into the ring. When the boy chases after it, Boyd mutters, “touch bottom,” and feels himself push off against it. At that moment, he realizes that he must transform himself or perish. Reaching down, he rescues the boy and retrieves the cap. Then Boyd silently vows to renew his quest for truth and beauty and to turn his back on deterioration and failure.
Bibliography
Hicks, Granville. Introduction to Wright Morris: A Reader, by Wright Morris. New York: Harper & Row, 1970. Discusses recurrent themes in Morris’s work, such as setting and its effect on identity. Examines his place in American literary history. Includes an overview of the reasons for Morris’s popular and critical neglect.
Knoll, Robert, ed. Conversations with Wright Morris: Critical Views and Responses. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1977. Covers a wide range of critical evaluation, including New Criticism and structuralism. Examines the author’s postmodern use of point of view and investigates the absence of a traditional narrative structure.
Pollak, Oliver B. “Wright Morris and the Jews.” Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies 20, no. 4 (Summer, 2002): 18. Focuses on what Pollak calls the “Jewish motif” in Morris’s works, delineating the Jewish issues in selected books, including TheField of Vision.
Updike, John. “Wright on Writing.” The New Yorker, April 14, 1975. Examines the characters and regions that are most prevalent in Morris’s novels. The landscape of the Midwest is discussed in terms of its effect on character development.
Wilson, J. C. “Wright Morris and the Search for the ’Still Point.’” Prairie Schooner 49, no. 2 (Summer, 1975): 154-163. Examines the motif of the quest for identity in Morris’s fiction and the pressure of past events on characters’ present-day lives.
Wydeven, Joseph J. Wright Morris Revisited. New York: Twayne, 1998. Argues that Morris’s works are about American dreamers who viewed the West as the place where they could fulfill their desires. Includes a portfolio of Morris’s photographs
Yardley, Jonathan. “The Achievement of Wright Morris.” Book World—The Washington Post, February 3, 1985. Examines the arc of Morris’s literary career. Includes a discussion of his work in various genres, including photography, journalism, and autobiography.