Margins by Donald Barthelme
"Margins" by Donald Barthelme is a short story that explores themes of identity, social perception, and the complexities of human interaction through the dialogue between two characters: Carl, an African American man, and Edward, a white man. Set against the backdrop of New York City, Carl stands on the street wearing sandwich boards that detail his past—a five-year prison sentence for a minor theft, a history of personal loss, and his struggles with finding employment due to his criminal record. His sign conveys a unique blend of desperation, hope, and a form of self-expression, highlighted by the mention of "eschatological love," a concept that reflects deeper philosophical and existential themes.
The story delves into the characters' contrasting perspectives, particularly as Edward analyzes Carl's handwriting, linking it to elements of personality and social status. This interaction reveals Edward's preoccupations with identity and his attempts to categorize Carl based on superficial traits. Carl, on the other hand, resents being reduced to labels and challenges Edward's assumptions about race, class, and experience. The narrative ultimately raises questions about the nature of communication, understanding, and the societal barriers that persist between individuals of differing backgrounds. Through their sparring dialogue, Barthelme crafts a nuanced examination of how identity is shaped and perceived in a complex social landscape.
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Margins by Donald Barthelme
First published: 1964
Type of plot: Antistory
Time of work: The 1960's
Locale: New York City
Principal Characters:
Carl Maria von Weber , an African American panhandler and former convictEdward , a white street person
The Story
Carl, an African American man, is standing in front of a men's store on Fourteenth Street near Broadway in New York City. He has brown sandwich boards over his shoulders, and on the boards is a handwritten message. It says that the wearer has spent five years in an Alabama jail for stealing a dollar and a half; that he did not steal the money; that while he was in jail his brother was killed; that his mother ran away when he was little; that in jail he learned to preach; that he bears witness to eschatological love; and that because no one will give him a job because he has been in jail, he is asking for handouts. Some of the sign does not make perfect sense; sentences are run together, and in one place, the words "Pepsi Cola" appear for no apparent reason.
Carl must be proud of his sign, however, because it ends with the statement that a patent has been applied for. In the same sentence he remembers his preaching and asks God to deliver humankind from evil.
Edward, a white man, criticizes the margins around Carl's handwriting on the sign and tells Carl that those margins reveal personality. In Edward's hand is a book about handwriting analysis, from which he reads about the meaning of wide and narrow left and right margins. Ignoring Carl's disbelief in such things, Edward tells him that a sign with wide margins all around it reveals a person of delicate sensibility who is a loner, loves color and form, and lives in a dream world of good taste. Because Carl's sign matches that description, he must be that kind of person.
When Carl asks Edward if he is sure that he has it right, Edward tells him that he feels as if he is trying to communicate across a huge gulf of ignorance and darkness. Carl resents being darkness, so they spar about that, then Edward begins to criticize the way that Carl makes his letters. His m's and n's are pointed rather than rounded, indicating aggressiveness and energy, but the fact that they are pointed at the bottom shows negative traits such as sarcasm and irritability. His capitals are small, which shows humility, and the big loops on his y's and g's suggest exaggeration and egoism.
Edward asks Carl his full name and then asks him directly if he is a drug addict. Carl says that he is not. Next, Edward asks Carl if he is a Muslim. To answer that, Carl shoots back a question to Edward: He wants to know if Edward has read The Mystery of Being (1951) by Gabriel Marcel. This probably is meant as a "yes" answer to Edward's question because Marcel believes that human experience can be understood only by participating in it, but Edward does not get it and asks the question again. Carl avoids the second question by making a crazy statement about the government. When Carl complains that the present location is bad for hustling, Edward tells him that the location is all right, but that Carl looks crummy and people like neatness.
The conversation turns to skin color. Carl says that white is the color of choice. Edward admits to being a fool but asserts that at least he is a white fool, which makes him lovely.
Carl asks Edward if he has read The Cannibal (1949) by John Hawkes, a contemporary American author. Edward ignores the question and continues to advise Carl on self-improvement, telling him that he needs to get a haircut and an Italian suit. Edward also wants to know about Carl's inner reality, but Carl says that his reality belongs to him and begins talking about other books by John Hawkes. Edward then asks Carl whether he stole the dollar and a half mentioned on his sign. Carl repeats what is on the sign, that he did not, and says that it is cold on Fourteenth Street. Edward tells him that the coldness he feels is from his being a despised person.
The conversation continues in this vein until Edward asks Carl what the term "eschatological love" means. Carl tells him that it is the kind of love that happens after death, and that black people talk about such things to make themselves happy.
Edward asks Carl where he steals his books, and Carl tells him that the best place to steal books is in drugstores. Stealing books is different from stealing money, Carl asserts, and quotes the author François Villon. Edward asks if that quote was from "If I Were King." Carl asks Edward if he has ever stolen anything.
Edward says not to remind him of his life, which shocks Carl, who supposes that all whites have nice lives. Edward tells Carl that he needs to improve his handwriting and that such a move might even help him end up as vice president. Carl thinks that better handwriting is only superficial self-improvement because it has nothing to do with character. He asks Edward to hold his sign for him while he uses the bathroom in the men's store.
When Edward puts the sign over his shoulders, he finds it heavy. On Carl's return, they slap each other in the face with the backs of their hands.
Bibliography
Barthelme, Helen Moore. Donald Barthelme: The Genesis of a Cool Sound. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2001.
Gordon, Lois. Donald Barthelme. Boston: Twayne, 1981.
Hudgens, Michael Thomas. Donald Barthelme: Postmodernist American Writer. Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 2001.
Klinkowitz, Jerome. Donald Barthelme: An Exhibition. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1991.
McCaffery, Larry. The Metafictional Muse: The Works of Robert Coover, Donald Barthelme, and William H. Gass. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1982.
Molesworth, Charles. Donald Barthelme's Fiction: The Ironist Saved from Drowning. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1982.
Olsen, Lance, ed. Review of Contemporary Fiction 11 (Summer, 1991).
Patteson, Richard F., ed. Critical Essays on Donald Barthelme. New York: G. K. Hall, 1992.
Roe, Barbara L. Donald Barthelme: A Study of the Short Fiction. New York: Twayne, 1992.
Stengel, Wayne B. The Shape of Art in the Short Stories of Donald Barthelme. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1985.
Trachtenberg, Stanley. Understanding Donald Barthelme. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1990.
Waxman, Robert. "Apollo and Dionysus: Donald Barthelme's Dance of Life." Studies in Short Fiction 33 (Spring, 1996): 229-243.