In Martha Ostenso’s novel “Wild Geese”, it is made obvious to the reader that the antagonist, Caleb Gare, is a master at controlling others. In the beginning of the novel, we learn that Caleb was “ below medium height, with tremendous shoulders and a massive head but a dwindling lower body” (P. 10) which causes the reader to believe that Caleb Gare probably doesn’t control his family physically, but emotionally or through blackmail. Caleb has a lot of enemies in town, yet because he has knowledge that he can hold against them, no one does anything to help out Amelia and the children. Caleb uses his knowledge of other peoples’ lives to blackmail them and blame things on the other characters throughout the novel, so that he stays in control. He is very hypocritical and because he doesn’t care how something will hurt someone, he does whatever he can to get what he wants. However, at the end of the novel, all this blackmailing and torture he is placing on the community catches up to him, and Caleb dies in an attempt to protect the only thing that he has ever truly loved: his flax field.
Caleb Gare believes that he is so powerful, that if he wishes something wont happen, or if he simply ignores it, that it will just go
. . .
When Thorvald Thorvaldson was eating fish, obviously from Bjarnasson’s lake, Caleb blackmailed him into giving a piece of land, in return for Caleb’s silence. He argued with Martin for quite some time, and then stormed out to his beloved flax field where we realize that Caleb’s anger was not just because he didn’t have any fish from Bjarnasson, but that he needed to “quell any rising independence in Martin… or else there will be no holding him” (P. The oddest thing about this is that not too long ago, Caleb had sent Martin to go catch fish from Bjarnassons Lake, and disobeying Caleb’s orders, Martin drove into the farmyard and talked with Erik Bjarnasson. “ Mark, I’m nervous tonight, I guess. I’m sure I saw something cross the road” (P 228). When Caleb realizes that Anton Klovacz is about to pass on, he immediately seeks a way that he can make it work for himself, and takes advantage of Anton. Caleb also controls his family by making them feel guilty. Martin came home with no fish and Caleb was furious. Despite the constant abuse of her father, and the neglect of her mother, Caleb knows that she maintains a strong spirit. Caleb calls down his field “ The stuff that’s on it now, why its scarcely worth the cutting” (P 238) until Anton realizes that no one else will give him money and sells his crops to Caleb. When Martin hurt his arm trying to save Ellen, Caleb had no problem making sure that Martin wouldn’t forget it. It is his believing that he can control the weather that partially leads to his death at the end of the novel.
Approximate Word count =
1771
Approximate Pages =
7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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