The Damaging Effects of Gil's Art - Essay Sample

The Shadow Tag is a novel by Louise Erdrich who uses characters to represent the agony of domesticity. The author uses a couple in which Gil is the husband and Irene is his wife. The two have children. Gil is an American artist who draws portraits of Irene and earns enormous from it. In this case, he has to draw intimate and nude photos of Irene to attract more clientele. The effect of his portraits on American Art is that it reduces women to domesticity and is only kept for intimacy and domestic work. Even though he sells his art at the high process and earns enough money from it, it degrades the aspect of American Art. His marriage affects his work as Gil is described that "But now he was losing confidence and control. His paintings were hiding from him because Irene was hiding something (Erdrich, p.50)."

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The effect of Gil's art on his family is also seen in the case of Irene. The latter is unhappy about the portrait where Gil is clinging to her shadow. Irene has lost affection for her husband. She has fallen out of love and needs to free herself. However, seeing a portrait where her husband's shadow is holding on to hers awakens a different feeling. She feels like she cannot escape from her husband. "Any power she owned lay in her feigned indifference (Erdrich, p.87)." Thus, the only way to be in this marriage was for Irene to remain secretive.

Therefore, the author uses the aspect of shadows that is believed in some traditional communities to have a deep meaning. According to the author, holding on to someone's cloud means you are not willing to let go. The author quotes Irene's statement of falling out of love when he says, "Here is the most telling fact: you wish to possess me. Here is another fact: I loved you and let you think you could (Erdrich, p. 20)." According to this quote, it is evident that Irene had fallen out of love and was no longer interested in the marriage. However, it sickens her that Gil is clung on to her since his art depends on his wife. Therefore. He has to be with her for his career to be successful.

Gil is an unhappy man. Despite making a lot of man from selling art, he is not pleased with his body. Gil says, "He despised his body for its boring hungers, reflex anger; it is petty, obliterating rage. But now, he'd become detached. He regarded his body with tender regret. It was the thing his spirit had to haul (Erdrich. 89)." In this text, Gil cannot draw a portrait of himself or a fellow man. He already despises his body. Therefore, he has to use Irene's body in his art paintings to earn more money.

Another incident is that Gil's art and the differences he has with his wife affect their children. Gil's concern is on the art and occasional drinking of alcohol. He is also high-tempered and does not entertain consultation. Thus, this makes him a control-freak. His wife is torn between motherhood and finding her Ph.D. that will help her find a job. The children are affected by the trauma of not being close to their parents. "Irene thought they had gravitas. Weighty demeanors. She thought of them as diplomats. She had noticed that when Gil was about to lose his temper, one of the dogs always appeared and did something to divert his attention (Erdrich, p. 100)." I this quote, even dogs, just like children, are traumatized from the experience of Gil and Irene's marriage. It is the dogs that calm Gil whenever he is angry.

Finally, the book relates to Catlin's paintings by indicating the aspect of shadows. In the past, Catlin had a difficult time convincing his clients to buy his portraits as they contained shades. According to the American Indian setting, stepping on one's shadow means stealing their soul. Therefore, the author emphasizes this idea by inflicting fear within Irene, who torments her husband for stepping on her shadow.

Works Cited

Erdrich, Louise. "Shadow Tag: A Novel." (2010).