Liberty Hall by Ring Lardner

 

          I recently read Liberty Hall, a short story satire by Ring Lardner. The story’s setting (New York, 1920s) and diction is similar to F. Scot Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. This is no surprise since Lardner and Fitzgerald were supposedly friends though. As expected from a satire, Liberty Hall was amusing because of the ironic themes and details. The funniest parts were when the narrator (Mrs. Drake) writes that she feels oblige to accept her husband’s fan’s invitations.  Ninety two years after Liberty Hall was written, men are still “whipped” and women are still their husband’s secretaries. In the story two adults learn the “you can’t have your cake and eat it too” lesson. For example, the Drakes actually enjoy the company of the Buckleys. But after staying at the Buckley’s uncomfortable home, the Drakes never speak to the couple again. Then the Drakes meet the Thayers. Once the Drakes embark on “the visit to end all visits” with the Thayers, the Drakes decide that they don’t like the Thayers, but enjoy their comfortable home. Mr. Drake works so hard to avoid invitations from other couples, that he develops a system, “what he calls his emergency exit.” Every time Mrs. Drake schedules a visit to a fan’s home, Mr. Drake writes himself a telegram, signs it with a pseudonym, and gives it to an assistant at his company. The assistant is told to send the telegram to Mr. Drake after twenty-four hours.  Mr. Drake will either leave with the telegram as an excuse or stay if he is enjoying his visit. The title is ironic because the Drakes never feel free when they visit with people. Both the host and the guest try to appease each other, when ironically they are just discomforting each other.