Assignment 4 : Deconstructive Reading of Sir Bob Dylan's Song 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll' : 22409 Paper 204 : Contemporary Western Theories and Film Studies

• Name : Nirav Lalitbhai Amreliya

• Batch : M.A. Sem. 3 (2021-2023)

• Enrollment N/o. : 4069206420210002

• Roll N/o. : 18

• Subject Code & Paper N/o. : 22409 – Paper 204 : Contemporary Western Theories and Film Studies

• Email Address : niramreliyaunofficial@gmail.com

• Submitted to : Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of English – Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University – Bhavnagar – 364001

• Date of Submission : 7th November, 2022

Deconstructive Reading of Sir Bob Dylan's Song 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll'

Introduction : The assignment is about the introduction of Deconstruction concept propounded by French philosopher Jacques Derrida, the key concepts of Deconstruction, and its application on the Nobel Laureate American singer sir Bob Dylan’s famous song titled as 'The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll.’

Introduction to Deconstruction : The term ‘Deconstruction’ on academics is a theory propounded by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in his lecture ‘Structure, Sign, and Play in the Discourse of the Human Sciences’. According to ‘Glossary of Literary Terms’ by M. H. Abrams and Geoffrey Galt Harpham, the term ‘deconstruction' means :

 ‘“Deconstruction,” as applied in the criticism of literature, designates a theory and practice of reading that questions and claims to “subvert” or

“undermine” the assumption that the system of language is based on grounds

that are adequate to establish the boundaries, the coherence or unity, and the determinate meanings of a literary text. Typically, a deconstructive reading sets out to show that conflicting forces within the text itself serve to dissipate the seeming definiteness of its structure and meanings into an indefinite array of incompatible and undecidable possibilities.’

Key Concepts of Deconstruction :

• Infinite Word-Play

• Arche-Writing

• DifferAnce

• Absence Over Presence

• Metaphysics of Meaning

• Binary Opposition

There is much to the Deconstruction theory, and I am focusing upon Reading Absence over Presence concept in the song written by sir Bob Dylan in order to highlight the tyranny of corrupt government, unequal wealth-distribution amongst people, agony of slaves, master-slave relations, and insubstantial critics. The song bases its plot on the real story of the murder of black maid Hattie Carroll by white master William Zanzinger. Miss Cellania reports :

“In 1963, Bob Dylan recorded a song about a murder that had occurred only a few months before. On February 8, 1963, Billy Zantzinger arrived at the Spinsters Ball at the Emerson Hotel in Baltimore. He was elegantly dressed and carried a cane, and he was drunk. He abused the serving staff, stumbled through dances, hit his wife, and even got into a fist fight with another guest. Zantzinger, who had just turned 24, also demanded a drink from bartender Hattie Carroll. Carroll was serving another guest, and didn’t respond as quickly as Zantzinger wanted. In response, he called her racist names and hit her with his cane. Zantzinger was arrested for being disorderly and for assault.

Soon after the incident, Carroll spoke of feeling unwell, saying in a garbled voice, "I feel deathly ill, that man has upset me so." She was taken to a hospital, where she died of a stroke a few hours later. Zantzinger was released on bail the next morning, before word reached the court about Carroll’s death. Zantzinger was later charged with her murder.

Billy Zantzinger was the son of a prosperous Maryland family with political connections. He owned a 630-acre tobacco farm. His father had served in the Maryland legislature.

Hattie Carroll was a 51-year-old Black woman who had somewhere between nine and 13 children (accounts vary) and several grandchildren. She worked for the hotel only on occasions when they needed a larger staff for special events. She’d been a deacon and choir member at Gillis Memorial Church, where her funeral was attended by 1600 people.” (Cellania)

The Song : ‘The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll’ :

William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll,

With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger

At a Baltimore hotel society gath'rin',

And the cops were called in and his weapon took from him

As they rode him in custody down to the station,

And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder. 

But you who philosophize, disgrace and criticize all fears,

Take the rag away from your face, now ain't the time for

Your tears. 

William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four years,

Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres

With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him,

And high office relations in the politics of Maryland,

Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders,

And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was

Snarling,

In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking. 

But you who philosophize, disgrace and criticize all fears,

Take the rag away from your face, now ain't the time for

Your tears. 

Hattie Carroll was a maid of the kitchen.

She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children

Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage,

And never sat once at the head of the table

And didn't even talk to the people at the table,

Who just cleaned up all the food from the table,

And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level,

Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane

That sailed through the air and came down through the room,

Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle.

And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger. 

But you who philosophize, disgrace and criticize all fears,

Take the rag away from your face, now ain't the time for

Your tears. 

In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel,

To show that all's equal and that the courts are on the

Level

And that the strings in the books ain't pulled and

Persuaded,

And that even the nobles get properly handled

Once that the cops have chased after and caught 'em,

And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom,

Stared at the person who killed for no reason,

Who just happened to be feelin' that way without warnin'.

And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished,

And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance,

William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence. 

Oh, but you who philosophize, disgrace and criticize all

Fears,

Bury the rag deep in your face, for now's the time for your

Tears.

The Deconstructive Reading of Absence Over Presence in the Song :

The song is a voice given to the maid who does minimal chores for herself and her children.

The very first stanza of the song starts with the murderer's name and has some allusive reference of his richness :

William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll,

With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger

At a Baltimore hotel society gath'rin',

And the cops were called in and his weapon took from him

As they rode him in custody down to the station,

And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder.

Here he wears diamond ring in finger which suggests that he is quite well-off person and a socially opened too. He gets booked for first-degree murder which tells that he has killed someone in society gathering.

William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four years,

Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres

With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him,

And high office relations in the politics of Maryland,

Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders,

And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was

Snarling,

In a matter of minutes on bail was out walking.

In this stanza, the mention of William’s age and his ownership of a tobacco farm of six hundred acres tell that the wealth was given to him in lineage and he was not a self-made person. The next lines tell that the parents are rich and even they protect him in spite of knowing the crimes their son commit. The lines that shows his connection with high office is also alluding to the corrupt officials in politics. His reaction with shrug of his shoulder after murder shows that he is quite assure that no law or police can take over him as he is rich and in relation with political leaders. He even speaks abusive words and snarls at the murdered Hattie Carroll, and in less time gets bail despite being convicted for murder. This shows how weak and corrupt government can be especially in economically divided social structure.

Hattie Carroll was a maid of the kitchen.

She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children

Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage,

And never sat once at the head of the table

And didn't even talk to the people at the table,

Who just cleaned up all the food from the table,

And emptied the ashtrays on a whole other level,

Got killed by a blow, lay slain by a cane

That sailed through the air and came down through the room,

Doomed and determined to destroy all the gentle.

And she never done nothing to William Zanzinger.

In this following stanza, the poverty of Hattie is told along with the allusive reference to the sexual exploitation of slave black women in American states as Hattie has ten children without any name of father and perhaps not all of them were hers and her husbands’s, some may be of the master whom Hattie might have earlier worked for. The following lines and especially “and she ne er done anything to William Zanzinger” are allusive reference to the absence of freedom of speech and expression for the slaves as they were not free to express themselves and speak anything that their white American masters disliked.

In the courtroom of honor, the judge pounded his gavel,

To show that all's equal and that the courts are on the

Level

And that the strings in the books ain't pulled and

Persuaded,

And that even the nobles get properly handled

Once that the cops have chased after and caught 'em,

And that the ladder of law has no top and no bottom,

Stared at the person who killed for no reason,

Who just happened to be feelin' that way without warnin'.

And he spoke through his cloak, most deep and distinguished,

And handed out strongly, for penalty and repentance,

William Zanzinger with a six-month sentence.

This last stanza begins with verbal irony employed by the singer when referring to the court as courtroom of honor in reality which was not so, the simple actions of judge pounding his gavel is also interpreted that judge is pretending to be at a place of justice and just to show that all is equal and court has no bias or inclination for anyone, but all these are facile actions. The deep connection of rich and government is shown by the use of phrases like judge speaking through his cloak, most deep and distinguished. His “strongly” handing out of penalty and repentance for only six months for such the grievous crime of murder shows the pre-settlements of bribing to him. This is the chief concern especially for the country like America where freedom is said to be seen of every type.

The Reiteration : In the song one will find the reiteration of the following stanza after every main stanza which is satire on so-called intellectuals who lack substance in fighting with wrong and injustice but merely giving thousands of opinions as to what one should or should not do. The stanza is as following :

But you who philosophize, disgrace and criticize all fears,

Take the rag away from your face, now ain't the time for

Your tears.

This reiteration of the aforementioned lines leaves its impact on the psyche of listener and reader as it targets the pseudo-philosophical intellectualism which is nothing but the result of escapism of people. The very lines remain as the good diatribe of such escapist moralists, intellectuals, philosophers, and thinkers who opine to escape from the unjust practices and corruption in society, politics, and in every aspect of the human-made structures.

Conclusion : Sir Bob Dylan’s realistic songs have striking features which even some renowned poets may lack. His brilliance of meticulously narrating reality present around all of us which we all deliberately overlook is what makes him shine aside of the rest population of laymen, aesthetic poets, singers of popular culture and especially the nonmancules and coward critics. His art of allusive references is the best of all his artistic brilliance.

Thank you!

Works Cited :

 Cellania, Miss. “The Real Story behind ‘The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll.’” Mental Floss, Mental Floss, 31 Mar. 2016, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/77905/real-story-behind-lonesome-death-hattie-carroll.

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