The Scholar in contrast to the Family Man in The Professor’s House

One of the most clearly developed dichotomies within the first eight chapters of Willa Cather’s The Professor’s House is found within Professor St. Peter himself who has, “managed to live two lives, both of them very intense” (11). He seems to feel the need to keep his scholarly pursuits completely separate from the familial parts of his life, in “the one place in the house where he could get isolation…from the engaging drama of domestic life” (10). Even more so, his university job is separate from his book writing as well, as the narrator explains, “all the while that he was working so fiercely by night, he was earning his living during the day…but that was another life” (11). The text seems to be developing the idea that in order for the mind to flourish, it must be separated from factors of the heart (in this case, the family). Indeed, the description makes it seem as if the professor really severs ties from the “human” parts of his life when he goes into his attic study, which is in itself an inhuman space. It is mechanical and inorganic, with wire and sawdust busts replacing the real women that live and breathe downstairs. Moreover, there is a certain poisonous quality to the attic study, with the gas stove spewing out toxic fumes that might asphyxiate a deeply absorbed man “before he knew it” (10). Because of the nature of the study, working on these scholarly pursuits is dangerous to the professor’s health and has the high possibility of leading to sickness or death. Yet, despite these negative aspects, the professor feels a certain fondness for the place, a certain attachment that he refuses to let go of. As his daughters grow up and his relationship with his family changes, the professor views his study as a sort of sanctuary that remains unchanged, despite its toxicity. This then begs the question, how will scholarship and the family be further developed in the text? Will the poisonous aspects of scholarly work that are such a large part of the attic increase to point where they start affecting the family? It seems as if there is already some negative changes occurring in the familial relationships, so it will be interesting to see how this dichotomy within the professor and his house evolves and shifts.