The Emasculation of Willie and Overall Impotence

The emasculated Kevin Barnes, of Montreal

Happy Days seems to hint at moments of impotence and emasculation. As an artist writes down his (masculine case used in reference of Beckett) words, he transfers all thought of the creative process onto a stone of interpretation. He surrenders his ideas to failing linguistics, as each reader reads, interprets, and perhaps bastardizes his creation. It is indeed total objectification personified through words. His thoughts, his power, his ability to create with his pen (masculine pun) is stripped down and emasculated by the reader. His will is done, only to lose.

Winnie and Willie (Win and Will) sit, or are rather trapped, at the center of this play. Winnie, in Act I, buried up to her hips, and Willie stuck in a hole. I believe this is the first case of a gender-role reversal, and the first hint at impotence. Winnie, the female, is sticking straight up out of the sand, erected (phallic). Willie rests in the bottom of his hole (yonic). Their respective genitalia are personified and reversed.

Winnie is also in possession of a gun, and upon initially removing it from her purse, she kisses it (sexual connotation). A gun, like a penis, has control over life and death, and Willie (perhaps a pun on “will”/its connection with the penis, cf. Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 136”) being impotent, stuck in a hole, cannot be in possession of it.

Winnie and the gun

Winnie, being erect and in possession of the weapon, has complete masculine control over Willie: “Go back into your hole now, Willie, you’ve exposed yourself enough. Do as I say, Willie, don’t lie sprawling in this hellish sun, go back into your hole. Go on now Willie. That’s the man. Not head first, stupid” (Selected Works Vol. III, 280). After Willie “exposes” himself (a sort of sexual revealing attached to “exposed”), Winnie demands he crawl back into the hole, but not head first (I don’t believe in need to make the connection there for you).

There are also a few connections between things that control both life and death: the phallic representations, the sun, the gun, and “earth you old extinguisher” (287). All things (minus the gun) create and give life, but also breed death. A penis creates a death-sentenced being, given too much power the sun can vaporize the earth it warms, and the earth itself can turn into a death-ball of destruction. All things create, breeding death (like writing itself).

Away from that quick diversion, Willie’s impotence is again seen at the end of the play. He goes to shoot Winnie, his master, dominator, but instead he cannot do it – he can’t fire the gun (impotence). Instead, all he can do is crawl up the hill and fall back down it. Winnie smiles, sings, and they stare at each other until the smiles fade in a troubling confusion.   

Winnie and Willie, as told by the Beatles