okay, I just finished reading Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke and like, holy shit. it was a ride
what I really didn't expect going into it though and what has therefore really made the novel fascinating to me is the presentation of her husband, Caleb. going into it, all I really knew was that he's the husband of a tradwife (typically implies, I would think, a shitty person), and that he gotten deeper and deeper into the manosphere. so, like, obviously I'm not expecting much on likability or even... interest, tbh
but I actually found he was so much more sympathetic than anticipated and that just really provided a fascinating character that had. SO much more to say!!
SPOILERS but please read my analysis of him it'd mean the world to me I love the shifting of his dynamic with Natalie!
like, so we meet him in the first section of the book and he seems typically trad husbandy, but Natalie does mention early on that he was both coddled and neglected by his parents, and that he doesn't really wear his masculinity comfortably, so you start to kind of understand there's more to him, but whatever
to me, it's not until, maybe after their wedding that you really start to see him as a bit more dynamic. again, he is coddled, he's rich, he's the youngest of five, you start to see that he's lazy, he doesn't want to really do much. he doesn't seem overly interested in Natalie but he was raised Christian and with certain expectations and he follows them, but you continue to see how it chafes against him. he doesn't want a job and nobody has ever held him to that expectation that he would have one, so whatever. he has sex with Natalie, but you can tell he's not particularly into it. he can't even get hard. Natalie later sees the porn he looks at and is horrified, but it's not exactly like step-siblings going at it or abuse or underage or anything too harrowing. he likes watching REAL LIFE COUPLE HAVE HOT SEX or PASSIONATE LOVEMAKING (lots of pussy licking!). he seems to value the idea that a couple could get each other off, even that a woman's pleasure could be involved, but he clearly just does not feel that with Natalie
despite this, he gets her pregnant and things seem to be moving along like a facade of what you'd expect for his life but he doesn't really put himself into it too much
I don't think he's the most malicious at this point, but he's dumb and he doesn't understand the real world and he's spent all this life being rich and not needing to try and it's like. what? now he has to try? that doesn't seem right
he is somewhat willing, though. Natalie wants him to get a job and he's reluctant, but you can tell that he hasn't completely dismissed it, he just moreso doesn't see anything that interests him. why work if you're not going to be happy? this is a privilege that he absolutely has and is willing to take advantage of. when he does find a job that would make him happy, he's excited at the prospect, and Natalie also fully believes he would great at it. that he'd give it his all and show care and enjoyment for the work he's doing
the goal posts kind of shift there, though, which is interesting. it's not enough to find a job--it has to be the right type of job. Natalie's not happy with the idea of him teaching kindergarten--something she says he would no doubt excel at--because it's not manly enough. and here's where gender roles really come into the book sharply. I believe Natalie even says here that it's too bad she's not the man, while Caleb is the woman, because she's more ambitious and he wouldn't mind staying home and having smaller goals
and it's... like duh gender roles hurt everyone but it is kind of insane when you really think about it. they can't take on the roles in their relationship that feel more natural to them, in their specific circumstance, because it's not what's expected of their biology? are we all hearing this? it's an embarrassment to be a certain type of person with a certain type of job because it's not masculine enough? Natalie and Caleb are still very imperfect as a couple but I do think they could've gotten more enjoyment out of their marriage if they were at least allowed to be themselves, but god forbid that not match their penis and vagina assignment!
from here, we also get, Natalie can't just tell her husband what to do (also probably against gender roles), so she has to convince him that public school is bad. and because she says that and Caleb literally has a sack of potatoes where his brain should be, he decides to do his own research, very likely just googles "is public school bad?" and very easily falls into all sorts of reactionary content online. which he doesn't exactly have the media literacy or personal knowledge to dispute, so he ends up believing it
and I thought that this was such a fascinating look at how people can get started down these pipelines! the way you could trace Natalie poisoning her own husband's mind when she was simply trying to shit down a desire she thought was Wrong of him to have. how innocent it can all be--a thirst for knowledge, to confirm something you're not sure of, without the right research skills... it's easy to getting sucked into believing everything you read online. Caleb gets sucked IN!
and I think that it also shifted perspectives... we talk a lot about young boys being vulnerable to this pipeline, and when I kind of picture the type of guy who would care about the manosphere, I guess I never really thought "someone who's established in their life and not traditionally masculine" would still be able to stumble into it. but they are. anyone is susceptible, is the scary part
and now for a good chunk of the book we just sort of follow how he digs deeper and deeper into this. at the same time, we're still jumping in and out of the bits in the 1800s which I will get to, and we see even more that I think lends Caleb sympathy. Natalie agrees with his father to have more children, and basically has to pressure Caleb into it. she specifically describes him as looking pained when she asks to have sex, and then she tries for like 10 minutes to get him hard before sending him off to jack off in a bowl. and, like, whether or not you define that as rape, it's fucking coercive, and you can tell how little he wants it. again, the roles are reversed. in many heterosexual relationships, pressure for sex can come from the husband. in the idea of these more "trad" relationships, I would say it's probably more the husband wanting to be fruitful, or whatever. Caleb is fine with one child, he seems to like her, he plays with her, he doesn't want more, but he's forced into it
years pass, with Caleb continuing to fall into online conspiracies. I find it interesting that even in that, he's not particularly malicious. he talks about the manosphere, but he never gets too outwardly "women belong in the kitchen". he doesn't quite boss Natalie around. he does blame the feelings of inadequacy in the world on how "society is trying to feminize men", but he kind of just. talks. vaguely. and doesn't seem overly passionate. he doesn't seem to realize that the reason he's sort of a failure is less his femininity and more a combination of his parents failing to raise a competent son and his wife denying who he is
the manosphere does have a clear impact on how Caleb sees himself, though. Natalie notes at one point, maybe around their third child, that he watches the kids longingly but no longer plays with them. she says that he no longer thinks playing with his children is appropriate because of how the people online have characterized masculinity, and how he's expected to perform it. this just takes further enjoyment from Caleb's life and isolates him from his children, and it's about here that I think he starts to lose a bit of sympathy, because you see that he's not the most involved father
there's a night that Natalie is taking too long to cook dinner so she can record it to post online, and their eldest goes to get Caleb, complaining that they haven't eaten yet. it's shown to be a failing on Natalie, Caleb showing up with their child and questioning why she hasn't fed her. and it is a clear failing, the prioritization of online image vs the actual real life needs of her child. but while Caleb is annoyed, it's important to note two things: 1. Clementine had to go find her father, because though Natalie was busy cooking, he was not present to watch the kids. I believe this is before they have nannies, too, so he expects Natalie to take all of that on herself 2. Caleb could easily take on cooking or providing for the kids. he could make them snacks while Natalie works. instead, he pretty much does nothing to challenge Natalie's neglect or combat it, getting mad at her while not providing any support of his own to his children
you can also note that he seems to have no objections with selling his children on the internet for fame and money. not that he seems to concern himself too much with being involved in Natalie's work, but a good father might be concerned with how the visibility would impact his children. of course, growing up with a politician for a father, he might also be so used to it as to barely be bothered. I just think that he needs to be held accountable for basically not doing shit to keep these kids safe
again, we move forwards, and here we hit Shannon. she's fascinating in her relationship to Caleb, because she challenges him. while Natalie let her husband get brainwashed with things she also knew not to be true but pretty much left him to it, Shannon does push back. and Caleb seems to like that. she treats him like a real person, which I guess no one else ever has? he's pretty much immediately in love with her! finally someone is showing him the attention and respect he craves
but it's interesting, too, because he seems to pretty easily believe her. and it's like. usually people with strong held beliefs aren't so easy to win over. Caleb then comes across as extremely impressionable. you could mold that man into whatever you need so easily. it's interesting, though, that he decides he's in love with Shannon because she challenges him. almost like he kind of needs someone to not just let him get away with whatever. he craves more, but Natalie just needs his sperm, his father's money, and him out of the way, so she doesn't particularly care
even when the scandal comes out about them, Shannon emphasizes that Caleb is kind. it's just that he's also a dumbass without a spine
but, things really turn when the scandal comes out. first off, they finally have a conversation about their relationship. well, an argument. good news is!: Caleb doesn't like fucking Natalie cause she feels like a dead body. so, um. unfortunately the bar is in hell and some men would not have minded... it's a win for Caleb we're running out of other options for wins
but their roles really reverse, here, when they choose to live as if it's actually the 1800s. maybe the full, immersive commitment to the bit helps them to better fit their gender roles, but suddenly, Caleb is not the same stupid manipulable idiot from earlier. and we can assume it takes a while to fully settle into, but it's fascinating. he starts this transformation during their argument, where he also slaps Natalie when she speaks poorly of his mother. he seems to take enjoyment in taking mean in these moments, telling her how he should've divorced her when he had the opportunity, how his father genuinely wants to kill her
now, if he'd divorced her... really at any point before here I think he'd still come away from things looking half decent. but he doesn't. he's never going to, no matter how much he might want to. he's in it, now
so, he agrees to fit the 1800s lifestyle. he agrees to subject his children to this, because it's not just him. and he says later on that he couldn't leave Natalie and the children, but... even if in some sick twisted way he cares for Natalie, he could've come back for her if he really cared, but at least gotten the kids to a better guardian in the meantime. Clementine is the one who has to take the children. at 16, it's Clementine who takes on the role of responsible parent, dragging all but her youngest sibling with her off of the farm. to make matters worse, while Clementine tries to free her siblings, Caleb also actively brings three ADDITIONAL children into this world they've created
and both Caleb and Natalie, but I'm really going to blame Caleb for this because he seems to be more mentally sound, parentify their eldest daughters. Caleb leaves it to Clementine to save her siblings. fuck, he even has his oldest sons ensuring they don't starve out there. his children are taking care of him, trying to fix his mistakes. it's fucking insane
and you see it with Mary, too. Mary is so fucking parentified she acts like Natalie's fucking mother instead of the other way around. and, again, Natalie's unwell. but Caleb leaves that to MARY to sort out. Caleb leaves Mary to basically be the surrogate wife and run the household. to ensure her younger sister and her MOTHER are safe
Natalie says at one point that Caleb only does the farm chores he likes best and leaves the rest to the farm hands. without those farm hands, it's clear that he dumps the responsibilities he can't be fucked with to his daughter. he leaves a child to take care of the things that should be his job as the mentally sane parent, but can't be, because he's The Man. he's finally and fully embracing his masculinity, but it comes at the cost of seriously fucking over his children, even outside of the whole raising them like it's the fucking 1800s bullshit!
one of the very last things to comment on in this role reversal is sexual assault. as I established earlier, it's clear that Natalie is coercive if not outright assaulting Caleb when it comes to sex. but now, in their olden times play fantasy, he's truly and properly The Man, and, of course, he assaults her
maybe they worked out their sexual issues at some point while Natalie was still sane, but that doesn't give him carte blanche whenever he wants it. she barely knows what's going on and resists the idea she belongs here. he tries to act noble that he left her alone for a few weeks, but his needs still come first, and this is their role as a husband and wife. he expects her to just bend over and enjoy it, without any consent, while knowing she's clearly still out of her mind. he acts like it's her duty, but it's not one she can actively consent to carrying out right now, and that's fucked! (also! it's never a fucking obligation!)
he's also been drugging her, mind you, and while that's allegedly for her benefit, it's still fucked up in the context of their new sexual dynamic
now, when this initially happens, at least for me, I kind of assumed this is a Caleb of a different universe, born and raised in a different time, and so while it's upsetting that he's capable of that, still, you almost can excuse the Caleb of present day. he's got little to do with this
but then you see how those two fit into each other and... all empathy you can have for him is gone
Caleb goes from someone who was simply coddled and dumb + easily influenced, to a neglectful parent, to a full out psychopath who fucking rapes his mentally ill wife like it's nothing
while he's initially presented as the submissive one to Natalie's dominance, in time their relationship dynamic shifts, turning Natalie less into a villain and more a victim, and doing the opposite to Caleb! Natalie WANTS them to play pretend at this life, and finally their delusion is so strong that they've become exactly who she wanted, whatever the cost for the both of them
they are really such fascinating but AWFUL characters but I do LOVE their ending. they hate each other. they're all they have. they're leaving together. they will never be free of each other. they will die in separate jail cells <3 it's poetic!
