Why YouTube and Adultery Can Never End Well

Padsax1 and Ms. Dent: Two Life-Changing Influences, or Just Two Crazies?

This week in class, while discussing John Cheever’s short story “The Five-Forty-Eight,” we began to discuss whether Blake changed at the end, and really took what Ms. Dent said to heart. Several people in our class said that because Dent is mentally unstable, Blake would dismiss her without a second thought. I disagree with this blanket statement, because regardless of the source, I believe it is human nature to carefully consider insults and take offense to them. It would be impossible for Blake to absolutely disregard Dent, even though Blake is aware of her unstable state of mind. Blake most likely did change at the end, and he does not want to show it because he does not want to seem to be giving the ideas of an insane person any credence.

Let me begin by sharing a personal example that demonstrates a similar scenario. About a month ago, I created my own YouTube account. I posted one video of myself playing saxophone in a concerto competition from last May, and included in the video description, “please, leave a comment.” In the first few weeks it was up, I got a few comments, each of which was very positive and complimentary. Then, last week, a user calling themselves “padsax1” posted on my video, “way 2 many mistakes...bend up to altissimo Bb at end of cadenza was deeply unmusical.” Now, I had no idea who this person was (though they clearly had at least some knowledge of the piece), and I have been taught for a long time that bad auditions, rejection, and criticism are all parts of being a musician, but I still could not help but feel dejected over their comment. I started reconsidering whether or not I was cut out to be a professional musician, first because I was told that I was “deeply unmusical,” and then because I was so offended by the comments of a person whom I did not know. I even made the hasty decision to take down the video, so that nobody else would insult me. The fact is, as immature as it may be, I do not like the thought of people I do not know criticizing me for the entire world to see.

Now, back to the story. Ms. Dent says that since Blake thoughtlessly left her, fired her, and then avoided her, he cannot know “what [she has] been through” (60). Clearly, he has had an effect on her, and I know that his effect on her must in turn have an effect on him. It would be impossible to hear that you had influenced a person in such a profound, terrible way and not feel some guilt or weight on your conscious. Ms. Dent, like padsax1, is not a person to whom Blake is particularly close, nor one whose opinion he trusts. Really, the way I reacted to padsax1’s comment is almost exactly how I picture Blake to have reacted to Ms. Dent’s. First, I was offended and took the insult very seriously and personally; then I pretended it never happened by removing my video; and now, I am still thinking about it and honestly, it has motivated me to become a better saxophonist. At the end of the story, I believe that Blake has heard what Ms. Dent has to say about him as a lover, a boss, and a friend, but he pretends to ignore it by simply standing up, picking up his glasses, and walking home. By metaphorically taking his video off the internet for a while, he will do some serious introspection until he believes he has changed enough to not ignore his wife after she has not made dinner on time, to not be so protective of his son, and to treat his employees with the respect they deserve. Perhaps in time, when I feel I have improved enough as a musician and matured enough in handling criticism, I will post another video of myself on YouTube, just as I believe Blake will soon find himself in similar situations and perhaps handle himself differently. I think that Blake, like me, has realized that he has made “way 2 many mistakes,” and it just took both of us to hear from somebody whose opinion we thought we would not value under any circumstances to change who we are.
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