The Nurturer of Men
In Wee Small Hours, Don meets up with a jogging Miss Farrell who is wearing a Bowdoin shirt. The shirt is quite prominent during the scene. Since Mad Men never arbitrarily puts anything out there, I looked up Bowdoin.
I was struck by the fact that the image on Bowdoin’s official seal is a sun. This is certainly no accident given the use of the sun as a major motif in Mad Men.
From Bowdoin’s website:
The origin of the sun on the Bowdoin seal has been widely debated. Some believe the sun was chosen due to Bowdoin’s location: the easternmost college in the country at the time of its founding. More likely is that the sun was selected as a symbol of truth and enlightenment, and to represent the rising sun of knowledge and the light of learning. The seal was created in 1798 by Joseph Callender of Boston and remains unchanged to this day.
The original lyrics to Bowdoin’s Alma Mater “Raise Songs to Bowdoin.”
Rise sons of Bowdoin, praise her fame,
And sing aloud her glorious name;
To Bowdoin, Bowdoin lift your song,
And may the music echo long
O’er whispering pines and campus fair
With sturdy might filling the air.
Bowdoin, from birth, the nurturer of men,
To thee we pledge our love again, again.
When first transfixed by Miss Farrell’s Maypole dance and after what he characterizes as their “chance” encounter on the road, Don seems to have attached an almost supernatural significance to her presence. His attraction to Farrell seems motivated by a longing for something Don’s current life isn’t providing. Admittedly, Miss Farrell is a little nutty. But so is Conrad Hilton, whose obsession with the moon would seem to place in him direct contrast with Miss Farrell. Coinciding with the solar eclipse from 723, as Don’s relationship with Hilton was beginning, he didn’t seem as interested in Farrell. In effect, the moon that was Hilton blocked out Farrell’s sun. However, the eclipse ends as Don’s relationship with Hilton sours. Don has two clear paths. He could stay with his established (and safer) life as Don Draper of Sterling-Cooper or he could take a risky venture into the uncharted wilderness of growth Miss Farrell represents. Of course, his first experience into that world, as arguably represented by Doug and Sandy in 723, ended badly.
Basket of Kisses: The unofficial blog of AMC's Mad Men. Where all the cool kids meet & greet to talk about Don Draper, Janie Bryant, Christina Hendricks, Jon Hamm, Matthew Weiner, & subtexty things.
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October 13th, 2009 at 6:22 am
Great job! I love the sun/moon symbolism. Since Miss Farrell represents the sun, she is all pure and good when she's out in the sunshine. We love her during the day–she was so pure at the Maypole dance and we saw her understand Sally during the classroom parent-teacher conference. But when it gets dark, she becomes trouble maker and we don't like her actions She drunk dials Don at night; she hits on Don in front of the kids during the darkness of the eclipse; and of course, she starts jogging at night and that's when insomniac Don runs into her.
If she had stayed in her place, jogging and passing Carleton during the daytime, everything would be fine (for the Drapers at least). Instead, she chose to come out at night, when Don was suppose to see the moon with Connie and chaos ensues.
October 13th, 2009 at 6:30 am
As was talked about elsewhere the whole Bowdoin shirt thing is problematic. After watching the ep a second time it really looks to me as if teacher gal is wearing a track uniform…the shirt is sized corectly for her and the shorts match. The problem (also pointed out elsewhere on the blog) is that Bowdoin was not a co-ed school until much later then '63.
There has been speculation that the shirt was a " souvenier" from a former boyfriend but seeing that it looks to be a uniform makes me doubt that althought I suppose she could have kept the guy's whole uniform…a problem for sure.
October 13th, 2009 at 6:47 am
Oh, such a pesky detail that Bowdoin was not yet co-ed in 1963!
The first time I saw Wee Small Hours and that track shirt, I flashed back to an episode from "The Sopranos" Season One titled "College" in which Meadow Soprano and her father visited Bowdoin.
Now that would be something to consider: Don Draper and Meadow Soprano!
Although Matt did not start writing for The Sopranos until later, chances are he was a fan of the series from the start. "College" received a lot of attention at the time.
October 13th, 2009 at 6:48 am
Beautiful analysis!! I was struck by Don's sudden fixation to "how could this have happened?" and I especially like the sun eclipsing the moon imagery. It makes me think of the Romeo and Juliet imagery, about not swearing to the changeable moon. Don's had it with the variable moods of the moon (for that night, anyway) and actively goes in search of the sun.
October 13th, 2009 at 6:48 am
Hi–
I really love all attempts to read symbolism into things, but the director of the episode was formerly on the Sopranos, and Bowdoin was the name of the college that Tony visits with Meadow. It was probably only an in-joke.
October 13th, 2009 at 6:58 am
empress rouge, I love your interpretation.
October 13th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Here is Wilma Rudolph, competing, in 1963.
http://trio.caamuseum.org/image.asp?media=%5C%5Cc...
The shorts that Miss Farrell wore are appropriate, if she borrowed them from the track team. The sweatshirt is still incongruous, but maybe her brother got her a size small.
October 13th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Guys this is a great thread! I really like the fact that someone noticed that Suzanne behaves all good and pure in the day time and turns mischevious at night….The 'Sun' also featured prominently in "The Mountain King" — Anna reads Don's tarot cards, and the Sun is the card she points to first, like an anchor for the other cards…. Judgement (Ressurection) and The World (Wisdom). Also, the 'Sun' is also on the tarot card featured after the credits of every episode. I don't know much about tarot, but wonder if that adds to the significance of Suzanne to Don…as someone mentioned before, there is a lot of "foreshadowing" in MM…perhaps that (tarot reading in season 2) was a prelude to Suzanne in season 3…
October 13th, 2009 at 7:12 am
I noticed that Don and the teacher were curled up together at the end, never seen him be like that with anyone…Any thoughts?
October 13th, 2009 at 7:22 am
I noticed that too Lucy. In scenes with Rachel and Midge, you see him with his head on their chests (Mommy figures) as they finger his hair, but this is quite different, and so deliberately staged that it must mean something. Desperate for intimacy? I'm not sure. But it was the only beautiful note in an otherwise ugly episode.
Wait, there was one more beautiful note (which quickly soured) – when Connie told him he was his angel — I still thought that was an odd term for a man to use — and more than a son to him.
October 13th, 2009 at 7:31 am
I had never thought of the symbolism before, but it makes perfect sense. Regarding the track clothes, what if it wasn't a boyfriend, but an older brother or a cousin, who bought her the full track suit, and just bought her a men's small. To me, that solves the problem of the school not being co-ed yet and Miss. Farell owning the clothes.
October 13th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Great analysis everyone! Also, with hints of women's lib going on in the show, perhaps the out-of-sequence nature of Suzanne's track suit is making a statement about the future… and that Suzanne is part of that future?
October 13th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Looking at Bowdoin's Wikipedia page provides some more details and potential knots to this thread… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowdoin_College
Founded in 1794 by Mass. Governor Samuel Adams; Co-ed in 1971;
Motto: Ut Aquila Versus Caelum (As an eagle towards the sky)
There is quite a list of famous graduates, including Kinsey, Hawthorne and Longfellow…
October 13th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Some pictures of Bowdoin sports uniforms here: http://athletics.bowdoin.edu/sports/spring/wtrack...
October 13th, 2009 at 8:36 am
Bowdoin FaceBook Page! http://www.facebook.com/Bowdoin
October 13th, 2009 at 8:47 am
I think she just collects college t-shirts from the pool of Dad's she screws.
October 13th, 2009 at 8:50 am
#11 That could be as good an explanation as we'll come up with for the uniform.
October 13th, 2009 at 9:08 am
Lucy, I think it's simply about the insomnia theme; Don is finally asleep. She may not be the one for him, but she eased the pain for that night.
October 13th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Don is lucky Mr. Hilton DIDN'T call his house after he lied and told Betty he called and that he needed to go into the office. But I suppose Betty knew on some level he was lying when she said she hadn't heard the phone ring.
October 13th, 2009 at 9:44 am
I like Aran's reasoning (#16).
The girl gets around, and the shirt is a trophy.
October 13th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Wait til Don looks in HER closet. Hundreds of college sweatshirts!
I hope I start to like her pretty soon, if Don plans on keeping her around for a while. (He's going to need a rental car or something if he doesn't want to get caught right off the bat.)
October 13th, 2009 at 9:50 am
My guess is that Carlton Hanson went to Bowdoin — which lines up with #16 Aran
October 13th, 2009 at 9:53 am
the T-shirt fit too closely to be a trophy. Or is it a souvenir?
October 13th, 2009 at 10:53 am
The shirt is a track & field singlet(uniform) and matches the shorts. It's not a T-shirt or sweatshirt. I think retrogirl (#11) is close to the mark…Suzanne probably is aquainted with or related to someone who knows about her running regimen and who goes to or went to Bowdoin. That person obtained a Bowdoin track uniform for her.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:01 am
I hope I start to like her pretty soon, if Don plans on keeping her around for a while. (He’s going to need a rental car or something if he doesn’t want to get caught right off the bat.)
He could tell Betty he's taking up running, like Carlton, to get back in shape. Many of us have noticed that Don's been looking pretty haggard this season–while Jon Hamm still looks pretty fine. Except he'll need some cold weather running gear pretty soon. And he can't keep falling asleep….
Still, his chances of remaining undiscovered are better than our chances of coming to like Miss Farrell. (Although I did come to appreciate Bobbie Barrett, as badly as That Affair turned out.)
October 13th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Or, or , or maybe Suzanne really IS from the Future! And she brought her Bowdoin running gear back to 1963 with her!
October 13th, 2009 at 11:06 am
I always kinda liked Bobbie, just not with Don. She was the predator in that relationship, which is why I never had as much of a problem as everyone else seemed to when Don grabbed her crotch. That was a real Bobbie Barrett Maneuver, if you ask me.
I loved her when she was with Peggy though. She would have been an awesome roommate for Pegs. Wonder whatever happened to that Swedish girl. Did that ever happen?
October 13th, 2009 at 11:13 am
We haven't seen any more about Peggy's private life since her encounter with Duck. It did appear that she was planning on getting a place with the flighty girl.
Just a few more items for the list of Stuff We Would Rather See Than Poor Betty Languishing in the 'Burbs.
Enough, already!
October 13th, 2009 at 11:18 am
@gypsy howell #26: Or, or , or maybe Suzanne really IS from the Future! And she brought her Bowdoin running gear back to 1963 with her!
Well, according to their FB site, singer Samantha Farrell graduated Bowdoin in 2005. The picture makes her look very earthy.
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/around-town/shopping...
October 13th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Indeed, not_Bridget. Another reason why I am so over their marriage this week.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:21 am
OK Matt. You are officially More Obsessed Than I Am.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Hey diddle diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon,
The little dog laughed to see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.
Diddle Diddle = Sal
Cat = Betty
Fiddle = Mr Francis
Cow = Sterling
Moon = Hilton
Dog = Clara
Dish = Don
Spoon – Ms Farrell
October 13th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
# 32 – "And the dish ran away with the spoon."
Those 'inter-utensil' relationships never work out!
October 13th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
The director of this Mad Men episode went to Bowdoin, and that's the school that Tony Soprano took Meadow to check in the episode where he strangled the guy. The episode is called "College".
October 13th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Oops! Correction – Bowdoin was one of two colleges that Meadow and Tony visited, and it looks like I made up the part about the director going there. Here's the reference from Alan Sepinwall's blog, the great tv reviewer for the Star-Ledger. It's in the comments at the very end:
http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2009/10/mad-men-wee...
October 13th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Suzanne is not recognized as a character on the MM website or on BOK . . . why is that? I think she will be part of the cast for the remainder of the season, if not longer. Who is this actress? And why was the name Suzanne Farrell chosen for the character? Suzanne Farrell is an icon in the world of ballet . . . now THERE is some symbolism! The prima ballerina drives the plot of the ballet, around which the action is centered.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
While Matt's exploration of the sun symbolism in connection with Miss Farrell's jogging attire certainly merits consideration, I think that there are several other possible lines of thought that should be pursued in understanding the appearance of the Bowdoin t-shirt.
In stark contrast to the idea of a warming sun, the spirit of the real Bowdoin College is better captured in it's mascot of the Polar Bear. The teams of Bowdoin have been long referred to as the Polar Bears in tribute to polar explorer Rear Admiral Robert Peary, Class of 1877. The symbolism of poles and exploration is readily apparent when comparing the lure and attraction of the unknown with Miss Farrell.
Another simpler Bowdoin connection to the plot line at hand is with another famous alumni — Dr. Alfred Kinsey (Class of 1916), Professor of Zoology & Biology at Indiana University who explored and documented the nature of human sexuality in the mid-20th Century. Draw you own interpretation of that symbolism.
A third line of thought is the reflection of the traditional reputation of Bowdoin — that of a fairly remote traditional liberal arts school whose coastal Maine local dictates a fair amount of hard drinking to last the long Down East winter. Bowdoin has long been ranked second only to Dartmouth on this account — and from what we've seen of Miss Farrell earlier this season, she's not shy of a drink to pass the the time.
There you have it — three alternatives to the sun theory.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I've got it! Miss Ferrell was once a man who ran track at Bowdoin and is one of the first successful trans-sexuals.
Sorry, lost my mind for a moment. I thought I was posting on the AMC web site. Nevermind.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Gypsy . . . Remember (in Season 1, I think?) when Don tells Betty she's an angel and a perfect mother?
Is Don Conrad's Betty? Is Don the beloved prize who won't get enough approval or time or attention, except on Conrad's terms? Will Don's function & role be his fundamental value to Conrad? Is Don there purely to make Conrad look good and to increase Conrad's value and success? Did Don think the wooing & appreciation would last? Is Don's power limited to the fact that he was wanted & that he landed Conrad, and now he'll be dragged behind Conrad's every whim & mood & obsession? By virtue of this, isn't Don doomed to disappoint and fail? And then how will Don reinvent his independence and worth?
And let's not forget that Betty's sleeping in Don's spot since Conrad — and the contract — came into serious play.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
CLH, I do think Connie feels a genuine affection and affinity for him. The problem is, Connie feels that about Dick, the man he met at the country club. The guy he's dealing with now is Don. And that's a bit of a problem for Connie (although Betty did say in Rome that Connie adores him, or something like that)
I think the simple answer about Betty & Don switching sides of the bed is simply about the phone – it happened during this last episode, the second or third time Connie called late at night. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Though it does point to the fact the Don is at Connie's beck and call. Makes sense – the phone rings, the baby cries. Don is phone-side and Betty is baby-side. His/her master's voice!
October 13th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
#36 Hideaway– Suzanne Farrell also was considered the muse of George Balanchine when he choreographed for the New York City Ballet, check out their Wiki entries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Balanchine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Farrell
She danced Dulcinea to his Don Quixote. The plot thickens.
October 13th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
Hideaway, we don't run the MM website and can't speak to it.
As to BOK, we are updating as fast as we can. If you have been reading, you know that Roberta has been working very long, brutal hours, and I have started a new job.
October 13th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Lipp Sisters, I'm not fussing! Thank you for providing this forum as this is my first foray into the elecronic bookclub forum, and the perspectives/insights offered are better than a second cup of coffee. Maybe one of the readers can tell us more about the actress–?
#41 less of me, yes, thanks for the reference. Wiki. says "To this day, a reference to someone as your "Dulcinea" implies hopeless devotion and love for her, and particularly unrequited love."
October 13th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
I dunno . . . MW's echoing & doubling aren't for nothing. I'm not sure I'm reading the Connie-Don-Betty mirroring in the clearest or surest way, but something is there & is meant to be there. Connie might have real affection for Don, but it might be the way the panther loves the elk, or worse.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:52 am
My two cents: Regarding the sun/moon dichotomy and symbolism… we also know that Don has an aversion to and fear of the Space Age, and has mocked astronauts and the whole idea of getting a man on the moon. In the season 1 ep Ladies Room, Don shot down Paul's space age ad for Right Guard, "Who is this man who flies around and pees in his pants?" "Bring it back down to Earth", and S2 "The Jet Set" while at the aerospace convention (the confluence of the Space Age and the Cold War), Don is clearly uneasy, and escapes to sunny Palm Springs. Also recall, he immediately suffers from heatstroke, not used to the California sunshine.
October 14th, 2009 at 4:31 am
Track Uniforms – OK, this may be obscure, but for what it's worth …
Suzanne's outfit: http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i112/tx_writer/...
It's a 1960s women's track shirt, for sure. It's not a sweatshirt and it's not a man's shirt. The cut of the arm holes is the key. An example: http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i112/tx_writer/...
I have no idea whether this is a writer's error or some sort of strange MW clue. Time will tell …
One more photo: University of Texas women's team January 1964 – aiming at the Tokyo Olympics. Love the hair. http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i112/tx_writer/...
October 14th, 2009 at 5:07 am
I didn't know Amy Winehouse ran track for UT.
October 14th, 2009 at 6:25 am
The big hair on those UT runners must have cost them a few tenths :0)
October 14th, 2009 at 6:48 am
#48: the big hair AND the curse of being on the cover of SI
October 14th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
You guys are all over the lot with the sun symbolism, etc. To any half-attentive student of history, Bowdin means one thing: where Joshua Chamberlain taught before (and after) he volunteered for the Union Army and fought in the Civil War. He won the Medal of Honor, and his regiment, the Maine 20th, held and then broke the Confederate line at the Battle of Gettysburg.
This is important because the "I Have a Dream" Speech and over civil rights references are continuations of the same struggle….
October 14th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
#50: nice.
And anyway, suns in seals, colleges or otherwise, are pretty common.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Even though I agree that Ferrell represents the future as others have remarked around here, can't help but think recreational jogging is a little too ahead of the curve. Course, in Oct. of '64, JFK's mistress would be found dead after jogging on the C&O towpath in DC, the victim, according to official reports, of a robber. She is reported to have had a diary that included info on JFK. Wonder if Weiner will draw a parallel.
October 14th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
#52 Oct. of ‘64, JFK’s mistress would be found dead after jogging on the C&O towpath in DC, the victim, according to official reports, of a robber.
Wait. Fran Felstein died?
October 14th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
JFK's mistress (well, one of 'em anyway), was Mary Meyer.
Mary Pinchot Meyer, 1920-1964, was a Washington DC socialite, painter, former wife of CIA official Cord Meyer and close friend of US president John F. Kennedy who was noted for her great beauty and social skills. Meyer's murder two days before her 44th birthday in the Georgetown neighbourhood of Washington D.C. during the fall of 1964 would later stir speculation relating to Kennedy's presidency and assassination. Nina Burleigh in her 1998 biography wrote, "Mary Meyer was an enigmatic woman in life, and in death her real personality lurks just out of view." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Pinchot_Meyer
- here's another link with some more background about Meyer, JFK, CIA, etc. … http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKmeyerM.ht...
- here's a link from my LiveJournal, back in July, about Meyer & JFK … http://funnygurusdca.livejournal.com/1458607.html
["I'm Jack Kennedy. I want to smoke some marijuana."] LOL!