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At Seventy was written in 1982, when Sarton lived in New England at her rural retreat with her vast garden and two cats. Altogether Sarton wrote 147 journals from May, 3rd 1982 to May, 2nd 1983. In this book she shares her personal thoughts on getting older and this thesis is going to analyze Sarton’s journal from the view of ageing.
1.2 Purpose and Structure of the Paper
Although ageing is a common experience shared by all human beings, it is very difficult to find many literary works that focus on the old or describe the later life of the old. Obviously, Sarton’s journal offers researchers valuable sources to study old people’s living conditions and mental state. This thesis aims to analyze May Sarton’s attitudes towards ageing in At Seventy. After studying this journal, young people can have a better understanding to the old and avoid judging the old with common stereotypes.
Chapter One is an introduction of this thesis which includes two parts: the brief introduction of May Sarton and At Seventy as well as the purpose and structure of this thesis.
Chapter Two introduces several ageing theories. It consists of three parts: the definition of old people, the Third Age theory, and four stereotypes of ageing.
Chapter Three focus on Sarton’s two different attitudes towards ageing and causes for each of them.
Chapter Four presents two approaches to overcome the fear of ageing: writing and gardening.
Chapter Five makes a conclusion on the whole thesis and presents the value of this research.
2. Theories of Ageing
There are many theories of ageing and it is necessary to study some relative theories while discussing Sarton’s journal.
2.1 The Definition of Old People
According to Wikipedia, “Ageing is the process of becoming older. It represents the accumulation of changes in a person over time. In humans, ageing refers to a multidimensional process of physical, psychological, and social change. Reaction time, for example, may slow with age, while knowledge of world events and wisdom may expand.”
Most developed countries have generally accepted the chronological age of 65 years as the definition of an “old person” (World Health Organisation 2009). In addition to chronological age, the age of a person can be defined in many ways. For example, age can be defined by one’s social roles, by one’s level of physical ability, and by how old one feels.
Historical perceptions and cultural norms have also been known to influence people’s ideas about the old. In the early nineteenth century, old age was considered to begin at 40 years, whereas in the last decades someone who is 65 years old is not considered as an old person. The increase of people’s life expectancy may cause the change.
What constitutes being old is also different between countries. For example, old age is considered to begin much earlier in Turkey than in North America and Germany where old age is believed to start at a later chronological age.
May Sarton thinks that old people doesn’t has an accurate definition. “I realize that seventy must seem extremely old to my young friends, but I actually feel much younger than I did when I wrote The House by the Sea six years ago. And younger than I did in Nelson when I wrote the poem "Gestalt at Sixty." Those previews of old age were not entirely accurate, I am discovering.” (Sarton, 1982: 34) Obviously, Sarton doesn’t classify herself as old people because she feels young. But a seventy-year-old woman seems to be old to most of people. So this is a good example to show that different people have different definition on being old.
2.2 Third Age Theory
Third Age theory is a newly-developing ageing theory. Bernice Neugarten’s work provided an impetus for researchers to discuss about the increasing complexity and changes in old people’s later life. A decade after she proposed the discussion on potential of the old people, Laslett’s book, A Fresh Map of Life: The Emergence of the Third Age, popularized the concept of the “Third Age” as a way of describing the group of old people who, because of their health and employment status, possessed the unique capacity for engaging in society in ways not accessible to previous generations of older adults. (Laslett, 1989). Generally speaking, when people retire and no longer be paid but can remain healthy and continue to contribute to society, they are in their third age. Third Age theory insists that even old people can contribute a lot to their family and community and praises for the value of the old. The longer people remain in their third age, the better for old people themselves, their families, and society.