Daniel Van Horne Quotes

John Updike, author of the novel The Witches of Eastwick, comments upon the daily lives of three witches in a small town. It is clear that their magic powers set their lives apart, but things become truly strange for them when a new man, named Darryl Van Horne, moves into a mansion nearby. Although he is the antagonist, his sexual desires overtake the story in ridiculous ways. Through his manipulation, quest for power, and independence, The Witches of Eastwick exaggerates the heterosexual male fantasy of turning powerful women into pawns of sexual pleasure.
From the beginning of his new life, Darryl Van Horne is suspiciously charismatic and confident. As though he is Narcissus himself, he sees no flaw with the way he is. The women in the book

The extent to which he thirsts for control is similar to a sexual predator, exaggerating the stereotype that men are excessively manipulative with women, seeing them as beneath men and thus less intelligent. The witches, however, are obstinate in their hatred towards all men and see themselves as better than men are. This hatred was so embedded in their personalities that all three left their husbands through either divorce or a suspiciously convenient death. Darryl takes advantage of this to manipulate them towards liking his own unique (yet still loathsome) personality. Turning feminist women into male-worshipping play toys that can be controlled to fulfill every desire of his heart contributes to the sexual fantasy of total domination and power over a group of subordinates. Atwood describes this transformation as a prize that Van Horne wins that he can lust over for years. Rather than obtaining any ordinary woman, he manages to capture three fearsome witches, which he values highly. Much like a hunter killing a prize deer, he sees witches as a challenge to obtain in his convoluted schemes. After all, “the witches [in witch hunts] were

Through his manipulation, quest for power, and independence, he exaggerates the male fantasy of controlling women and boosting his own self-esteem. This idea can be reflected onto male stereotypes as a whole. John Updike sees men as over-manipulative, power-hungry, and harmfully independent. That is why Darryl Van Horne should be a red flag to women everywhere. In the 1980’s, the feminism movement began and started growing into the large debate it is today. The Witches of Eastwick was a story that helped make it grow from the start. Although it seems literal, Updike’s story contains many inner symbols and metaphors that are not understood at the first