Power over Lucy


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Posted by Kay on February 17, 1998 at 09:55:13:


In response to What is the problem with Charlotte?, written by Constanza on February 16, 1998 at 12:43:09

] There is something very wrong with that woman and I am trying to pigeonhole it. To begin with, she is full of contradictions. So far, I have identified the following ones:

] 1) She is afraid people will think her ungrateful and therefore she makes a point of acknowledging her "thanks" every five minutes; however, at the same time, she suffers "gratefulness" as a "martyrdom". And make everybody realises it.
] 2) She mistrusts people's intentions and is more concerned with appearances than substance. It is the means that matters to her.
] 3) She is very much worried about being a bother to and imposing on other people; however, she manages to do that all the time.
] 4) She seems very concerned with keeping all the rules of propriety but, nevertheless, consorts with Miss Lavish, who, in fact, is not as proper as she should be.
] 5) She gets offended if people are kind to her.

] Can somebody think of any others?



Very perceptive, Costanza. I can think of a sixth:
6) She turns her position as the poor relation-martyr into a sort of power over Lucy. For example, when she fails to stop the Emerson's from trading rooms, she wants to take over, "I do not wish the acceptance to come from you. Grant me that, at all events." Lucy can't even look out the window when Charlotte is in the room, and of course, she imposes her own spin on what happened during the outing. She would mould Lucy into a copy of herself, but Lucy is smart enough to rebel.
Someone below thought that Mr. Collins (from P & P) was less likeable, but at least he was funny. I am totally out of sympathy with Miss Bartlett, but I think that Forster meant for her to symbolize all that's wrong with Victorian society and why Lucy and her generation had to change the status quo.







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