summer
"A girl came out of lawyer Royall's house, at the end of the one street of North Dormer, and stood on the doorstep."
Whenever I read a book, I always pay attention to the first line, because it often foretells a theme or message in the book. I think that the opening line in "Summer" is no exception. In the beginning, Charity is standing on the doorstep of adulthood and maturity, still not quite fully a woman, but not fully a girl anymore. She is on the doorstep, waiting to be pushed more in one direction or another. I think that the relationship of her and Lucius is the catalyst for her to take a step out of the doorway and into adulthood. However, as she seems to think that she is ready to step out, she is obviously still naive. Like many of the narratives we talked about in class, if she would have taken time to read the books in the library she worked in, then maybe she would have been more prudent about expectations of Lucius and his commitment to her.
"She had never learned any trade that would have given her independence in a strange place, and she knew no one in the big towns of the valley, where she might have hoped to find employment."
I like this quote because it is a statement within the fictional novel that also was true in the world that it was written in. Throughout history men have used knowledge and education as a means of control. Obviously lawyer Royall had issues with control and possession, and that is why it is not surprising that Charity was trated in this manner. If she was never taught to do anything else, then she would have been forced to do only what she knew how to do, in the place that she was most famliar. This is also a theme that was shown throughout our class discussions about narratives and the collages, and I think that since this book was written in the beginning of the first wave of feminism, that it speaks directly to these themes.
Whenever I read a book, I always pay attention to the first line, because it often foretells a theme or message in the book. I think that the opening line in "Summer" is no exception. In the beginning, Charity is standing on the doorstep of adulthood and maturity, still not quite fully a woman, but not fully a girl anymore. She is on the doorstep, waiting to be pushed more in one direction or another. I think that the relationship of her and Lucius is the catalyst for her to take a step out of the doorway and into adulthood. However, as she seems to think that she is ready to step out, she is obviously still naive. Like many of the narratives we talked about in class, if she would have taken time to read the books in the library she worked in, then maybe she would have been more prudent about expectations of Lucius and his commitment to her.
"She had never learned any trade that would have given her independence in a strange place, and she knew no one in the big towns of the valley, where she might have hoped to find employment."
I like this quote because it is a statement within the fictional novel that also was true in the world that it was written in. Throughout history men have used knowledge and education as a means of control. Obviously lawyer Royall had issues with control and possession, and that is why it is not surprising that Charity was trated in this manner. If she was never taught to do anything else, then she would have been forced to do only what she knew how to do, in the place that she was most famliar. This is also a theme that was shown throughout our class discussions about narratives and the collages, and I think that since this book was written in the beginning of the first wave of feminism, that it speaks directly to these themes.
posted by Caylen at 6:22 AM
2 Comments:
I really like your take on the first sentence of the book. I hadn't looked at it that way and I think you were very insightful. The first line can definitely be read like you said and I think it shows throughout the whole book. Charity is a lost soul with feelings of helplessness and meeting Lucius helps pull her out into the adulthood a bit. However, she still seems childish and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that she is a woman living in that era, she has no education, and she is stuck in a small town where nothing ever happens. She is desperate to get out and can't and I think that can make someone irresponsible and a little crazy. Charity seems so lost and I think that goes back to her childhood. She knows little about where she came from except that it is full of horrible people who don't obey the law. She is living with a man who wants to marry her but is also her father figure and we see how that turns out in the end. She meets Lucius and clings to him and his passion and the hope of getting out of North Dormer. She has mixed feelings for him but always he makes her emotional and she mourns for him. In the end, she turns to the mans she abhorred and delves into what she thinks is her best and only option. But is she really happy? This isn't what she wanted and I feel that she will grow up soon enough as soon as that baby is born. I think she will always pine after the idea of Lucius and wonder how she ended up staying in North Dormer marrying the man she hated so much. It was such a different time for women then. They had so few options and many of them were not ideal. Charity is stuck in a small town, with no education and a baby on the way. Women today would have more options and could possibly lead a happy life. I think Charity did go through a growing and learning experience in this novel. She learned some things and felt emotions that she had probably never felt before. In one summer she went through transformations, feelings, relationships, pregnancy, etc. I have to say that I really enjoyed the book and I thought your comment was quite good and thought provoking.
Wow! I really liked that way that you alwyas look at the first sentence. I really like your analogy that she was on the doorstep of childhood and adulthood; that is very true about Charity. I agree with you that when she meets Harney it changes a lot about her. She is already independent, and for the first time she is building her schedule around a man. She never has had a boy that she has really spent time with. I think that spending time with members of the opposite sex, not even necessarily in a relationship type setup, is beneficial. The two sexes always think different about certain aspects, and it is helpful to see that. I think that if Charity entered womanhood and the only man that she really has ever spoken too intently was Mr. Royall that she wouldn't have matured that way that she did when she met Harney.
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