Children, daughters especially, are significantly effected by the relationship that they have with these female figures of authority in their lives. Though in this early stage of the novel, we don't know Antoinette, it is evident that her troubled relationships with all of the mother figures in her life is part of the reason she has such feelings of loneliness and depression. Thus far, it seems that Antoinette has three mother figures, her real mother, Annette, Christophine, and the mother of the convent she stays at. Each of these relationships are odd and distinctively unhappy.
First off, Antoinette's relationship with her real mother. Being a child, Antoinette has a very strong affinity for her mother but Annette does not reciprocate the affection. The interesting thing about their relationship is that Annette is not unkind to Antoinette but her behavior toward her child is better described as cold. Even when Antoinette is trying to smooth the wrinkles from her mother's worried face, Annette pushes her away. Another disturbing part about their relationship is how much Annette seems to value men in her life more than her daughter. There are two obvious examples in the book, Pierre and Mr. Mason. Psychologically this cannot be good for Antoinette. The convent as a setting has a really interesting effect on how we see Antoinette because it gives us, the readers, a chance to see her away from any men who may overshadow her and take her attention.
The next mother figure we meet is Christophine. Christophine is presented as the more loving of the mother figures but this relationship is no as happy as it may at first appear. The inherent problem with this mother-daughter relationship is that they aren't actually mother and daughter. Christophine is really an ex-slave so caring for Antoinette is part of the job rather than a choice. On the other hand, one may argue, Christophine could leave the family as she is no longer a slave but to use this in an argument, one must evaluate Christophine's motives for staying. It seems that her connection to the family is really through Annette and not Antoinette. Although Christophine is much more attatched to Annette than Antoinette, she still is connected to Antoinette through the fact that she want Annette to stay happy and Antoinette is kind of a part of Annette.
Both of these mother figures are soon lost, Annette dies and once she dies Christophine leaves to go live with her son. The next mother figure to come about is Mother Justine. Mother Justine and Antoinette are not related but their relationship seems to be based on a kinship they have from their religion. Like Christophine, Mother Justine takes on a motherly role in regards to Antoinette as she teaches her about how she should compose herself and act like a saint. Also like Christophine, Mother Justine has little personal connection to Antoinette; she teaches Antoinette and the other girls as part of her duty to the church. The church is to Annette as Mother Justine is to Christophine in a way. The other issue with this relationship is how the girls tend to mock Mother Justine which is contrary to the respect they are expected to have towards their leader.
I think I'm going to need to come back to this analysis as we continue reading the book and finish off some of my ideas but this is a start.
3 comments:
Another thing that always strikes me about Antoinette's relationship with her mother is that while she seems *hurt* by the neglect, she doesn't seem to blame her mother--she just accepts it as part of the general loneliness that seems to be her part in life. She attempts to "smooth" her mother's worry-wrinkles, but she is rebuffed. She can sense her mother's pain, and she wants to do something about it, but she can't. She seems to understand where her mother is coming from, though--"She was young. How could she not try for all the things that had gone so suddenly?" (18). She never seems to resent her mother for remarrying, or for her devotion to her son Pierre. And the last time we see them together, she's trying again to sooth her mother in the asylum, only to be shoved violently away.
Yeah, seriously its kind of strange. It also makes me wonder why she needs Rochester's approval so much when she wasn't bothered by her lack of approval from her own mother.
Well, she seems to *forgive* her mother, to see her as a victim. But that doesn't mean the rejection doesn't hurt--she never *says* "it hurts," but there's pain between the lines every time she writes of her mother. And she definitely seems starved for love--and this is what she thinks she's getting from Rochester, at first. I don't know that she wants his "approval"--she's remarkably self-possessed in some of their early scenes together, unnerving him a little with her evident *comfort* and at-homeness in what he feels to be an "alien" setting. But she wants to be loved, valued, admired, protected, and that's what she thinks he's giving her. (I'm leaning heavily on Christophine's own interpretation here.)
Post a Comment