1. Someone please state briefly the plot of this chapter as you understand it. If anyone has any corrections to suggest, please suggest them in your comment.
2. Why doesn't Lucy want George to help her in the square after she faints, and why does she want to walk home alone? (No reason is given in the text; speculate, or recall what has happened earlier that might explain her actions and words in this regard.)
3. Note the reason that George throws Lucy's photographs (of works of art) into the river. What do you think of his doing so, given the reason he gives?
4. The narrator says, "And she could not carry her request any further" (314)--can you make any sense of this statement?
5. The third paragraph on p. 310 is possibly mysterious. Can anyone help with it?
6. "A pity in art signified the nude" (311). Can anyone explain this statement?
7. If none of the above works for you as a prompt, please raise a question about the reading instead.
At the end of the chapter, Lucy questions George about his reaction to the "accident". She marvels at how quickly "accidents" can happen, and how equally fast people return to their previous ways. George says that he doesn't return to his previous ways. Puzzled, Lucy questions George, and he says "I shall probably want to live,". What might George mean by this? Perhaps, he means that even in the face of great tragedy, he hopes to go on living, all the more fully in-spite of, or because of, the "accident. Does anyone else have any ideas about this moment? What do you think George means?
ReplyDeleteThe plot of this story happens within a short time frame but much happens. Lucy leaves the pension looking to ride the electric tram. On the way she stops by a shop and buys Italian photographs. When she enters the palace square she sees two men fighting, one of which turns around and faces Lucy while the other then stabs the man. Lucy faints, only to wake up in the arms of George Emerson. During their walk back to the pension, George throws the photographs that she bought earlier that day in the river Arno because they "had blood on them."
ReplyDeleteI think that Lucy feels ashamed that George helped her. The general consensus in the boarding house is that the Emersons are rude and disrespectful, and Lucy does not want to be seen associating with them. However, she realizes while talking to George that he is intelligent and kind, only lacking "chivalry." This word brings to mind knights of the medieval age, and where there is a young woman and a knight involved, there is romance. BUT, Lucy notices he lacks chivalry. George is not at all knightly, but more academic and to himself. I think also Lucy does not want to be seen coming back with George because she wants no suspicion of courting. She even mentions how ladies gossip a lot when she asks him not to say what happened, implying something having to do relationships.
I would like to touch on a different point that struck me as important. After returning with the writing department from a lecture on Kay Ryan, where the contrast of light and dark were discussed briefly, I began to relate that idea to this chapter. In Shakespeare's plays, often a person's mood in the story contrasts directly too the sky and or weather. In this novel, Foster plays with scenery to parallel Lucy's current disposition. For example, Lucy's sense of clarity and direction that is produced from playing piano, is contrasted with the rain clearing after she plays. When Lucy makes her way to town she feels out of body and depersonalized. As if she is in a surreal zone. During her saunter in to the square, the sun falls and dusk is among her. Dusk is somewhat of an interim period between afternoon and night. Lucy is simultaneously about to encounter somewhat of an interim period as she heads into two very confusing events. One event being her fainting due to the being a witness of the murder and her looming confusion about her feelings on George.t
ReplyDelete"A pity in art signified the nude"
ReplyDeleteThis section of the chapter stood out to me because it was so matter of fact. The author does not allude to nudity as being something to be pitied, he simply states it as a fact. This fact of the story means that in this time period, nudity took away from the beauty of artwork. No matter how exquisite a piece of art was, if there was evident nudity in it, it could not be seen with the same grandeur, which was something to be pitied. This could be traced back to feelings of nudity as being thought of as subjecting humans, or as nudity being tasteless. The painting would automatically lose class if it contained nudity.
It is interesting to note that Lucy, knowing that nudity caused art to be pitied, bought the picture anyway. She truly marches to her own beat. If she continues in this way, she will have a promising future ahead of her. It would be a shame if she fell into the trap that women in this time period fell into, where they believed they were only good to cheer on those who could accomplish things. Lucy has a mind of her own, and the ability to determine her own destiny.
Lucy goes on a "scandalous" journey alone, and i get the feeling that she feels more passionate and bold by Beethoven. The piano always makes her feel like she wants something more than witty or gossipy conversation, so she makes the decision to leave. What she really wants to do is go on the electric tram (how daring!), but she knows it’s too unladylike. It is frustrating to Lucy to think that she can't do things that men can because of society. She can’t understand why some things are unladylike. She wants to be ladylike, and women who do daring or unexpected things are not respected.
ReplyDeleteThis brings me to talk about the third paragraph on page 310.
This passage brings up a concept of a "mediaeval lady." According to this "mediaeval lady" is the Victorian woman, who does her duties and stays at home, despite her longings to travel. While men are allowed to go off and have a fun time and truly live their life, women are expected to uphold a certain idealized standard, even if they don't really care and want to stop the "image" and just be independant.
Zane proposed a very good question. To add on to her question, I'm wondering if a connection between this moment and the poem we read about "gravid mares" immediately caught any one else's attention? Both the poem and the main event in this chapter are about important moments and factors of life. The "gravid mares" poem speaks about how witnessing new life being created is a great spectacle, but we soon go back to every day life. Lucy and George witness death happening right before their eyes. Lucy tells George that every day life will inevitably continue no matter what. However, George seems to be truly moved by the experience- it is not every day that we witness life and death. He seems to vow that he will not return to every day life, like everyone else. From this, I think George is a really unique character.
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ReplyDeleteLucy has so much ambition and passion to be/ do something important in her life. She does not just want to be some woman who inspires others to excel in things- she wants to do it herself. I feel like she is about to do something big that will change the world. This theme about starting a revolution in the novel really relates to the short story The Chrysanthemums, by John Steinbeck. However, it seems that Lucy will actually take action because she is not comfortable staying the way she is- despite her high class and luxurious lifestyle- which really says something about her character. She is a strong woman, unlike the unstable Elisa. Despite how other women would be perfectly happy and comfortable to be Lucy and have her wealth and class, Lucy is still eager to escape her life, even if it means loosing social status. In the short story The Chrysanthemums, it seemed that Elisa was not willing to give up her routine as an isolated gardener. My only question is, how will Lucy accomplish this successfully, and what will her family think of her? I do not think that her rich family will handle this well, which is why her motives and questioning about women's roles remain in her head- which is a similarity with Elisa. It is much more likely that Lucy will take action though, which makes her a very likable and heroic character. I cannot wait to see what she accomplishes.
ReplyDelete"A pity in art signified the nude" (311)
ReplyDeleteMrs. Bartlett is essentially trying to say through this passage that she believes nudity in art depletes its quality, or makes it improper in some way, which causes her to pity it. This is another example of her conservative close-mindedness. To me, this is factual evidence that suggests that Mrs. Bartlett's way of life doesn't lead to happiness. She fails to see the beauty and purity that nudity creates. Also, it's clear she has bad taste.
Also:
It may be possible that George threw Lucy's pictures in the river in order to save her/himself from the wrath of Mrs. Bartlett. Once Mrs. Bartlett inevitably discovered the souvenirs Lucy had purchased, she would instantaneously begin to rant about proper lady-like mannerisms which lucy would be powerlessly subjected to. She may have even gone as far as to blame George's influence on lucy as the culprit of this rebellious behavior, which would bring adversity to both of them. But perhaps it was Mr. Emerson's influence on George that caused him to do such a thing... for, it is clear that Mr. Emerson isn't in favor of the biblical arts... As i write my heart tells me there is still more i haven't yet uncovered...
Or maybe that question was asking something different than what i'm trying to answer haha.
Perhaps George has an emotional and romantic connection to Lucy and doesn't wish to see her in any form of discomfort? (Brought on by bloody photographs or the like.)
Lucy leaves to go on a daring journey alone and I think that after playing the piano she feels much more powerful which could have prompted her want to go alone. She wants to go on the electric tram however she knows that her cousin would not approve. Lucy dislikes the confines of women in society very much. She is young and wants to explore the world, she doesn't want to be held back simply because she is a woman. It is a concept Lucy does not fully understand.
ReplyDeleteLucy goes out on her own for a walk in search of the tram and buys two photographs. She turns around and witnesses a fight going on in which one man is stabbed and she faints. She is luckily caught by George. But Lucy seems quite embarrassed by the whole thing, she doesn't ant anyone to know of her little "accident" nor does she want anyone to know that George helped her. George throws the photographs covered in blood into the river and they return to the pension
I think that when the third paragraph refers to "this medieval lady," it means the stereotype that a woman is the "damsel in distress" is ever-present in society. I believe it is explaining that mystics are gone, as well as chivalry. However, the old opinions and judgements of a classic woman have not died. It explains how this expectation of a woman became well-known throughout Queen Victoria's era. Then, I think the passage discusses how if someone wanted to repay the deeds of a woman they shouldn't do so through money, business, or financial needs. I think that it's saying that women are seen as unfit to worry themselves with finances, which is seen as the "man's job (the provider)." Instead the passage refers to repaying her properly, especially when "she has cooked our dinner well." Then it mentions, how this stereotype has faded, or at least women's belief that they should follow this stereotype. Women are thinking much more of the things that they are not expected to do, but want to venture to try to do. They want to break the typical mold for women. Women are becoming curious of their unknowns. Then, I think it talks about how the world had evolved to be so beautiful, and complicated, at the same time, because of women. Men are who they are because of the women in their life. Lastly, I think it concludes with implying that throughout the years, until modern day, this old view of the role a woman plays in society has been desperately attempting to stay alive, but now it has slowly began to fade away. This is similar to how Lucy has began to transform. In the beginning of the story she fit the mold of a very proper girl, and music seems to encourage her to break this mold, and explore new, uncommon, exciting sides of herself.
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