Happy Endings

As I was reading Persepolis, the following panel popped out at me:

I couldn't help but chortle my amusement at the comedic abuse. I think this single panel is so hilarious just because the whole book is so tense. While Persepolis and its dark tone was really hard for me to read, this frame makes me laugh every time.

Persepolis just felt like a shroud of gloom dampening my spirits each time I opened the book. I know that there are people suffering and there is pain, and I can't ignore that, but isn't there hope, too?

Maybe I'm just a Disney-spoilt happy-ending idealist. Maybe the real world isn't the exciting place I'd like to make it out to be. Yet I think of one of my favorite quotes, one from The Chronicles of Narnia, about that:

"Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things - trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself....in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one....I’m going to stand by the play-world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it."

~C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair

I truly believe that there is hope, that there will be a happy ending to all this, as Ms. Charlotte did: "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"

Red is the Rose

As I prepared for announcements tomorrow (on the spectacular Saint Patrick's Day), I came across a song called "Red is the Rose," an Irish folklore song that is branched from the Scottish "Loch Lomond."

This song has caused me to ponder some about Jane Eyre. What sort of folklore and music did they have back then, if any? Since Saint Patrick died in 493 and Jane's story is set in the early 1800s, did she know about or celebrate his Day?

It's sad to me how little tradition Jane was afforded. Her broken family seemed not able to have anything that connected them: traditions would have been too bonding for them.

It makes me grateful for our special days, even if they're decked in flamboyant colors and bedazzled in sequins as they prance down streets. It makes me happy to realize all the fun things we Americans share that Jane couldn't--Christmas, Easter, and of course tomorrow's green celebration.

So even though I may not like the big fake leprechauns and awful hats, I'm so glad we have something that we can all do together as a country--as a world, even. May your porridge ne'er be lumpy and your pots be full 'o gold!

Wrongs of Passage

1. I think she's wrong: she's forgotten all the Catholic rites of passage--including baptism, first Communion, and conformation. Besides these spiritual ceremonies, half of Americans still value their marriage and hold on to the vows they take.

2. I believe that the biggest rite of passage I ever underwent was on January 8th, 2010. I had been struggling for years under depression and self-pity: that night, I believe God tore me from the mire of my wallowing in unhappiness and lifted me onto hopeful ground. Ever since that day, I have felt an unexplicable sense of hope despite the heartaches I've undergone. Even in my darkest hours this past year, I believe He has brought me through it to appreciate the good things in life, like joy: I laugh more now than I ever used to. I am thankful so much that the hardest part is over.

Howl's Moving Castle

A connection I found to our theme of coming of age is the book Howl's Moving Castle. In this book, the main character is transformed from her youth into the personage of a creaky old lady who must break her spell by cleaning up the grotesque castle of the Wizard Howl.

I see many similarities to Jane Eyre in this fun book: the main character is a strong-willed, less-than-attractive lady put into situations with few people in a big, bilious mansion. In both, there is a strange and unnerving secret behind the male character.

There is also an old lady in both named Mrs. Fairfax--strange coincidence, I'd say--and both were written by British ladies. Both are heartwarming stories that feature suspense and an exciting climax and romance; both the main characters are called witches.

With this evidence, I have concluded (as I'm sure you have, reader) that Ms. Diana Wynne Jones, author of Howl's Moving Castle, is actually a psuedonym for Charlotte Bronte.

Jane, Jane

Jane Eyre, a remarkable classic for centuries, caught my heart in so many ways: I shall be sad to part with it.

I had already seen the movie and so was not surprised at the shocking twist of--gasp!--Rochester's first wife. Still it was an enjoyable read and a thrilling experience.

1. If I were Jane, I would probably move on for better prospects. While he says he loves her, clearly neither bigamy nor divorce was not an option in those days. In my mind, he betrayed her, injured her, and lied to her. Their relationship would be in limbo and probably frowned upon if she stayed. As big a romantic as I am, her staying would only have ended in awkward confusion.

2. Jane's personality was extremely relatable for me: she has a big imagination and a desire to create things, and she constantly feels torn between logic and emotion. I still feel torn about her decision, and I wish somehow they could help the wife. The feelings, for me, worked very well and weighed a good deal on my heart; however, the decision and somber departure didn't work for me as well.

3. I think this story should be taught: it's clever, interesting, and educated-sounding. She uses a lot of big words that I didn't know and switches to strange viewpoints in a few places, but otherwise I thought it was very educational and epitomic of coming of age.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and think it should continue to be taught in College Literature.

Grace Poole: A Mystery

Grace Poole: a woman of many mysteries.

Grace apparently injures Mr. Mason, a seemingly fair man, in the twentieth chapter. The doctor remarks that " 'there have been teeth here!' " while Mr. Mason cries that she claimed she would " 'drain my heart.' " She might be a vampire, as was discussed in class, but my personal belief is that she is really a rabid Orc in disguise out for vengeance. Mason probably smelt of unmaggoty flesh; therefore, Grace had great yearning for fresh meat. She was probably tired of receiving stale bread for her lack of work. It is just like an Orc to burn humans that are tiresome and unhelpful.

This would cause Jane to be quite fearful: Mr. Rochester believes she is an elf (evidence on pages 277 and 280), and as everyone knows, Orcs were once Elves. In her quest for revenge, Grace will probably come after Jane and try to slaughter her.

Mrs. Poole always has a sort of eerie countenance, her eyes cold and her expression unreadable. Her frightening laughs late at night startles Jane with its volume in the fifteenth chapter; one chapter later she mentions that Jane's bolting her door " 'will be a wise thing to do' " on page 164. My speculations on that are as following: Mrs. Poole knows of a ring of lesser goblins that hang about--" 'any mischief that may be about,' " as she puts it--that would threaten to steal her vengeance should Jane leave her door unlocked.

Clearly, Mrs. Poole wants to eat Jane alive. Mark my words, there will be bloodshed and wizardy before the story ends.

The Good Old Days

Do you remember the days when we didn't have to worry about bills, work, and broken appliances? Remember the times the only thing we needed to fuss over was who had the newest beanie baby? Remember the years when the cleverest, most rebellious thing we thought of was splashing in the mud puddles and then lying to our mothers about it?

In Economics, we are doing a project on what it will be like in ten years: where we will live, what cars we will drive, and the like. It near brings a tear to my eye to look back and remember how easy we once had it. It's so difficult coming into adulthood.

Jane clearly feels this when she has no idea what her future holds or how to reach it: thankfully, her only care once she finds a job is carrying it out well--her lodging and utilities are all taken care of for her.

Is it worth it? Are the privileges worth the responsibilities? Are the opportunities worth the stress? If you had the choice, which would you choose, a life of simple ease, or a life of tense freedom?