Dr. Sloper prepares to meet with
Mrs. Montgomery to discuss her brother. Mrs. Montgomery confirms the Doctor’s suspicions
that Morris Townsend is a lazy individual who lives off anyone who will allow him
to such as his sister. The doctor also offers to compensate Mrs. Montgomery since
he will be forcing her to continue to bear the burden of her brother. Catherine
in the meanwhile is contemplating her situation and hoping that a mutually beneficial
solution will be reached by all parties involved. She still hopes for her father’s
approval.
Mrs. Penniman communicates with
Morris Townsend, she eventually gets him to agree to meet. Mrs. Pennimen tries
to convince him to elope with Catherine. She believes that if Morris marries
Catherine without consent, it will prove to Dr. Sloper that he isn’t just after
the money but loves Catherine. Dr. Sloper will then be forced to accept them. Here
we find that Morris is exasperated with Mrs. Penniman and is somewhat tired of
her interfering. After returning home Mrs. Penniman then tells Catherine about
the whole ordeal and that Morris told her to hold fast. Catherine is angered,
probably for the first time in her life, by her Aunt’s deceitful actions.
The same evening, after much thought,
Catherine goes to her father’s study. Catherine makes one last plea with her
father, telling him that she would like to see Morris again, to explain to him
to wait until Dr. Sloper gives his consent. It is here where Dr. Sloper takes
the position saying that he will never consent to the marriage. He plays a
cruel card on Catherine, accusing her that if she stays engaged to Morris that
she is basically waiting for her father to die. Catherine is horrified by this, because
she has deep affection for her father. But Dr. Sloper never yields. It is here
that there is a rift torn between father and daughter. Dr. Sloper pities her
some, but is so sure in his judgments that nothing will shake them.
After passing a sleepless night,
Catherine rises and dresses as usual, much to Mrs. Pennimen’s dismay. Catherine
decides to summon Morris to the house. Once he arrives she starts with her
original plan of asking him to wait, but Morris wears down her resolve and by
the end of the conversation he has convinced her to marry him in a private
marriage. Dr. Sloper is not aware of this but he has his suspicions. The doctor
remarks to Mrs. Almond the he believes his daughter will stick which surprises
him. Catherine is standing up for herself and not following her father’s wishes
which is very out of character for her. After yet another private meeting with
Mrs. Pennimen, Morris cannot believe that she has once again changed her mind
and is now convinced that the best way to go about this is waiting. Mrs. Pennimen
believe that this will not be a problem to their relationship because she knows
Catherine loves Morris so much that he can postpone the wedding and Catherine
will not think less of him.
Discussion Questions
1) While talking to Mrs. Almond about meeting Mrs. Montgomery
Dr. Sloper assumes that he will be able to tell if she is a humbug. He declares
he will not listen to her if she is a humbug. Does this mindset negate his
efforts to vet his own judgments by referring to outside sources?
2) Does Dr. Sloper’s conduct in his conversation with Mrs.
Montgomery guide her to the conclusion that Dr. Sloper comes looking for? Or
does her negative assessment come from her own feelings about her brother?
3) Do you think Dr. Sloper’s opinion that he is the most
powerful force in his daughter’s life, as shown in conversation with his sister
Mrs. Almond, is valid?
4) Do Mrs. Penniman’s romantic notions and intervening
actions help or hinder the couple? Is she on Catherine’s side, Morris’s side,
or on her own side?
5) When Catherine writes Morris the letter informing him that
her father had expressed the wish that she not see him anymore she also tells
him not to come to the house until she had made up her mind. For the first time
it seems that Catherine is not conforming to her father’s wishes, but is
actually considering rebellion. Is she finally breaking away from the type that
her father has categorized her into?
6) When Catherine holds onto the belief that if she would be
very good, then her father would miraculously change his mind. Is she being
naïve or optimistic?
In response to the third question, I do believe that Dr. Sloper at this point is the most powerful force in his daughters life. Catherine has spent her whole life trying to please her father and is very torn between him and Morris. Even though by wanting to marry Morris she is going against her fathers wishes, she still hopes to get her fathers approval. For instance, she went to her father to get permission to see Morris again, with the hope that he would once again change his mind about Morris. It is at this point when her father tells her that she can see him again, but it will cause him great pain. At this she breaks into tears and her father does not comfort her. It is in response to this, that I believe she pulls closer to Morris. To me the question is will Morris become the strongest force in her life or will her father's influence win in the end? At this point I am still not convinced that Dr. Sloper doesn't have a strong influence in her life.
ReplyDeleteI will mainly focus my response on question two, but it will lead into question five a little bit. I completely feel that Mrs. Montgomery felt incredibly pressured to blurt out what Dr. Sloper wanted to hear. Dr. Sloper was very confrontational and accusatory while talking to Mrs. Montgomery. Every question was very slanted and it would have been very hard for her to give any kind of response that would not please him. She did not try to give any straight front answers. However, Dr. Sloper would take some element of Mrs. Montgomery's answer and then put words in her mouth on his next response. I believe that Mrs. Montgomery felt so uncomfortable that it got to the point where she just wanted to say whatever she thought Dr. Sloper wanted to hear so that she would be rid of him.
ReplyDeleteI feel that this way that Dr. Sloper tries to almost act like a God really can only drive Catherine away. While Catherine is not that strong willed I feel that she is pushed so hard that anyone can only take so much of it. With Catherine's personality the only thing she will really do to try and be rid of this is to get married and leave.
Regarding question 6, I think Catherine is definitely being naive when she thinks "being good" will bring her father around, but it's the sort of naiveté that is characteristic of her so far. We have seen throughout the book that Dr. Sloper has a low opinion of Catherine's intelligence and absolute surety in his own ideas. He's made up his mind, and I think he will only change if he is absolutely proven wrong. Catherine being meek or sweet won't do it. He does say at one point how glad he is to have a good daughter, but whenever he says that is seems a little demeaning to me, like he's talking about a pet. I think he's trying to show that he loves her in his own way, but with the way he looks down on her intelligence he might as well be talking about his good dog. I think he even feels that by refusing to change his mind, he is exhibiting a necessary "tough love" in saving Catherine from marrying Morris.
ReplyDeleteI wonder that it is possible that he can ever be "absolutely proven wrong" in his own ideas. What WOULD make him change his mind about Morris, once he's made it up? We've seen from his badgering of Mrs. Montgomery that he only wants to hear opinions that support ones he already holds.
DeleteAt the same time, he is right about Morris...
I would like to respond to question 4. I thinks Mrs. Penniman's intervening actions help the couple to an extent. At the beginning of Catherine and Morris's relationship, Catherine was more shy about her feelings so it was good that Mrs. Penniman intervened and consistently invited Morris over to their home. Catherine needed her aunt's help in jump-starting the relationship. However, I think once their relationship got going and they had feelings for each other, she did not need to keep intervening. Catherine and Morris should be able to figure things out for themselves. I thought it was inappropriate that Aunt Penniman secretly met with Morris behind Catherine's back. Even though she was trying to help their relationship, she may be a little too fond of Morris. I think she is on both Morris' and Catherine's sides because she sees the good in both of them and wants their relationship to work out. It is just a part of her personality that she intervenes. I also think she misses having a love in her life so she puts that emotion into Morris and Catherine's relationship.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to address Julie's question at the end of her post. She asked, "Will Morris become the strongest force in her life or will her father's influence win in the end?" In my opinion, her father's influence will win in the end, but not necessarily because Catherine gives into her father. I think Dr. Sloper may end up being right about Morris, that he is just after Catherine's money, and that their relationship will not work out. Catherine should keep everything her father is saying in the back of her mind.
Interesting distinction. Once again, poor Catherine seems to be left out of it. If Morris is in it for her money, he'll leave and her father will be proven correct. If he's not in it just for the money, it won't matter because her father won't give them money if they marry. hmmm...just time for a beginning rumination here.
DeleteMy response combines questions 3 and 5. I believe Dr. Sloper imagines himself powerful enough to persuade Catherine to leave Morris. Once Morris came into Catherine’s life, she wanted to be with him because she knew her father didn’t appreciate her or understand what she thought about the whole ordeal. After Dr. Sloper told Catherine to stop seeing Morris, she became a little defiant. I do believe this is when the first spark of rebellion began. Catherine wanted to prove her love of Morris to her father, but she didn’t want to ruin their relationship, because if her father disowned her, she would have no other option than to stay with Morris for his support. The more Morris and Dr. Sloper argued, the more Catherine was fueled to prove her father wrong, and the more scared she became to lose both Morris and her father.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to question 4, Mrs. Pennimen is the ultimate example of someone with an interest in conjuring rumors and stirring the pot of drama. The more dramatic Morris and Catherine’s relationship becomes, the happier Mrs. Pennimen feels to “help out” with Morris’ dilemma. She wants Morris to believe she is on his side because of her advice, but I feel the benefit is all hers, purely from the entertainment of the dramatic affair. Her selfish attitude is the sole reason for her obsessive absorption with the issue. Perhaps if Mrs. Pennimen was not involved, or did not contribute to the cause, Morris and Catherine may have had a more wholesome and honest relationship.
Two comments: first, as we'll see Catherine does lose them both, because of her inability to make choices--not just because of a character trait but because of her status as a young woman. In a way, Dr. Sloper should be proud of Catherine for "sticking", which I guess he kind of is, because it shows she has a character trait inherited from him: intractability, stubbornness, refusal to change one's mind.
DeletePoint #2: Both Dr. Sloper and Mrs. Pennimen see Catherine and Morris' relationship as a "show" of some kind. I never really realized this until now, but despite their interest in the outcome, they both also view what happens as entertainment. Dr. Sloper uses Catherine as an "experiment" and Mrs. P uses her as a dramatic interlude. Pretty sad.
I will be addressing questions 3, 4, and 5.
ReplyDelete3. I think that Dr. Sloper’s opinion is a valid notion. Catherine adores her father, and consequently does everything in her power to be a good and dutiful daughter. She accepts his ironic sentiments toward her with no retaliation or defense, and is a very meek woman. At one point, Dr. Sloper convinces Catherine to go on a trip to Europe in order to forget her suitor Morris Townsend. Without the protection, shelter, and care of her father, Catherine would most likely be destitute and living on the streets. He even influences basic decisions in Catherine’s life, such as when she should arrive for breakfast. However, I think that Dr. Sloper’s influence primarily stems from the fact that he is Catherine’s only remaining parent, acting as a bond to a past life, and fulfilling a role that Mrs. Penniman isn’t exactly suitable for.
4. I believe that Mrs. Penniman’s actions, even if she was trying to help, were detrimental to Morris and Catherine. She meets Morris very secretively at several points, and constantly offers him conflicting advice. In one instance, she tells Morris that he should marry Catherine as soon as possible. The next time they meet, she tells Morris that they should wait a very long time. I think that Mrs. Penniman does all of this for herself, probably because she has a lot to lose. Her brother, Dr. Sloper, reminds her that he could kick her out of his house at any point if he wanted to. I think that Mrs. Penniman is trying to establish alternative arrangements for housing by potentially rooming with Catherine and Morris if they marry. I also think that she enjoys the thrill of the secretive and romantic fantasies she is trying to conjure, almost as if she is selfishly trying to recapture her youth.
5. I like to think that Catherine is considering rebellion. I don’t think that her father categorized her correctly, even though he is a very smart man. Dr. Sloper doesn’t seem to understand Catherine, and I also think that the death of his wife may have given him a bias against Catherine that he would never admit. On page 83, Catherine is said to have had an entirely new feeling, described as a state of expectant suspense about her own actions. It also goes on to say that Catherine has seen a new side of herself spring into existence, which imbues her with curiosity toward the performance of untested functions. This really struck a chord for me, making me believe that Catherine is most certainly rebelling, even if she isn’t rebelling in a radical way, she prefers to be more subtle and reserved in regard to her actions.