"'Mr. Harthouse,' returned Sissy, with a blending of gentleness and steadiness that quite defeated him, and with a simple confidence in his being bound to so what she required, that held him at a singular disadvantage, 'the only reparation that remains with you, is to leave here immediately and finally. I am quite sure that you can mitigate in no other way the wrong and harm you have done.'" (227)I really like Sissy's firm sassy-ness here. She is telling off Harthouse, and is being very sassy about it, in a way that is truly Sissy, protecting someone she cares about.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Hard Times: An awesome passage
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I really don't think Sissy is being sassy in this passage. I thought she was firm but sincere because of the adjectives "gentleness ad steadiness" that describe her response. Plus, Sissy has always been a sincere, quiet, hard-working girl, and I can't see her having any attitude. When Gradgrind tells her that her schooling isn't quite working out she responds with "I am afraid it would, sir" while curtseying (91). She seems so timid and polite here, and I just can't see her being sassy. However, I do think that you still picked a really cool quote because it shows Sissy being uncharacteristically firm and authoritative.
ReplyDeleteAbby, I think you made a great point here in characterizing Sissy’s forcefulness, but I agree with Gabby that instead of sassy Sissy is being authoritative. The fact that Sissy can be upfront with an upper class man such as Mr Harthouse shows that she is not afraid to speak her mind, especially when it comes to someone she really cares about. The fact that she has no problem with commanding a wealthy, much older man to leave “immediately and finally” shows that she is not the typical Victorian woman. Instead of playing the conventional role of a timid Victorian woman, she speaks her mind and does what SHE thinks is best for her or her loved ones. Another piece of evidence on this same page that exemplifies Sissy’s direct and honest approach to others is the fact that she asks Mr Harthouse to depart “without any other authority than I have given you [Mr Harthouse], and even without the knowledge of any other person than yourself [Mr Harthouse] and myself” (227). This shows that Sissy is openly stating that she needs no other input or requests from anyone but herself and she will act according to what she believes is best for her sister. The fact that Mr Harthouse does in fact leave shows that Sissy’s direct approach forces him to respect her wishes.
ReplyDeleteWhoops, that last comment is from Ginny Frost! lawlz
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