During our class discussion about Lady Brett Ashley, I started to do some thinking. Over the course of the past week, it has been determined, at least by my opinion, that Lady Brett is a kind of polarizing figure. Those exist a lot in the world of literature so it's not all that surprising. What was surprising for me is that she is really not that much unlike women I have known. Hell I am one of those women.
The biggest character flaw that people seem to find with Brett is that she cannot make up her mind about who she decides to love. One day it's Jake, the next Michael, so on and so forth. She does not seem to genuinely love these men (as is made obvious by her choice to pursue Pedro towards the end of the novel). However, she seems to love the attention that these bring men bring with them. They make her feel beautiful and special but most of all they make her feel wanted. I think everyone at some point in their life has wanted someone to make them feel that way whether they are a man or a woman. I know I certainly have shared a few classes with men I thought would be my new husband (even if the only time we ever spoke is when they were asking me for my answers). Maybe Brett is not in love with these men but she is in love with the idea of being in love, the infatuation stage if you will. She loves the feelings the infatuation gives her which is why she acts so wrecklessly with these men and their feelings.
As I said before, she may be a polarizing figure, but on some level I can relate to her and the way she feels. Then again, that's just me.
Your analysis of Brett is interesting, Haley. She is a complex and often enigmatic character. As I said in class today, I think Brett has these impetuous flings as a form of blood sport. It makes her feel alive. The men in the story, except for Romero, know how she is, and yet they seem helpless against her charms. I probably would be too. You are right: there is something missing from her that perhaps she will never find. Isn't that true of all of us to some degree?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. Lady Brett has a missing piece, and so does Jake. I believe that their injuries are the reason that they realize they cannot have a relationship, but also the reason that they stay so close. Danielle Shockey stated in a comment on another post that suffering the same traumas could be too much for them to handle in a relationship, and I believe she is right, and that Jake and Brett have come to the same conclusion. I find it impossible to hate any of the characters in this book, as they are all so injured. I completely agree with Haley that the flaws in these characters makes them understandable.
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