Betty's+Response

===Betty's relationship with her children interests me. She obviously has an adult life of her own with her husband and with men, and another part is with her children, and she keeps these two parts of her life separate. The first chapter opens with her writing a letter to the captain, and this sheds a ray of light on her adult life; it is dead and barren. Then we see her calling for her children and being stressed about how troublesome they are, but she does not act on this stress. When she is walking home with her kids, she asks them what she told them to remember, and when they don't remember, she laughs it off and says she doesn't remember either.=== ===Then, in chapter two, she gets a letter from Mr. Floyd, and he says he loves her and wants to marry her. As she is reading the letter, Johnny is running chasing geese, and she gets "flushed with anger." (12) This is much unlike before when her boys were running around being boys on the beach in the previous chapter. Does the letter from Floyd have something to do with why she reacts differently in the two situations? I think her relationship with men has some sort of connection with her relationship with her kids.=== ===In chapter one there is a statement that confused me: "...who shall deny that this blankness of mind, when combined with profusion mother wit...humor, and sentimentality--who shall deny that in these respects every woman is nicer than any man? Well, Betty Flanders, to begin with." (12) Does she think herself inferior to men? She obviously has the opportunity to remarry, but she doesn't like red haired men as Mr. Floyd is, and he is younger than she. Is she making her life less enjoyable for herself? She seems like a loving mother, but I'm wondering to what extent does her adult life actually affect her life with her kids? We could also consider Mrs. Jarvis and Mrs. Barfoot's positions and their unhappiness in relationship to their husbands. Why are all the women in this book so depressed?===

I'm sorry I've thrown so many questions about, and if it is confusing, again, I am sorry, but I suppose I am trying to sort it all out for myself as well. 1199921595

 * Format Note: I see that you've set this whole post in Heading 3. In general, it's probably better to make it all bold (like this note) or just leave it unstyled. No?**1199926657

I see what you are saying. I know all Betty Flanders' children are boys, and she is quite nurturing towards them. She is also strict with them later--probably because she read the letter then, yes. And I think also that Betty is trying to love and teach her boys well so that they can grow up well and because she needs them to love. The other male figures in her life [men], or lack thereof, are negatively affecting her. I see that she is quite upset about the loss of her husband; she has not gotten over this, yet simultaneously she is leaning towards another loving relationship with a man. She and the Captain seem to need each other. Captain Barfoot's wife is an invalid, and Betty Flanders is widowed. When they speak to each other at the end of the second chapter, I noticed a casual tone, and I noticed that they were randomly relating topics and situations to one another. It is as if the pair need someone with whom to talk, perhaps with whom to love. Thus, their semi-affair may not be based upon true love or genuine care for one another, but rather on the need for company. Betty Flanders loves her children and wants the best for them. She also seems to need more love for herself, too, though. As KLe mentioned, there is a definite theme of unhappiness unfolding. The women seem lost. Along with this, there is a theme of unloyalty. Perhaps these two are interconnected..? OR I thought that this is precisely what Woolf wanted to convey because it was what women were feeling at her time. They were //inferior//, and Woolf encouraged them to branch out.1199932868

While we were discussing and reviewing the first couple chapters of the novel in class today I came about a few lines that I see from a different perspective looking at them another time. Again, I do not know if this will answer any questions, but I thought this post best fits in this forum because it is relating to Betty Flanders' possible sense of inferiority and to her 'womanhood.'

First, back on page two, I found this: "...that marriage is a fortress and widows stray solitary in open fields, . . . lonely, unprotected, poor creatures. Mrs. Flanders had been a widow for these two years." This is one of the reasons she seems somewhat depressed, obviously, and it relates back to what I was saying in the post above. She feels as if she needs someone, or perhaps she feels as if she should have someone. In the time period, I am sure it was quite unusual for women to remain single; they were most likely looked down upon or were pitied. This is hurting Betty, and I see her feelingself-conscious and alone, struggling to raise her boys without a partner for both assistance and companionship.

"Sounding at the same moment as the bell [symbolic of her dead husband], her son's voice mixed life and death inextricably, exhilaratingly" (9). We discussed this line in class today, and it brought a thought to my mind. It is likely that Betty Flanders sees her dead husband in her young son. This, then, could be a reason for her having trouble with being a widow also. The blending of feelings of despair, stress, and confusion with a loved life just beginning is unnerving. It causes somewhat unexplainable, "exhilarating" emotions to well up. . . . thoughts? disagreements? What else could be made of this sentence?1200003430

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