Monday, September 14, 2009
The Church's role in "The Monk'
For this, my first blog, I want to discuss Lewis' take on the Catholic church, or possibly, religion in general. I cannot say that I am a nonreligious person, but I think anyone who truly looks at it can find hypocrisy wherever they go, especially in the church, no matter what religion you are. I spent the first 12 years of my schooling in Lutheran schools so I can honestly say that I have witnessed this as well. Lewis makes it seem like the common thing to do in that time was to join a convent if you were unhappy in love, or life in general. Just that in itself is a blasphemous idea. Looking at it from an outside perspective it would seem the ultimate in hypocrisy to commit your life to God because, well, you had no other options at the time. Look at Agnes, she was pledged to the convent before birth. Why would a mother ever wish a life like that upon her child unless that was truly what that child wanted. I can't imagine how lonely and pointless your life would seem if you unhappily married the church. Lewis' take on the whole matter is enough to make you see the church with an air of disgust. The prioress that found Agnes out acted with unfairness, and heartlessly. I don't want to know a God that would wish to deny someone true love, and in my personal opinion, I don't think He would. How can this woman, who had dedicated her life to a higher cause, act like she was the ultimate judge. In her eyes the "sin" of love was punishable by death, all to keep her name and her convent in good standing. On top of that, she lied about what she had ordered. Why, if she hadn't deep down known she was wrong, would she feel the need to conceal what she had done. The hypocrisy in it all is so evident that its hard to see any good in these people. I don't mean to start some religious debate, because it can be a touchy matter, but I feel like this was Lewis' intent. I'm also not saying that there are not truly well-meaning people in the church, but it does seem that we always hear about that bad and not the good. I know it may have just been the accepted thing to do in those times, but the whole idea of willingly giving up all the real experiences of life because of lost love or what have you, is just shocking to me, and I felt that it deserves some attention.
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Mandy, I think you're right to point out the hypocrisy involved in joining a monastery just because one had a rough time is very succinct, but I wonder if Lewis might also be making a commentary on the social limitations of women in the late 18th century. In the 17th and early 18th century many middle class women worked in respectable mercantile positions, but these freedoms in terms of career paths were severely dwindling by the time Lewis published The Monk. An unmarried woman "on her own" (i.e. without family or wealth) in the late 18th and 19th century had about three career options: governess, nun, or prostitute. Consider the tremendous anxiety Elvira had in terms of leaving Antonio on her own without money or family support, and the very real crisis that ensued after Elvira's death. Lewis is depicting a very real predicament for women at this time. Keep looking for places in these novels that deal with this very issue.
ReplyDeleteI didn't go back and edit my post--that first sentence really should read "Mandy, I think you're right to point out the hypocrisy involved in joining a monastery just because one had a rough time, but I wonder..." Sorry about that!
ReplyDeleteI think you make a good point. When I was reading this novel I more put myself in those women's positions, but I forgot to think about the fact that these were different times and that a life in a monastery was probably a lot more common. I Can't imagine the fear a woman would face in reaching a certain age and finding that all of her hopes for life are lost and she might as well retire to a life of service in some form or another.
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