The CBB
http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/

Themes: Reformation
http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4677
Author:  jennifer [ Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:39 am ]
Post subject:  Themes: Reformation
In CS land, a major part of many books is centred around the reformation of a difficult new girl (Eustacia, Cornelia, Joyce, Elizabeth, Lavender, Verity, Annis, Emerence, Prunella, Jessica, Joan, Naomi, Ted, Audrey, Jack, Evelyn), often through a traumatic incident. What do you think of the reformations? Are they realistic? Is the behaviour of the characters after their trauma consistent?
Author:  LizzieC [ Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:28 am ]
Post subject: 
I think my favourite reformation, and one of the most realistic was that of Elizabeth Arnett, coming as it does as an almost natrual progression. She seems to realise that it's time to grow up, and as she does so she also comes under the positive influence of Gillian Linton. What I see from Elizabeth is a girl who gets tired of always being in trouble and begins to grow and develop into a responsible adult. Her growing away from Betty is very well drawn too. I know as I went through school I grew away from some of my friends I had further down the school and made new ones as my tastes and interests developed.

I think as the series goes on the reformations tend to get more unbelievable. I'm also not sure I'd put Jack under the heading of "reformed" (but I admit I'm really quite biased here as she's supposed to reform in "her" book, but bullies Jane outrageously a few books later).
Author:  Bethannie [ Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:24 pm ]
Post subject: 
When I first read about Miss Dene and Emerence at the stairs, I felt Emerence was a very weak character. I remember thinking she gave in far too quickly and that any half-way decent rebel would have held out much longer. She was a real disappointment!
Author:  KatS [ Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:50 pm ]
Post subject: 
That's true, now you mention it - Emerence is reduced to tears by one morning sitting on the stairs, isn't she? I suppose it's in line with the collapsing into tears all good CS girls do when told they are "babies". For a girl who was mischevious enough to set fire to a summer house, you'd think she'd just laugh at the fact she was getting out of classes.

Joyce's reformation interests me - she is another of those girls who is never quite "redeemed". Apart from her sudden attack of Joey-worship :roll: , she seems entirely believable. You have a pretty, charming, lazy, somewhat spoiled girl who, when she realizes how sick her mother is, resolves to work harder, and becomes less selfish, but retains her basic character. Her elder sister is continally praised for being cleverer and harder-working and more responsible and an all-around better person - it's not surprising Joyce didn't try to compete academically/morally.
Author:  Lesley [ Fri Jun 20, 2008 10:01 pm ]
Post subject: 
Yet you have others who, with far more nasty character traits, are allowed to reforn so completely that it's never mentioned that she was a bully, a liar, a cheat and quite thoroughly disliked by everyone - I'm speaking of Cornelia. Her faults were far greater than those of Joyce yet, she is allowed to achieve the greatest accolade and be head girl, while Joyce, years after she has left, is still villified by certain of the Staff and considered selfish and vain by everyone.
Author:  Pado [ Sat Jun 21, 2008 12:55 am ]
Post subject: 
Ah, but the fact that Miss Dene was a cannibal surely had some influence on Emerence's capitulation? :lol:
Author:  Alison H [ Sat Jun 21, 2008 6:29 am ]
Post subject: 
It's a standard GO thing, maybe a standard thing in books generally, that "bad" people reform, often after a traumatic incident. I think that some reformations are more realistic than others. Ted's case is certainly very realistic - she wasn't so much bad as seeking attention because her mother didn't treat her well, and turned over a new leaf once she had some good friends. Annis's case was similar - she wasn't so much bad as unhappy because of the way her aunt treated her - and to some extent so were Prunella's and Jessica's. Then there's Elizabeth, a naughty kid who grew up, and in some ways Jack Lambert's case is the same as hers.

Eustacia's accident is a rerun of What Katy Did!

Interestingly, the really bad girls don't reform. Thekla and Betty are both expelled. Margot is still causing trouble when she's in her late teens. Grizel, although never really a "bad" person, is still a "problem" as an adult.

As other people've said, it's a shame that some people get a bad name that sticks. Joyce is never spoken of well until years after she's left school. No-one is ever really friendly with Joan Baker, even after she helps to rescue several other girls in Richenda. & Emerence is always referred to as "one of the naughtiest girls in the annals of the Chalet School" even though she's only really naughty for one term!
Author:  KB [ Sat Jun 21, 2008 7:29 am ]
Post subject: 
Bethannie wrote:
When I first read about Miss Dene and Emerence at the stairs, I felt Emerence was a very weak character. I remember thinking she gave in far too quickly and that any half-way decent rebel would have held out much longer. She was a real disappointment!


I wondered if EBD got Emmy into a really good situation that would show her defiance for time, but then couldn't get her out of it! It is rather a weak ending, but there's no way she could have gotten away with it.
Author:  Loryat [ Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
I can see why Emerence would want to give in, she'd get so bored sitting on the step and having mistresses ignore her. I think Emerence liked getting attention and to be in the thick of things, neither of which was happening when she was in that situation.

I seem to remember that Emerence is influenced by the fairylike Verity in Shocks - is this ever referred to in any later book?
Author:  Róisín [ Mon Sep 08, 2008 6:08 pm ]
Post subject: 
Lesley wrote:
Yet you have others who, with far more nasty character traits, are allowed to reforn so completely that it's never mentioned that she was a bully, a liar, a cheat and quite thoroughly disliked by everyone - I'm speaking of Cornelia. Her faults were far greater than those of Joyce yet, she is allowed to achieve the greatest accolade and be head girl, while Joyce, years after she has left, is still villified by certain of the Staff and considered selfish and vain by everyone.


That's really interesting, and makes me think whether EBD gave more value to girls who had made a drastic turnaround. The bigger the initial crime, the greater the impression made on the girl, and therefore the 'better' the member of society?
All times are UTC
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
http://www.phpbb.com/