Dammed Beliefs

Dammed Beliefs Although human beings have spoken different languages, have practiced a variety of religions, and have belonged to different cultures, the one binding trait that humanity has always possessed, past and present, has been a desire to self-govern. This human reliance on self-determination demonstrates just why the loss of personal freedoms, the inability to choose, or the experience of oppression compels and motivates people to try and avoid a feeling of helplessness. Similarly, in The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles, Fowles conveys how although society might push a certain image of what every person should strive towards, staying true to one’s own beliefs and perspectives rather than succumbing to the views of society

For example, Fowles emphasizes Ernestina’s rigid persona, as she feels obligated to act and behave a certain way in Lyme, a town which “gave ladies an excellent opportunity to assess and comment on their neighbors’ finery; and of course show off their own” (Fowles 127). Despite Ernestina’s appeal to the Victorian status-quo of feminine behavior, her adherence to this societal ideal limits her ability to express herself in any other way, as demonstrated through her “unwelcomely artificial” humor, and the city’s “hidebound” and solemn nature (129). As a result, Ernestina embodies a sterile, rigid, and un-natural perspective of love, and is never truly happy; without being able to express what she wants, her marriage is only a piece of paper, meaningless and simply the result of a “market for brides” (129). On the contrary, Fowles depicts Sarah as the human embodiment of freedom, the polar opposite of “English solemnity too solemn, English thought too moralistic, English religion too bigoted” (129-130). And though Sarah may never

For example, rather than pursuing a relationship founded entirely upon passion, Charles’ engagement to Ernestina follows the status-quo custom of an arranged marriage which causes him to eventually realize that “Instead of doing the most intelligent thing had he not done the most obvious” (130). Fowles’ diction in this quotation emphasizes Charles’ frustration once he realizes how the engagement places constrictions on his personality and limits how he can portray himself in public. Charles’ failure to recognize his attraction towards Sarah’s “emotion, some possibility she symbolized” directly stems from his initial rejection of his feelings to follow the Victorian model, and as a result, he becomes “a brilliant man trapped, a Byron tamed” (130). In contrast, rather than follow convention, Sam pursues Mary because of his love and attraction to her, as “he saw only a shy and wide-eyed sympathy, a begging him to go on” (133). Unlike Charles, Sam rejects the complexity of the status-quo’s outlook on relationships, placing emphasis on love rather than acquiring financial assets, as his secretive correspondence with Mary is strictly founded on their passion. Through his portrayal of Sam’s innocent adoration, Fowles stresses how despite their