Striking the rock : repression and revelation of feeling in Villette
著者（英） Yukako Kaida
journal or
publication title
Core
number 23
page range 35‑59
year 1994‑03‑15
URL http://doi.org/10.14988/pa.2017.0000015011
Striking the Rock: Repression and Revelation of Feeling in Villette 35
S t r i k i n g t h e Roc k :
R e p r e s s i o n and R e v e l a t i o n o f F e e l i n g i n V i l l e t t e
Y u k a k o K a i d a
Reading Pride and Pr.ウudice，Charlotte Bronte feels Jane Austen's worId is restricted:
. what did I find? An accurate daguerreotyped portrait of旦
commonplace face; a carefully f色nced，highly cultiv品tedgarden， with neat borders and delicate flowers; but no glance of丘bright， vivid physiognomy， no open country， no fresh air， no blue hill， no bonny beck. 1 should hardly like to live with her ladies and gen司 tlemen， in their elegant but confined houses.1
This criticism rightly depicts a precondition of J ane Austen's works; her works have a rigid framework， a framework of society. It does not mean that J ane Austen's scope is limited， as Charlotte Bronte suggests in this letter. Charlotte's dissatisfaction with Austen comes from th巴fundamental difference of their view of human existenc巴 TonyTanner explains the dif‑ ference:
For J ane Austen， the social world was the ultimate realm of real‑ ity， no matter what internal miseries and struggles and isolations may be experienced within it. For Charlotte Bronte this social reality with its authoritative norms and finally acceptable values had gone， and metaphors take the place of this lost society.2
36 illette Jane Austen accepts the fact that social and material realities， though not wholly， define an individual. People should take responsibi1ities attached to their social status， property， profession， or class. This social duty leads them to grasp their vital connection with the rest of the world and gives them a reason for living. Austen searches for a reconciliation of the social self and the private self. Charlotte Bronte， on the other hand， opposes the private self to the social self， for she regards the latter as a false mask Her protagonists can find no benevolence of society.3 Society always im‑ poses upon them roles incompatible with their inner nature. For Charlotte Bronte， inner reality is the only truth.
Both Jane Austen and Charlotte Bront邑wrotea novel whose title is the name of a place ‑ Mansfield Park and Villette. Each ending is a character‑ istic example of its author's idea about the relationship between the self and the society. At the start of the novels， both heroin巴s，Fanny Price and Lucy Snowe， are placeless persons in a community; at the end both secure a home in the place named in the title.
Fanny Price 1ives in the house with her husband and has her own fami‑ ly. There are frequent exchanges of visits between her home and the neighboring Great House.4 Besides， the home has an important social function as a parsonage. Thus Fanny's home is a symbol of her social ful‑ filment; Fanny places herself harmoneously in the Mansfield community assuming the duties of mother， daughter and minister's wife.
Lucy Snowe owns two houses， public and private. The two realms never merge to one. The public one is her pensionnat， a symbol of her social and economic independence. Lucy without fortune and relatives now rises to be the head mistress of a prosperous school. The private house stands for her inviolable inner life. The house contains the memory of the person
Striking the Rock: Repression and Revelation of Feeling in Villette37 who provided it for her. Lucy has been a10ne in the house. Home does not relieve L ucy from 10neliness.
It is Lucy's u1timate wish to have a home and share her life with others. Lucy persuades herself not to 100k higher unti1 she wins her independ‑ ence:
But afterwards， is there nothing more
. f
or me in 1ife ‑ no true home ‑ nothing to be dearer to me than mys巴lf，and by its para‑ mount preciousness， to draw from me better things than 1 care to cu1ture for myself on1y? Nothing， at whose feet 1 can willing1y 1ay down the who1e burden of human egotism， and glorious1y take up the nob1er charge of 1abouring and 1iving for others?" (453)5 This statement presεnts us with a contradiction which Lucy faces when she denies socia1 restrictions to seek absolute freedom and self‑fulfi1ment Her words show that she is a 1itt1e tired of the who1e burd巴nof human egotism." She is now bound by her own ego. The ego impe1s her to con‑ tinua1 battles against another ego withwhom she wants to 1iveLucy as narrator frequently al1udes to Fate丘ndProvidence and giv巴S
us an impression that her fina1 10ss is due to such powers beyond human control. Charlotte Bronte understands that Lucy's strong ego brings her 10ne1iness:
Drowning and Matrimony are the fearfu1 altematives. The merci‑ fu1 . . . will of course choose the former and mi1der doom ‑ drown him to put him out of pain. The crue1‑hearted will， on the contrary， piti1ess1y impa1e him on the s巴condhom of the dilem‑ ma， marrying him without ruth or compunction to that ‑ person
‑ that ‑ that ‑ individual Lucy Snowe.，6
Charlotte Bronte may have anticipated the heroine's loneliness when she
Villette decided neither to take social framework nor to create the romantic world of Jane Eyre wh巴rethe good are rewarded and the bad are punished in the end. Lucy as narrator is not expected to find a positive meaning in her loneliness as the author does. Yet she is intended to draw something from the act of narrating her painful experience， for self‑expression is an inte‑ gra1 part of Lucy's development in this story町
In Volume ，1 Lucy does not yet have the will to reject society to achieve her independence. Rather， she thinks she is expelled from English soclety: self‑reliance and exertion were forced upon me by circumstances"
(43). We have no information about who Lucy is， but we can infer that Lucy would enjoy the comforts of the English gentry like her school‑ fellow and Mrs. Bretton if her parents or relativ巳swer巴aliveand wel.17
Bretton of Bretton which appe品rsat the beginning of this nove1 is a typical home of the English middle class. Lucy is haunted by this home image at least by the end of V olume I1. As th巳namesuggests， this house has a close connection with the community around i t.The mother and the son love each other deep1y， but expression of such feelings is decorously restrained to ke巴pquietness. Lucy， a visitor， is a1so much made of as [oJne child in a household of grown people" (5). The peace is disturbed by the arriva1 of Paulina Home. This socially fortunate little girl deprives Lucy of Mrs. Bretton's and Graham's attentions. Lucy， however， never comp1ains. She also represses her pains decorously and tries to qua1ify herself for a coo1 observer:1， Lucy Snow巴，w丘sca1m" (26).
Lucy implies 10ss of her own home with a metaphor of shipwreck. Bret‑ ton of Bretton is also 10st by financia1 failure. After th巴losses，Lucy still clings to the idea of having a home in an English communit)人Sheaccepts an offer from an invalid rich woman to be her companion. Soon she re‑
Striking the Rock: Repression and Revelation of Feeling in Villette 39 gards this old woman as a mother and herself as a daughter and finds re‑ pose of mind in performing the duties which assure her that she is needed by someone. From Char10tte Bronte's view， Lucy has not been aware of her true self as far as she is cont巳ntwith such a given role. The narrator reflects: 1 forgot that there were fields， woods， rivers， seas，昌n ever‑ changing sky outside the steam ‑dimm巳dlattice of this sick‑chamber"(45). This reflection reminds us of Charlotte Bronte's criticism of Jane Austen，
no glance of a bright， vivid physiognomy， no open country， no fresh air， no blue hi ，1lno bonny beck." Lucy is driven out of the confined room for self‑discovery.8 Miss Marchmont dies and her heir declares his wish to see [Lucy's] departure from [her] present abode" (52)
Lucy has no idea about her future wh巴n she again loses her home:
Whence did 1 come? Whither should 1 go? What should 1 do?" (56). Soon she finds that this is freedom; she is now able to act by her own will. She enJoys a glad， blue sky of early spring above" (59) in London， and with a desparate courage from the state of nothing to lose" (60)， sails for Labas‑
S巴courand goes to Villette
Lucy， who was in the position of observ巳rin England， becomes an ob‑ ject to be watched in Villette. She feels people in Villette are hostile to her. This hostility comes from th巴irwariness towards a stranger. Lucy has already received depressing treatment in London， but this time they soon read from her manner that she is a gentlewoman. By the mention of her uncle's name， she even gains civility from the waiter in the inn who knows him well. In Villette， however， her language and manner hardly speak for her and her connection without title has no meaning.9 Lucy foresees her uneasy state of b巴ingwatched when she imagines the lights of the forε19n harbor as unnumbered threatening eyes" (70). People in Villette spy on
Lucy with no regard for her privacy to know what person she is. On arriv‑ ing at Mme Beck's schoo1， Lucy is exposed to M. Paul's scrutiny and en‑ dures Mme Beck's secret examination of her persona1 effects.
Being watched， Lucy encounters many se1ves in herself:
Madame Beck esteemed me 1earned and b1ue; Miss Fanshawe， caustic， ironic， and cynica1; Mr. Home， a mode1 teacher， the es‑ sence of the sedate and discreet: somewhat conventiona1 perhaps， too strict， 1imited and scrupu1ous， but still the pink and pattern of govenr.ness‑correctness; whi1st another person， Professor Pau1 Emanue ，lto wit， never 10st an opportunity of intimating his opin‑ ion that mine was rather a fiery and rash nature ‑ adventurous， indoci1e， and audacious. (375‑76)
Each person is wrong in his or her judging Lucy from on1y one point of view. Lucy is often mortified by their misinterpretations. They， however， especially Mme Beck and M. Pau1， who startεd seeing Lucy from just an
Ang1eterre，" disclose her potentia1 abilities unknown to h巴rself.
Mme Beck draws out Lucy's 1atent socia1 ambition. In the 1atter half of Vo1ume 1， Lucy concentrates her efforts to deve10p the public self after the mode1 of Mme Beck. Lucy admires Mme Beck's rationality and shrewdness.lO Mme Beck full of man1y power is a challenge of strength"
to Lucy when she is required to take charge of a class: 1 sudd巴n1yfelt all the dishonour of my diffidenc巴 ‑all the pusillanimity of my slackness to aspire" (95). Lucy tries to harden her sensitivity by petrifying herself like Mme Beck. Sneering at her nervous excitability， Lucy in front of the por‑ ta1s of the class retorts to Madame: '1 am no more excited than this stone or than you'" (96). Lucy has been impressed by Madame's face of stone" (85)， her 100ks stony and stern" (128)， whi1e observing her skill of
Striking the Rock: Repression and Revelation of Feeling in Villette 41 running the schoo l.Lucy begins to use this expressionless mask to hide her own vulnerability. Attacked by Mrs. Sweeny， her predecessor， Lucy follows Mme Beck's firm attitude: Madame bor巴 this revelation and visitation so well， so stoically， that 1 for very shame could not support it otherwise than with composure" (86‑87). Against the most rebellious pupil in the class， Lucy assumes a look as cool and careless" (99) as she could， and after making a surprise attack on th巴girl，returns to the estrade gravely and tranquilly" (99) to make the rest obey her directions. In the school， Lucy keeps gravity and severity before the public to show her strength
Mme Beck maintains self‑consistency with the stone face becaus巴she has neither strong feelings to overcome， nor tender fe巴lingsby which to be miserably pained" (129). On the other hand Lucy confεsses she has feelings:
passive as 1 lived， little as 1 spoke， cold as 1 looked， when 1 thought of past days， 1 could feel. About the pres巴nt，it was better to be stoical; about the future ‑ such a future as mine ‑ to be dead. And in catalepsy and a dead trance， 1 studiously held the quick of my nature. (134)
Lucy at Bretton also repressed her feelings. The great difference b巳tween Lucy at fourteen and Lucy at twenty‑three is that the latter feels pain. The revolting feelings are so strong that when repressed，the temples bleed， and the brain thrill[s] to its core" (135). Seized with an inward tumult， Lucy tells us that it was the rock struck， and M巴ribah'swaters gushing out. • . . 1 cried hot tears" (146). As blood and tears suggest， Lucy's pain‑ ful feelings gush out， breaking through h巴rstone face
Villette Lucy observes that Mme Beck keeps up her strength by dint of a good sense" and a rea1 business to fill her time， divert her thoughts， and divide her interest" (129). Lucy also devotes herself to her work and is a1ways conscious of the others' eyes which demand her to be sensible and calm in order to preserve ba1ance b巴tweenher two lives the 1ife of thought， and that of reality" (94). The ba1ance is 10st when she is 1eft a10ne and dか
prived of her work during the 10ng vacation. In this nove1， especially in Volumes II and III， reason is opposed to fe巳lingand imagination and is severely criticised for its functions to hinder fre巴domof will and crush hopes. At the same time Lucy fears for the unrestricted working of feeling and imagination， for it can destroy the selfll During the vacation， Lucy finds no external restrictions. She must face her mental pain that she has felt and suffers from a spectral sight in the dormitory that her imagination creates. A brief sleep brings her a nightmare， in which Lucy yields to de‑ spair of death ‑ the final annihilation of the self. Thus exhausted physi‑ ca11y and mentally， Lucy meets a ghostly figure of herself in a mirror when she recovers from the faint after the confession
It is neither the first nor the last time that Lucy encounters a ghost. Watching little Polly at Bretton， Lucy wonders about the vision before her eyes:. • • that room seemed to me not inhabited， but haunted" (14). After the return from La Terrasse to the Rue Fossette， Lucy is troub1ed with an apparition of the nun who is said to have b巴enburied a1ive in the Midd1e Ages for some sin against her vow. Later in the Rue des Mages， deformed Mme Walravens reminds Lucy of the evi1 fairy， Malevola: was it actual substance， this appearance approaching me?" (487) In且11 cases， Lucy's suppressed feeling makes the objects she obs巳rvesunearth‑ ly， threatening and grotesque. Litt1e Polly is sure1y a sensitive chi1d， but
Striking the Rock: Repression and Revel且tionof F eeling in Villette 43 she shows her eccentricities on1y to Lucy. Whi1e [cJold and fixed" eyes of the nun terrifies her， the eyes of de Hamal's 1eave no impression on Lucy， who n巴verfai1s to refer to the features of巳yewhen she portrays charac
ters. The sorceress Mme Walravens 1ater proves to be no corpse or ghost， but a harsh and hardy old woman" (575) to the more courageous Lucy. She projects her inner tumu1t into the not‑self with imagination in order to pre匂
vent it from making herself a ghost. As this self‑defence system works urト
consciously， Lucy is fright巴nedby the sights her mind creates and strives harder to suppress her feeling in order to be rational and s呂ne
To free herself from this VICIOUS circle of代 田onand feeling powers， Lucy must 1earn to accept her own feeling. To awake her sensitivity for Lucy means to be hurt. So she cannot have any feelings and hopes with
out shame and guilt. At Bretton Lucy preaches to little Polly， who grieves at Graham's unenthusiastic return for her intense affection:
. don't fret， and don'texpect too much of him， or else he will feel you to be troub1esome， and then it is all over." (39)
Wise peop1e say it is folly to think anybody perfect; and as to likes and dis1ikes， we should be frie五dly to all， and worship none." (40)
Both of Lucy's statements reflect her rejection of any personal and emo‑
tiona1 invo1vement with others in order not to be hurt. During the 10ng vacation， Lucy meditates on her 1ack of courage to have hope:
Th巴 hopeswhich are dear to youth， which bear it up and 1e且dit on， 1 knew not and dared not know. If they knocked at my h巴art sometim巴s，an inhospit乳ble bar to admission must be inwardly drawn. When they turned away thus rejected， tears sad enough
44
sometimes flowed; but it could not be helped: 1 dared not give such guests lodging. So mortally did 1 fear the sin and weakness of presumption. (193‑94)
As far as Lucy adheres to the society which Charlotte Bronte thinks has no capacity for passion， sh巴 cannotget rid of this sense of guilt目12As 1 said， Lucy has not denied the English society for herself in Volume 1. She chose independence out of necessity. When Lucy comes to herself at the very beginning of Volume II， the air of perfect domestic comfort" (217) of the English home fascinates her again. She is tempted to withdraw into the home， sacrificing her own initiative. During h巴rstay at La Terrasse， Mrs. Bretton forces her to wear a pink dress for a concert:句Vithoutany force at all， 1 found myself led and influenced by another's will， uncon‑ sulted， unpersuaded， quietly ov巴r‑ruled"(259‑60). At the concert Lucy is annoyed with M. Paul's sardonic gaze on the pink dress: 1 was in no mood
ω
permit any new encroachment to‑night: rath巴rthan acc巴pthis banter， 1 would ignore his presence， and accordingly steadily turn巴dmy face to the sleeve of Dr. John's coat [Italics mine]" (277). This is a typical gesture of withdrawal.It predicts Lucy's dilemma in Volume II that on her arrival at Villette Lucyasks a true young English gentleman" (78)， who is later revealed to be Dr. John， to claim her luggage from a Labassecourien conductor who left it behind. Lucy makes a remark that she m巴relywishes to meet with civility， but she is scarcely treated with civility during her struggle for in‑ dependence in Villette. After the Brettons recognize Lucy， they， knowing who Lucy is， claim the rights for civility on behalf of her. Mrs. Bretton n巴gotiateswith Mme Beck for the prolonged rest for Lucy's recovery. People in the pensionnat see Lucy visited and taken out by Dr. J ohn
Striking the Rock: Repression and Revelation of Feeling in Villette 45 Especially when Lucy is known to have an acquaintance with M. and Mlle de Bassompierres through the Brettons， Mme Beck treats h巳rwith distinction and Ginevra amends her estimation of Lucy from nobody to somebody目 Externalqualification relieves Lucy of much effort for the re‑ spectable treatment of others.
Among the English acquaintances， however， Lucy must endure obscur‑ ity. In the trouble about luggage， Lucy had to urge Dr. John to help her. Her 立配ee吋diおst凶hu出slikely to be overlooked unless she appeals:
need known， his hand w丘sopen. Put your grief into words， he turned no deaf ear. Expect refin巴mentsof perception， miracles of intuition， and real司 ize disappointment" (237). Mrs Bretton neither has perception enough to understand Lucy's misery and despair during th巳 sevenweek' s silence She sends a lett巴rbeginning with It occurs to me to inquire what you have been doing with yourself for the last month or two?" (339). Lucy is for the Brettons an acquaintanc巳whomthey happen to remember and she passively waits the chance.
The Brettons do not neglect social framework even in this foreign coun‑ try. Lucy feels dissatisfaction with the Brettons' narrow social scope， though she is reluctant to admit her dissatisfaction. When they esteem someone， they never forget his or her social qualiti白 Lucywithout prop‑ erty， family and beauty has no possibility of becoming a Bretton. Dr. J ohn regards Lucy merely as a kind confidante for his love first for Ginevra and secondly for Polly. Mrs. Bretton does not think it objectionable that Lucy and her son appear in public without a chaperon.
Lucy does not welcome the quietness of the Bretton's household so wholeheartedly丘sshe did when she was fourt田 n.Th巴peaceof the quiet little chateau" (228) is maintained by eliminating all the excessive. Dr
46 Villette John precisely grasps the limit to the amount of work he can handle with‑ out日xhaustinghimself; 1 often saw him hard‑worked， yet seldom over‑ driven; and never irritated， confused， or oppressed. What he did was accomplished with the eas巴andgrace of all sufficing strength" (246). Mrs Bretton is never wont to make a fuss about any person or anything"
(217). The delight of meeting Lucy after ten years' separation is expressed with only one kiss by Mrs. Bretton:. . • she preferred all sentimental dem‑ onstration in basrelief" (221) The Brettons take car巴 notto embarrass others. To keep moderation is the Bretton's concept of delicacy. In Mme Beck's school， Lucy must wear a stone mask suppressing all feelings; others directly show hostility or rivalry to her. So Lucy at first enjoys this delicacy. At La Terrasse human contact is possible; only people are re‑ quired to avoid excessive expression of feelings to keep tr且nquility.Yet soon Lucy cannot hide from herself a discontentment with the friends of whom but moderate demand of affection was to be made， of whom but moderate expectation formed" (223).
Lucy persuades herself not to disclose her inner agony to the Brettons， for it is excessive to these moderate people. She gives up recounting her painful mental experience to Mrs. Bretton， to whom it is beyond under‑ standing: Into what a new region would such a confidence have led that hale， serene nature!" (226). To Dr町 John， she once shows an indication of her pains only to repent of the ac .tWeary of Dr. John's admiration of Ginevra， Lucy declares his d巴lusionwith much excitement. Her explosion has no emotional response. Dr. John condemns himself silently showing
"no bad feeling， no malice， no rancour， no littleness" (238). His unchang‑
ing politeness makes Lucy realize her deviation from the Brettons' delica‑ cy. Lucy thinks it necessary to compensate for what she now calls cul司
Striking the Rock: Repression and Revelation of Feeling in Villette 47 pable vehemence" (238) by accepting th巴roleassigned by Dr. John， a pa‑ tient confidante. Her natural outburst is thus inseparable from a sense of guilt in the Brettons' household.
Though not a stone face， Lucy's quiet and regulated surface in the pre‑ sence of the Brettons is also a deceptive mask. Lucy suffers from more se‑ vere pains of self‑repression in her involvement with this family than in h巴rsolitude in Mme Beck's school because of her strong feeling for Dr. J ohn. In Volume II Lucy decidedly takes reason， which restrains feeling， as her εnemy町1tis described as "vindictive as a devil" or envenomed as a step‑mother" (287). This sev巳rityin description reflects th巴 intensityof her inner revolt. Lucy longs for the day when the waiting waters will stir" (224)， and her feeling will find an outlet. After retuming to the pen‑ sionnat， her suppressed feeling is projected onto the ghost of the nun， which predicts the fate of her love to be buried alive. Finally Lucy has to put her strongly‑adherent affection" (317) into words to appease frustr昌ー
tion， though the letter is never s巴ntto Dr. J ohn.
Lucy is tom between the impulse of self‑expression and the necessity of self‑repression. The two pictures at a gallery display both extr巴mes.The Cleopatra，" who exposes her fat naked body to the public， is a direct de‑ monstration of sexual and material desires. Lucy finds no human dignity in the picture and is disgusted by it. A set of four pictures titled La vie d'une femme" also evokes昌 deepantipathy in her. The four women lose all personality and energy by submitting themselves to what a society d
←
mands of their sex.
The performance by an actress called as Vashti presents Lucy with a model of self‑expression. Vashti in Esther has dignity and pride enough to refuse King Ahasuerus' command to show her b巴autyto the people. She is
deprived of the place of Queen for the refusal. The actress enacts Vashti's agony before Lucy's eyes:
It was a marvellous sight: a mighty revelation It was a spectacle low， horrible， immoral. (322)
If Lucy wishes to conform herself to the social values which the Brettons observe， she should esteem the performance as low， horrible， immoral."
But the intensity， frenzy and cruelty of Vashti's struggle against pain is too true for her to deny. She discovers even divinity in i .tWe first se巴her irritation towards Dr. John's calmness:
. for what belonged to storm， what was wild and intense， dangerous， sudden， and flaming， he had no sympathy， and held wit it no communion. When 1 took time and regained inclination to glance at him， it amus巴dand enlightened me to discover that he was watching that sinister and sovereign Vashti， not with won‑
der， nor worship， nor yet dismay， but simply with intense curios‑ ity. Her agony did not pain him， her wild moan ‑ worse than a shriek ‑ did not much move him; her fury revolted him some‑
what， but not to the point of horror. Cool young Briton! The pale cliffs of his own England do not look down on the tides of the channel more calmly than he watched the Pythian inspiration of that night. (324)
Dr. John's stability is identified with inflexibility. Pain is an integral part of her true self. Yet there is no possibility for Dr. J ohn to appreciate Lucy' s ex‑ pression of true self， for he shuts his eyes to anything beyond his experi‑ ence， to sublimity beyond moderation. Here Lucy does not r巴proachher‑ self for her sympathy with the excessive. It is Dr. J ohn who is to be blamed for his narrow world view
Striking the Rock: Repression and Revelation of Feeling in れllette 49 Dr. John's new love for Polly is the direct cause of Lucy's giving up her love， but she herself finds it difficult to endure her state of a being inoffensive as a shadow" (394). The aurora borealis connects the burial of her feeling with the experience one year ago ~ the departure from her home parish after Miss Marchmont's death. Lucy re‑liberates herself from the English society where she remains obscure， this time not from necessi‑ ty but from her own wil l.She now understands its limitation. Though it is a painful fact， Lucy without natural advantages has little hope to attain selιfulfilment in this society.
The marriage of Dr. John and Polly assures Lucy of this limitation. Af‑ ter Ginevra's brilliant and vivacious charm is brok巴n，Dr. J ohn swings around to the more profound charm of a quiet and modest girl but with wealth and station. Though quiet and modest， a woman without such so‑ cial advantages is passed over. Lucy observ目 thatDr. J ohn is keenly con‑ scious of social estimation about his choice:
. to satisfy himself did not suffice; society must approve ~ the world must admire what he did， or he counted his measures false and futile. In his victrix he required all that was here visible ~
the imprint of high cultivation， the consecration of a careful and authoritative protection， the adjuncts that Fashion decrees， Wealth purchases， 昌nd Taste adjusts; for these conditions his spirit stipulated ere it surrendered. (464)
Polly makes up her mind after she gains from Lucy the assuranc巴thatDr John honorably performs the duties as a doctor and as a son. Their mar‑ riage principally aims at social acceptance. This is why social conditions precede feeling. In such circumstances less priviledged people like Lucy have very little chance for emotional fulfilment. They are not counted
among those who deserve to receive psychological support from others. Lucy complains of Dr. John's disregard for her emotional signs: He wanted always to give me a r61e not mine. Nature and 1 opposed him. He did not at all guess what 1 felt: he did not read my eyes， or face， or ges‑ tures; though， 1 doubt not， all spoke" (395). Even Polly， who Lucy be‑ lieves undestands what Lucy is nev巴rthinks of possibility that Lucy could be her rival， and from good will offers her the position of compan‑
ion. Lucy is destined to live as a bright lady's shadow" (371) in this soci‑ ety. To live in harmony with others has no meaning to Lucy and to Char‑ lotte Bronte unless emotional need is fulfilled. So Lucy leaves this socie
ty， seeking a person who hears her int巴rnalvoice.
When Lucy buries Dr. John's letters， the nun reappears. This time Lucy does not esc品pe;she faces the ghost and even tries to touch it. When the nun flees into shrubs Lucy calls to h巴r: Ifyou have any errand to me， come back and deliver it'" (371). This speech is significant in the sense that Lucy urges the symbol of her agony to speak out its need. Lucy's complaint about Dr. John quoted above suggests that she has had no in‑ tention of expressing herself in words. She suffers from inferiority com‑
plex呂bouther language. Against her impulse of self‑expression， reason says: pain， privation， penury stamp your language'" (286). Vashti's performance， however， hints to her that such agoni田 mightexpress lofti‑ ness of soul. To her regret Dr. J ohn has no taste for the expresssion. Yet in the last chapter of Volume II， Lucy assures herself of the existence of a man who can understand the signs of her pain. 1t is M. Pau. l
During the evening conversation at the Hotel Crecy， Lucy is annoyed with Dr. J ohn' s compulsory entreaty to play the part of officious soubrette in a lov巴 drama"(396). Hearing Dr. J ohn say Do content me， Lucy，'"
Striking the Rock: Repression and Revelation of Feeling in Villette 51 M. Paul misunderstands and whispers to Lucy that she is a coquette丘nda savage with la flamme a 1'ame， l'eclair aux y巴ux"(396). Lucy at 1ast ex‑ plodes: Oui; j'ai la flamme a 1'ame，巴tJ巳doisl' avoir! ，"(396). F or the first time Lucy voices her right to expect delicacy from others. Dr. J ohn just 1aughs and jests at M. Paul's words， without noticing Lucy's eyes full of tears. On the other hand M. Pau1 1ater comes up to Lucy to beg forgive‑ ness， seeing her eyes humid and her cheeks hot. Lucy says that she is not angry at his words. M. P呂ulcontinues: Then you are worse than angry
‑ grieved. Forgive me， Miss Lucy'" (399). If ever anyone， including Dr. John， notices Lucy's depression， no one is aware of Lucys gn巴f，no one imagines that Lucy is deeply hurt under the qui巴tand calm surface町 After the reconciliation， Lucy f田 lsthat M. Paul's visage changes from a mask to a face" (400). This means that Lucy finds丘posibi1ityto achieve true communication with him， without wearing any masks.
It is also for the first time that Lucy speaks of fire in h巳rself.Fire is a recurrent image of passion in this nove1 and is a common attribut巳 of Lucy and Paul. Ther巴aremany characters who have light in their巴yes.A
momentary gleam" (493) flashes in P色reSi1as's eyes when he re1ates M.
Paul's romance to Lucy. Mme Beck gaz巴sLucy with its hard ray like a stee1 stylet" (600)， trying to take M Pau1 away from her. As these exam‑
ples suggest， the gleam in the eyes is a trait of manipulators. Dr. J ohn is not an exception. The narrator often refers to many且suddenray levelled from the irid" of Dr. J ohn's (219). His eyes sparkle when he perceives women's admiration for him. He watches Mme Beck， who calls him to come to see a child pretending to be sick， with a shrewdly sparkling eye"
(119). Lucy finds a new sort of light sparkling in his eyes" (311) when he mirthfull y tries to品scertainhow much Lucy cares for his 1etter. Spark1e
52 Villette does not turn into fire because he has no intention of responding to these admirations. He utilizes Mme Beck's favor to approach Ginevra. A1so he knows that Lucy will do all that she can to satisfy him.
Fire requires self‑exhausion; those who have fire in themse1ves experi‑ ence pain. On1y once Lucy sees fire in Dr. John's eyes. This is when he is disillusioned with Ginevr旦atthe concert. Then his heart b1巴edsbut the in‑ Jury lS a 1ancet‑prick that will hea1 in a trice" (276). Dr. J ohn perfectly commands the passions， or rather， his passion is weak enough to be mas‑
tered without any exhausting effort" (276). Lucy's prototype， Miss Mar‑
chmont found th巳 objectof her fee1ings， strong and concentrated" (47) Lucy's first choice is wrong because Dr. John does not have capacity to receive such intense fee1ings. 1t is symbolica1 that in the fire scene at the theater the accident which b10cks the fulfi1ment of Lucy's 10ve occurs. The fire functions as manifestation of her passion， evoked by her deep sympathy with Vashti's agony. Then Dr. John escapes from Lucy， finding a girl who can constrain her passion within socia1 decorum13
M. Pau1 a1so has "that b1ue yet 1urid flash" (367) in his eyes and is the most oppressive manipu1ator of a1 1.His concept of 10ve， or friendship" as he calls it， is checking， regu1ating， and keeping down" (455). Lucy deter‑ mines not to be too submissive" (455). So the process of their deepening love in Vo1ume 1II is a sequence of power‑games. We frequently find bat‑ tle terms such as attack，"battery，"fail" and triumph." Both of them recognize flame in the other's eyes， to which they are attracted and for which they repulse each other. A1though there are interva1s of reconci1ia‑ tion， eterna1 peace， harmony， and tranquility are irrelevant to their love. She cannot help exp10ding against his unjust misunderstanding and is weary of his tenacious jealousy. Lucy， however， never hates M. Paul. She recog‑
Striking the Rock: Repression and Revelation of Feeling in Villette 53 nizes pain behind the flame in his eyes. His love of power， . . • an巴ager grasp after supremacy" (439) seems to her absurd， annoying and even ludicrous， but something touches her enough to draw tears. Lucy observes that M. Paul flees where he cannot outshine and is always somewh昌tshy in meeting the advances of the wealthy" (388). He also experienc巴smorti‑ fication which socially less previledged people fe巳1and compens呂tesfor the pain by displaying his ability and authority: . he was too natural to conceal， too impulsive to r叩resshis wish. Well! if 1 blamed his over‑ eagerness， 1 lik巴dhis naivete" (388).
One brilliant moment of their reconciliation is initiated by their discov‑ ery of a common sign of pain: the nun. Both find that the other has the painful experience of having buried a feeling alive as the nun was. Hither‑ to M. Paul shows a great antipathy towards Lucy's fire， for he fears it might scorch him while she r巴mainsinvulnerable. Yet her fear of the nun implies that she has experiened the self‑desturctive power of passion so intense as to deprive her ofa sense of reality. He rejoices at their affinity: Yes， you were born under my start'" (460). From this time he stops the jealous attack against her fortitude.
When Lucy witnesses the nun with M. P且ul，she does not know what meaning he attaches to the ghost. This is revealed by P色reSil回 wh巴n Lucy is asked by Mme Beck to go on an errand to Mme Walravens's. Soon Lucy is aware that this is a scheme by the three to make Lucy give up M. Pau 1.P色reSilas portrays M. Paul to Lucy as a Christian hero with a deep devotion to the dead nun Justine Marie. A doubt arises in Lucy;
M. Paul might have the role imposed by the three as she was by her En‑
glish acquaintances; he is bound by the values which he has been edu司 cated to believe perfect and true. M. Paul draws Lucy from the innert life
among the English by stirring up fire in herself. 1t is now Lucy's turn to liberate him from old restrictions.
M. Pau1 is manipu1ated by the three to see Lucy through Catholic pre‑ judices. Lucy finds it necessary to voice her true self: Monsieur， sit down; listen to me. 1 am not a h巴athen，1 am not hard‑hearted， 1 am not un christian， 1 am not dangerous， as they tell you; 1 wou1d not troub1e your faith; you b巴lievein God and Christ and the Bib1e， and so do 1問 (524).By this point Lucy has 1earned to respond when she is spoken to， instead of withdrawing into si1ence. Yet sh巴 isstill 1acking in the posi ti veness to call the attention of others' to hersεlf in order to fulfill her n巴eds.This passivity turns out to be a critica1 obstacle for h巴r10ve when Mme Bec ，k Pere Si1as and Mme Walravens embark on separating Lucy and M. Pau1 with more direct means. Hearing the news that M. Pau1 has quit the schoo1 and will soon 1eave Europe， Lucy spends a week of suspense and agitation without trying to make any contact with him: To follow， to seek out， to remind， to recall ‑ for these things 1 had no facu1ty" (554). At M.
Paul's farewell visit to the class， Lucy falls into mora1 para1ysis ‑ the tota1 defau1t of self‑ass巳rtion"(556) behind Mme Beck's amp1e drappery
1t is her intense pain that gives Lucy the power to overcom色suchpas‑ sivity. Lucy has 10ng admired thos巴whocandid1y express what they fee1; pralslllg M. Pau1 for his naivete and even Ginevra for her honest p1ain‑ ness" (384). She first achieves her fell candour'" (560) when Mme Beck again tries to usurp the opportunity which Lucy believes th巳1astone to meet M. Paul. Crying， Dog in the manger!'" (559)， Lucy shows h巳r hatred towards Mme Beck and with its intensity comp巴lsher to retreat Next day her growing pain surpasses the effect of the opiate with which Mme Beck drugged her. 1t is natura1 that Villete which Lucy wanders a‑
Striking the Rock: Repression and Revelation of Feeling in Villette 55 bout with the aching heart should be one blaze" (565)， a manif巴stationof passion with pains. Her imagination liberated from rational constraint pre‑ sents her with a pageant of pains she has suffered in this town. First Lucy recognizes the happy company of the Brettons and de Bassompierr巴s.Mrs Bretton is heard to expr巳ssher regret at not bringing Lucy here. With all their good intention， they did not actually bring her here. Lucy is昌person who is recalled at the mercy of their capnclOUS memori巴s. Lucy also meets with the whole force of that full， bule， steadfast orb" (571) of Dr. J ohn's， to which she had long submitted. Yet these are the pains that Lucy has alr巳adymanaged to overcome、Leavingthe seat near the company， Lucy gives us her impression that the night's drama was but begun， that the prologue was scarce spoken" (572). She is right， for soon after， sh巳en‑ counters three actors who contribute to her pr巴sent旦gony: Mme Beck， P色reSilas and Mme Walravens. Then lit by the flame of flambeau， th巳
source of her agony， th巴ghostof J ustine Marie， appears accompanied by M. Paul. Lucy recognizes the figure as his god司daughter，but that Lucy jumps to the conviction of their engagement reflects her jealousy of the Justine Marie in M. Paul's mind.
At this point the ghost of the nun no longer stands for Lucy's buried feeling for Dr. J ohn. It is J ustine Marie th品tis manipulated by the three to have effect on M. Paul. So when Lucy finds the nun in her bed after the adventure， she rushes at it， tears it up and treads upon it to discover the phantom is且mer巴 dol1:allthe movement was mine， so was all the life， the reality， the substance， the force" (587)
Now Lucy has enough courag巳 toface her agony. By expressing pain outwardly， she liberates herself from phantom vision which her pain with no outlet creates. When Mme Beck int巴rferesin the last interview， Lucy
56 k: Villette cries with gush of tears:
brings Lucy consolation not from her morbid fancy but from real sub‑ stance， M. Paul:. • • my heart is pained what 1 see; it must have and give solace'" (601). In the chapter named Faubourg Clotilde' we are shown that Lucy is convinced of his love by receiving substantial solace from him after putting her pain into words. She talks of all these weary days"
(600) which she spent without hearing anything of him， and M. Paul gives her a proof that he is a firm friend， that is， an apartment which he prepared for Lucy to open her schoo .lLucy relieves herself from a haunting dread of her appearence by securing an answer which . . . profoundly satisfied"
(603) from him. Finally Lucy utters her innermost agony， her jealousy over
J
ustine Marie:1 want to tell you something，" 1 said; 1 want to tell you all."
Speak， Lucy; come near; speak. Who prizes you if 1 do not? Who is your friend， if not Emanuel? Speak!"
1 spoke. Al1 leaped from my lips. 1 lacked not words now;
fast 1 narrated; fluent 1 told my tale; it streamed on my tongue. (611)
Her language， stamped with pain， privation， penury" (286)， has now prop‑ er expression町 Lucy'sstone face is struck and Meribah's waters gush out in the form of speech. This complete revelation of her self leads M. P旦ul to be true to himself， too. He declares his love and proposes to her. This is the most substantial solace that Lucy has ever had and that she is to re‑ member until her hair turns white.
M. Paul provides Lucy with丘refugefrom influences menacing to her. Yet it is almost certain that he himself should lose his .life through per‑
Striking the Rock: Repression and Revelation of Feeling in 防llette 57 forming the duty" imposed by the others. Villete is realistic in the sense it does not exclude evil powers from the world where its heroine s巴ttlesin the end. This story ends with a report of happy lives of Mme Beck's， P色re Sitas's and Mme Walravens's， which implies that Lucy， if not directly， has some contact with them even after her independence. If M. Paul should come back safely， it is quite doubtful whether they willlet him go as they promised
The marriage of M. Paul and Lucy is not realized until th巳ydiscard all the duties and roles that soci日tyexpects them to perform. On the other hand both wish to be restrained by something， lest imagination should run riot and bring phantom， lest passion should fl旦reso violently as to destroy their selves. 1t is possible that in their marriage each expects the other to suppress， while rejecting complete surrender. We can easily foresee a re‑ petition of power struggles.14 As far as this story stands on the assumption that one cannot be true to the self in social framewor ，kth巴heroin巴cannot secure a home of repose and peace with another.
Considering the harsh ending brought by Charlotte Bronte's rej巳ctionof society， it is inevitable that this work is， as Mathew Arnold commented， full of hunger， rebellion and rage." Yet Charlotte Bronte's ultimate theme
lS not hunger， rebellion and rage." Society demands that Lucy suppress her feelings. In this story， as we have seen， Lucy expresses her hunger， rebellion and rage" in order to prove that she is not one of the stone peo‑ ple; that her feeling needs an object. When she reveals this need with can‑ dor， M. Paul responds. Lucy is convinced of M. Paul's profound love The same process is repeated in this narrative. Lucy， whose hair now lies
white under a white cap" (55)， puts her past hunger， rebellion and rage"
into words. It is probable that Lucy has put on a stone mask as h巴rpubilc
self after M. Paul's death. Her emotional self again needs expression and she writes th巳 novel.Through telling her story， Lucy affirms what has given her solace and encouragement for living in loneliness. It is the memory of M. Paul's love. And what we readers are expected to draw from this story is Lucy's deep gratitude to him
Notes
1. Char10tte Brontと ToGeorge Henry Lewes，" 12 Jan. 1848， letter 340 of The Brontes: Their Lives， F:門endshipsand Correspondence， ed. Thom呂sJames Wise and John Alexander Symington， 4vols. (Oxford: Shakespeare Head Press， 1932)，2 179‑80.
2. Tony Tanner，Introduction" to Villette (Harmondsworth， Middlesex: Pen‑ guin Books， 1979) 49
3. I owe to John Bayley th巴ide且thatJane Austen's characters have mental freedom because Austen regards social constraint as the condition of life accepted， uncomplained of." He says . Jane Eyre， Dorothea and others are constricted， as personalities， by the imagined world into which they are pro‑ jected. They are too busy responding to a created environment to have a free and irresponsible mental life." (John Bayley，The 'Irresponsibility' of J ane Austen，" Critical Essays on Jane Austen， ed. B. C. Southam [London: Rougledge
& Kegan Paul， 1968]13‑14).
4. Mark Kinkead‑Weekes compares Mansfield Park with Jane Eyre from the view of the relationship betw巴enheroines and Great Hous巴s.Mark Kink巴ad‑ W巴ekes，ThisOld Maid: Jane Austen Replies to Char10tte Bront邑andD. H Lawrence，" NCF 30 (1975)
5. Char10tte Bronte， Villette， ed. Margaret Smith and Herbert Rosengarten， The Wor1d's Classics (New York: Oxford University Press， 1984). All quot且tlOns from Villette are taken from this edition. The page references appear in pa匂 rentheses in the text
6. To George Smith，" 26 Mar， 1853， letter 837， 4: 56
7. Lucy tells us that she comes from the same social station as Mrs. Bretton her degree was mine" (216)
8. See Helene Mogl巴n，Charlotte Bront田吉， The Self Conceived (Wisconsin: The
Striking the Rock: Repression and R巴velationof F eeling in Villette 59 University of Wisconsin Press， 1984) 203.
9. Karen Lawrence states that travel makes Lucy's role丘sdecorder and as sign more act1ve: Lucy， the foreigner， is likely to be scruitinized， to be read' by others， and to impress them with her foreign character.'. . how巴ver，this in‑ creased focus on Lucy as sign to be interpreted is a mixed blessing， for， par‑ ticularly in a foreign culture， Lucy is misread." (Karen Lawrence，The Cypher: Disclosure and Reticence in Villette，" NCF 42 (1988]: 463).
10. Terry Eagleton， 11今thsof Power : A Marxist Stud.旨ofthe Brontes (London;
Macmillan， 1975) 65
11. Robert B. Heilm昌nargues that Charlotte Bronte was alw昌ysconcerned with the distInction between an imagin呂tionwhich falsified reality by cr巴atmgspe cious comfort or needless fear， 品ndimagination which intuited truth." (Robert B. Heilman孔，lし
12. cf. Charlotte Bronte's another criticism of J品neAusten， in which she blames J ane Austen for not describing any W且rmth and enthusiasm." To W. S Willi丘ms，"12 Apr. 1850， letter 544， 3: 99
13. Thanks to a good fortune， Polly has not experienced the disappointment and pain which awaken her true self and draw her out of the social framework Kate Millett states that Polly at nineteen is still a mental infant: Even (Lucy] is fond of her from time to time， but she is also appall巴dthat society' s perfect woman must be a cute preadolescent." (Kate Millette， Sexual Politics (London;
互呂rt‑Davis，1971]143) 14. See Tony Tanner 34
