Ann: hidden depths, even a dark side?

[oursin.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking a bit lately about Ann, who is the recurrent character whose inner life we know least about - I'm trying to remember if there are any scenes anywhere in any of the books from her pov at all. If her physical resemblance to her siblings wasn't mentioned, one might think that they'd got the babies mixed up at the hospital. On the other hand, she does do classically Marlovian things like being good at games (cf the discussion with her form about throwing the match in The Cricket Term, in which it's assumed that she will be playing, until her ethical position comes into conflict with the general feeling on the subject), and her impressive performance as Mary in the Nativity Play - where she manages compelling stillness and silence; not to mention the general taking charge, being a dorm prefect and probably on the fast-track to Head Girl (she is so the kind of thing Miss Keith likes, though I could, actually, imagine conflicts). Oh yes, and she also plays the piano, well.

Although her selflessness and helpfulness are shown as intensely annoying to her siblings, there's never any doubt that Ann is entirely sincere, and is not one of those characters who recur in the novels of Charlotte Yonge, who are apparent epitomes of virtue but whose spiritual pride leads them to a fall.

Yet, it's a curious insight into her character when, in Peter's Room, she admits to identifying with Charlotte Bronte - it's almost as startling as if she'd confessed to wanting to be Amy March rather than Beth (she must surely regret the lack of modern opportunities to take gruel to the infectious deserving poor). This is an identification which involves completely eliminating Giles and Lawrie from the picture, and killing off Karen and Rowan. Not to mention their mother. Hmmm. And suggests a hidden romanticism at odds with what we thought we knew about her.

Is she really going to placidly continue on to become a nurse? Might she fall victim to a cult? Given the opportunities for women now in the C of E, might she seek ordination? Are there surprises in store?

Comments

[slemslempike.livejournal.com]

I think her ethical position in that match is also very Marlow - although none of the others would be in a form where marks were more important than matches (possibly Karen). It's not quite comparable to Nick's realisation that you can't dolly (?) out the Head Girl when playing her at cricket, but it is very play up and play the game.

And by contrast, I don't know that her performance is really all that typically Marlow. Yes, in terms of her ability to do it (although Rowan claims to have been terrible as Gabriel), but it's not really an assured competence that I tend to associate with the others. She can do Mary because of her spirituality, and I can see her being an earnestly bad actor in another part. By contrast, her sisters would never achieve the stillness as Mary because they think it's the right thing to keep religion private, but would be probably just as good in any other role.

She's rather brave, I think. It can't be easy in a family where your siblings don't like you very much, and are dismissive of just about every effort you make. But she says and does things because she honestly thinks that they're the right thing, even when met with Nick's full-on revulsion.

That said, I wouldn't be particularly tolerant of her if I had to live with her either.

[ex-ajhalluk585.livejournal.com]

I have never been able to get past the Ann who in Run Away Home refuses to lend her bicycle to Nicola because Nicola is going to Latin Mass, and Ann disapproves. That's where the picture of Ann as Martyr suddenly shifted to a picture of Ann as ruthless Jihad executioner. Not that there are many opportunities for that sort of thing these days (and I always think AF's identification of her as a classically woolly-thinking left-winger doesn't quite gell - whatever she is, is not woolly). I think picked up taking Bibles into pre-glasnost Russia, myself.

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

I think Ann's religiosity is presented as smugger than Peter's.

[222blonde.livejournal.com]

i hate to say anything bad about La Forest but I think the problem with the character of Ann - we know so little about her, and what we do know is virtually one dimensional - is that she is AF's antithesis. I get the feeling that AF channelled all the characteristics that mystified, irritated and antagonized her in other people into the writing of Ann. Which explains why there are no scenes written from Ann's point of view, because AF just can't get inside an Ann-type head, nor can she ever empathize with her feelings. To me Ann is not a logical, rounded character, in the way that Peter is, for example.

[owl]

In Cricket Term and Attic Term she shows a few flashes of humanity (snapping at Nicola when she's being helpful, a few snide (for Ann) comments about Ginty). I like that scene in Attic Term where Ginty's sitting on the wall, for some reason (isn't there a bit of that in Ann's pov?)