Esther and Lawrie

[bookroom.livejournal.com]

Why does Esther think Lawrie is an ass? And, given how timid and diffident she is, why does she come out and say so in the Tim/Miranda Shepherd Boy altercation during the art lesson in End of Term? It seems so out of character, and all the other characters obviously think so, too.

Just because she's so fond of Nicola and feels she's defending her against an unjust accusation of being unfair in not relinquishing the role of SB to Lawrie? Or because Miranda has put her on the spot and she has to say yes or no to a direct question? Or does she actually think Lawrie is a bit of an idiot? If so, why? Because Lawrie is a performer, when Esther suffers agonies at the mere prospect of doing anything of that nature (apart from netball...), or because Lawrie whines and strops so much when she doesn't get her way, and unlike Esther, makes no effort to hide her incapacities ('I can't light gas. It bangs at me')?

Comments

[oursin.livejournal.com]

Why shouldn't Esther think Lawrie is an ass? She may be quiet and diffident and have crippling public performance anxiety but presumably she is also capable of forming her own opinions. She might not have expressed the opinion without being put on the spot, however.

[bookroom.livejournal.com]

No reason why not. It's just that I don't think we ever see her straightforwardly expressing another opinion. Even when someone catapults her into her worst nightmare - singing solo in public - she automatically says pleased-sounding things because those are expected. She's mostly a passive personality, with sudden lurches into evasive action. She runs away repeatedly - on the train on the way to school, from the Christmas play solos/ to try save Daks, from Nicola's possible wrath after the carol concert solo mess-up - rather than say things.

But more than that, it was the fact that her one roundly-expressed opinion involved Lawrie, who, apart from her acting talent, seems essentially harmless and a bit goofy, even, as well as being generally liked. I can easily imagine her disliking Tim, whose 'neat malice' she has suffered from, but if would have said that, if anything, Esther would be likely to sympathise with Lawrie's fears and fusses about the dark and lighting gas etc.

[penguineggs.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of the school stories concern how various characters react to what I call the Marlow prestige. All of the Marlows have good looks, good intellectual ability and talent at sports. Naturally that's going to produce some jealousy and resentment, but there's another factor.

Some of the Marlows - Nicola, Rowan, Kay in the right circumstances, Ann when it comes to Guides - have a natural ability to command and to command a room. Other Marlows - Ginty and Lawrie - share (possibly to an unwarranted degree) in the expectation that they can do the same - it's a sort of collective Marlow prestige. It means they get noticed when other girls of no less talent or ability (at the things they're being noticed for) aren't. And I think that's what Esther reacts against; specifically because she shares Lawrie's fears, the fact that Lawrie is humoured to a degree she isn't must rankle.

[hooloovoo_42]

Possibly because Esther has suffered Tim, while Tim is best friends with Lawrie, who Tim thinks Lawrie is the bee's knees, Esther thinks Tim is stupid for liking Lawrie, who whines and strops.