Charlotte's parents seem to possess considerably respectable personalities. Charlotte's mother, Lucy Eldridge, is "everything that is amiable and lovely," and Mr. Temple, though exceptionally benevolent, is "warm," "impetuous," and "unacquainted with the world." "His heart had not been rendered callous by being convinced of [the world's] fraud and hypocrisy." Her parents are reminiscent of those in many of the magazine articles we've read: practically perfect in every way, an 18th century Cleaver couple... or are they? It seems characteristics of each could have, at least indirectly, contributed to Charlotte's "fall." After all, her innocence of mind and impulsive decisions cause her to end up in disastrous circumstances--personality traits that one or both of her parents are said to have! Apparently, the old saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" has some validity.
While Charlotte's parents are a good-natured, good-intentioned couple, certain ways in which they chose to raise their daughter also seem to have played a role in her demise. Charlotte, for the most part, is too trusting of people, as seen with her decision to continually meet Montraville, a man with whom she is only mildly acquainted, under "shady" circumstances. Though she seems to know deep down that she's making the wrong choice, the naive part of her personality never fails to overshadow her apprehensive intuitions. Perhaps if her parents had taught her to be more cautious and suspicious of strangers, she would not have ended up in the predicament she did. (Though this might have proved difficult for her parents, since they seem to possess a pretty rose-colored view of the world themselves.)
Taking Charlotte Temple's tale into consideration, it seems some parents should be a bit more liberal with respect to how they choose to educate their children. For example, some couples raise their sons and daughters with a limited knowledge of sex, leaving their kids to "fend for themselves" and obtain knowledge of this nature on their own. However, if kids are brought up with a more extensive understanding of appropriate/safe sexual conduct, etc., they can make intelligent, informed decisions that will likely lead to better outcomes than those that came of Charlotte's choices. After all, knowledge is power!
2 comments:
I liked your point that sometimes it is a mistake for parents to keep their children in the dark about subjects like sex. I have known of sheltered children who grow up and fall into bad situations because their parents never addressed what to do in such circumstances. It may seem an unsavory topic to discuss, but parents need to talk about sex, drugs, etc with their children if they want them to make informed decisions. How can they expect a child to make good choices about such issues if they have not guided them?
great job, lady! i think the point that you brought up is crucial; parents definitely don't always enlighten kids about the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees... trying to keep them TOO innocent is a total demise. it's like the modern day equivalent of abstinence only sex-ed programs... totally antiquated. you can't expect kids to make good decisions when they don't fully understand the consequences of their potential actions. great job making this point!
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