Passage examination

I am examining a passage on pages 12 and 13. Martin had “disliked being married” and so he scratches Bertrande and pulls her hair “all without a word.” This line highlights the extreme youth and immaturity of Bertrande and Martin. The act of scratching and pulling hair are quintessentially childlike, and this is furthered by the fact that Martin uses bullying and not words to express his feelings, another childlike choice.

Bertrande is led into the “Chamber, the room on the opposite side of the kitchen, where stood the master’s bed, now dedicated to the formalities of the wedding.” This sentence builds tension regarding the aftermath of the wedding ceremony. These children are only eleven, and yet they are placed in bed together, thus creating the expectation that the marriage will be consummated. The “formalities of the wedding” seems to be a euphemism for sex. This is furthered by the next line, in which Bertrande’s disrobement and the putting on of her “bonnet-de-nuit” is described in detail. However, the tension dissipates when we read that “in deference to the extreme youth of the bridal couple,” no such sexual act will take place. In creating this expectation and then having it conspicuously fail to come to fruition, the author highlights the disparity between the formality and significance of marriage and the childishness of the bridegroom. One could even argue that in describing this disparity in a somewhat comical way the author is making a political statement against premature marriage.

The children “did not look at each other,” again displaying the awkwardness of this youthful betrothal. Bertrande realizes that “henceforth her life lay beneath [Martin’s father’s] jurisdiction… suddenly and overwhelmingly.” This again seems like a political commentary in which Lewis is expressing an aversion to a system in which the freedom of a girl is taken away at age eleven. “The door closed behind him.” Because it follows right after the previous line, this “door” seems to symbolize Bertrande’s past life, and even beyond that, to symbolize the life she could have led had she not just been married and therefore lost her liberty. “The air was still and dead.” This is the opposite of what a couple wants the night after they are married… The marriage has just begun and already there is a sense of lifelessness to it. The floor is “bare” and the room “unfurnished.” This is all language that contributes to a sense of hopelessness and death, again instilling in the reader a sense that this marriage is not a positive thing. “I am tired of all this business.” I smiled when I read this. It seems as if this childish eleven-year-old is the only one who is able to see the ridiculousness of “this business.” In this case, I think Lewis uses the voice of an innocent, unfiltered child to make a true statement.