Chapter 6: Joshua

            A lot of life altering thing happened to Jeanette in this chapter. Jeanette’s relationship is clarified. Unfortunately, what I feared happened. After telling her mother some of what was going on between her and Melanie, her mother promptly informed the church and together persecuted the both of them until they gave in and repented. To me, this was an unbelievable betrayal on her mother’s part. However, it wasn’t until her mother burned her letters and personal notes that Jeanette considered it a betrayal, which I think was a bit late but can see where she was coming from. Telling the church might have been subconsciously expected. However, going into her room and burning her things could be considered a more personal kind of attack and betrayal. I think this was a major cause for Jeanette’s realization that her mother is not always right, “In her head she was still queen, but not my queen any more, not the White Queen any more. Walls protect and walls limit. It is in the nature of walls that they should fall. That walls should fall is the consequence of blowing your own trumpet.” (Winterson 127) At this moment Jeanette affirmed to herself that her mother was no longer her queen, worthy of her loyalty and trust. I think this quote works on multiple levels to illustrate what happened in that scene. First it alludes to the relationship dynamic between Jeanette and her mother. As a queen and follower, Jeanette obeyed her mother and let her dictate her life, satisfied with no status quo. The walls that closed her in were safe and familiar. The queen blowing her own trumpet, her mother betraying her to the church, tore down those walls and liberated Jeanette, at the cost of the trust between them.

            A major scene in this chapter, on pages 116 to 121, starts off innocently enough. Jeanette is with Melanie when they make plans to go to church together. It is at church where things take a turn for the worse. There relationship is revealed to the horrified congregation. They “have fallen under Satan’s spell.” (Winterson 118) Is one of many accusations thrown at the two lovers. Melanie promptly capitulates, Jeanette runs out of the church to a waiting Miss Jewsbury. At miss Jewsbury’s house they talked before eventually sleeping together. In the scene itself Jeanette describes her interaction with Miss Jewsbury as ‘making love,’ however, I argue that Jeanette was not in the right frame of mind for that kind of act. Jeanette herself described it as “We made love and I hated it and hated it, but would not stop.” (Winterson 121) Miss Jewsbury took advantage of her during a time of emotional turmoil, another kind of betrayal from someone she trusted. This scene described a huge turning point for Jeanette. Multiple betrayals in the form of her mother’s loose lips, Melanie’s incapability to stand up for her, and Miss Jewsbury taking advantage, forced Jeanette to learn multiple lessons about life and who to trust.