August 28, 2012
Dear Diary:
Let me preface this entire entry by saying this: Katherine (Katy, Kate, etc.) is really beginning to grow on me. I like her much, much better now than I first did, and it has been lovely watching her grow and mature throughout the course of her journal entries.
That being said, Chapter Seven began with Katherine and her mother having a conversation regarding the merits of being able to indulge in "frivolous pleasures," such as piano playing, singing, and drawing; and whether or not they detract from the ability to be spiritually attentive. It was an interesting discussion, and I liked her mother's response---that it is vastly importance to find a good balance between pursuing God through studying and indulging in fine arts/other healthy pastimes. I do wish, however, that her mother (or pastor or friend) could have brought up the idea that creating art and playing music and other forms of creativity are some of the best ways we as humans are able to glorify God, because we were made in His image and our impulses to create are an echo of His own creation of the universe. In this chapter, we were also introduced to Katherine's aunt (who is a lovely woman, by the way), and a reappearing man who has now been given a name: Dr. Elliott. I sensed that romantic tension was very likely near on the horizon for our narrator, and sure enough; my thoughts were confirmed by a declaration of affection by the end of the chapter.
Chapter Eight began by revealing Katherine's wild, emotional confusion after Dr. Elliott's declaration of love, which I think was a perfectly normal response of shock for her to have. She is at first very much confused and vexed, but then she slowly---even as she returns home to her mother, and does not see the doctor very often anymore---realizes that she erred in speaking so quickly and rashly. Katherine's slow shift in perception of Dr. Elliott reminded me very much of the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett in Pride & Prejudice, and I enjoyed it a lot. This chapter also described Katherine's continuing struggle to live like Christ and give in less to worldly emotions and reactions, but it made me happy to read that she was feeling as if she were on a deep sea of peace.
Chapter Nine set the stage for future dramatic events by starting with Katherine explaining that her aunt and uncle are to go on holiday for her uncle's health, so she and her mother are to mind their home and care for the children. This allows for some very awkward/heightened tension between Katherine and Dr. Elliot, and it even comes to the point where both respond hurtfully to the other (Katherine was rude to the doctor regarding her mother, and Dr. Elliott made a jab at Katherine's compassion and empathy). The way in which Mrs. Embury approached Katherine with the matter of a relationship with Dr. Elliott also reminded me of Pride & Prejudice; except that in this scenario, Mrs. Embury was encouraging a relationship and wasn't quite as scathing as Lady Catherine of Jane Austen's novel. It was interesting to learn that Dr. Elliott was a very good speaker, but even more interesting to observe Katherine's reaction (and how it causes her to yearn for the doctor even more). A poor little girl, one of the Katherine's cousins, gets badly burned from a fire, but she ends up being okay. Katherine finds out that the woman she was jealous of seeing on Dr. Elliott's arm was his sister (I honestly expected as much), and I thought the last bit of the chapter (in which Katy/Kate have discussions on everyday moral choices and obligations), was done very well.
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