Something Off // Haylee Lynd

I don't know if everyone gets the same feelings as I when reading old books or if this post is going to make me seem crazy, but I have the hardest time trusting most of the characters in the novel. Part of this is probably because the story at the beginning is so vague. The novel plays as a movie in my head. In the first chapter, I am an outsider simply watching the happenings in Lincoln Inn Hall. This feeling of being an outsider is strengthened by the fact that I know nothing about the case being fought over. I barely understand the conflict. I know nothing of the parties involved. I have not born witness to the generations who have dealt with this case. Then, the scene changes and I am brought into the story. The narrator is no longer a third party without a name. Now, Esther is telling me the story, and it's her story, so I am brought into the narrative. She describes not only what is happening around her, but her own thoughts. However, this also means I know only what she knows, except I know that she is in a character in a book and books are bound to have a twist. It is this twist that I keep waiting on. Maybe one could argue there are a few twists, but none so large as to rock my world just yet. Mainly, there are contradictions and I think the contradictions are what make my distrust of these characters so great. 

     For instance, Esther talks so much of how she knows she is not clever (III. 9). However, she describes the story in great detail, and her vocabulary and portrayal of the story is extremely clear. Furthermore, she talks down of herself greatly and seems to be so modest, but she goes into great detail describing in great detail all the good deeds she does and all the compliments others give her. 

     Truly, though, I feel distrustful towards Mr. Jarndyce. His name is associated with such a corrupted court case. Yet, he is the most generous man, and he neither expect nor desires thanks. It is odd to me that a man would live in this way. I feel as if something is bound to go wrong or some horrible thing is going to be revealed about him. He simply seems too good. The oddity lies in his obsession and care for these children he has never met, particularly Esther is not related to him in any way, and who he meets in disguise. It simply seems so odd for him to care for her in the same way he cares for the others, seeing as they have come to live with him because they are related, while she has come to be a companion to the girl. 

     Maybe these thoughts come from the intricate weaving of stories and slow revealing of secrets and details. Maybe they come from modern entertainment. I feel like most characters are corrupted or strange in some way. The nice rich people always turn out to have some strange obsession or odd trait that makes them give the way they do, and the obsession or trait is not one an individual would find pleasing. Maybe I am just watching the wrong genre of movies.  There's gotta be something more to John Jarndyce though.

P.S. I commented on Emma Dalgety's and Elijah's posts.