A Jewel of Great Cost
English 200c
Dr. Leonard Shlensky
October 30
It has been debated whether or not Franklin Blake’s theft of the diamond is symbolic of the theft of Rachel Verinder’s virginity. Rachel receives the diamond on her eighteenth birthday, a day that is representative of her coming into womanhood and a signal of her availability as a sexual being; it is on this day that she receives her first proposal of marriage. The Moonstone is emblematic of rite of passage and of this new feminine identity which she is expected to assume. It is also symbolic of sexual innocence. A fallen woman was considered unmarriageable and would have no prospects and no future.
Rachel Verinder’s reaction to the theft of her diamond seems to be inordinate and puzzling to everyone, especially people who are close to her. Her mother comments that “the loss of the jewel seems to have turned her brain”(81) and Gabriel Betteredge declares himself “more puzzled by Miss Rachel’s extraordinary language and conduct than words can tell”(87). Clearly, Rachel’s behavior is not only immoderate, but also out of character, which suggests that there is some deeper cause to her distress. She displays revilement and anger towards Franklin Blake and a deep humiliation for still caring about him. She declares that her love is a “shameful weakness”(350) and that “any other woman would shrink from the disgrace of touching him”(350). Even though he has wronged her she shields him and refuses to tell anyone of the crime he has committed, implying that if she does she will also be shamed.
Roseanne Spearman implies in a letter to Franklin Blake that she initially thought that his presence in Rachel’s boudoir as sexual in intent (314). He goes into a woman’s private quarters (symbolic of a woman’s body) to take a jewel of great cost (symbolic of virginity). Perhaps this is a case of rape, and in light of Rachel’s distraught reaction this seems likely. On the other hand, she watches from her door and makes no attempt to stop him (343-345), which could, conceivably, insinuate that she is, in some way, consenting.
As discussed in class, the Shivering Sand is emblematic of female orgasm and the depiction of Franklin Blake’s discovery of his nightgown there also contains sexual imagery. Especially indicative is Franklin Blake’s own description of his search for the truth in the “heaving”(305) quicksand “I own I closed my eyes at the moment when the point of the stick first entered the quicksand...before the stick could have been submerged more than a few inches, I was free from the hold of my own superstitious terror, and was throbbing with excitement from head to foot.”(305) The fact that Wilkie Collins chose to highlight Franklin’s discovery of himself as the thief in such a suggestive scene seems to suggest his intent to highlight the implication that Franklin has stolen much more than a diamond.
Dr. Leonard Shlensky
October 30
It has been debated whether or not Franklin Blake’s theft of the diamond is symbolic of the theft of Rachel Verinder’s virginity. Rachel receives the diamond on her eighteenth birthday, a day that is representative of her coming into womanhood and a signal of her availability as a sexual being; it is on this day that she receives her first proposal of marriage. The Moonstone is emblematic of rite of passage and of this new feminine identity which she is expected to assume. It is also symbolic of sexual innocence. A fallen woman was considered unmarriageable and would have no prospects and no future.
Rachel Verinder’s reaction to the theft of her diamond seems to be inordinate and puzzling to everyone, especially people who are close to her. Her mother comments that “the loss of the jewel seems to have turned her brain”(81) and Gabriel Betteredge declares himself “more puzzled by Miss Rachel’s extraordinary language and conduct than words can tell”(87). Clearly, Rachel’s behavior is not only immoderate, but also out of character, which suggests that there is some deeper cause to her distress. She displays revilement and anger towards Franklin Blake and a deep humiliation for still caring about him. She declares that her love is a “shameful weakness”(350) and that “any other woman would shrink from the disgrace of touching him”(350). Even though he has wronged her she shields him and refuses to tell anyone of the crime he has committed, implying that if she does she will also be shamed.
Roseanne Spearman implies in a letter to Franklin Blake that she initially thought that his presence in Rachel’s boudoir as sexual in intent (314). He goes into a woman’s private quarters (symbolic of a woman’s body) to take a jewel of great cost (symbolic of virginity). Perhaps this is a case of rape, and in light of Rachel’s distraught reaction this seems likely. On the other hand, she watches from her door and makes no attempt to stop him (343-345), which could, conceivably, insinuate that she is, in some way, consenting.
As discussed in class, the Shivering Sand is emblematic of female orgasm and the depiction of Franklin Blake’s discovery of his nightgown there also contains sexual imagery. Especially indicative is Franklin Blake’s own description of his search for the truth in the “heaving”(305) quicksand “I own I closed my eyes at the moment when the point of the stick first entered the quicksand...before the stick could have been submerged more than a few inches, I was free from the hold of my own superstitious terror, and was throbbing with excitement from head to foot.”(305) The fact that Wilkie Collins chose to highlight Franklin’s discovery of himself as the thief in such a suggestive scene seems to suggest his intent to highlight the implication that Franklin has stolen much more than a diamond.
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