Every single other character in the book, child and adult, says that her father is a tyrant and cruel. Like, in one scene, at a party, a friend of her father's asks her to play the piano and sing something. Elsie says she's too shy, she can't play and sing in front of this many people. The friend says that he withdraws his request, she doesn't have to sing if it'll upset her that much, but then her father says that no, he orders her to play and sing as requested. She's crying so much that she can't see the music or get her voice out, and totally makes a mess of the playing and singing, and her father says that she's humiliated him by performing so badly in front of his guests and sends her to bed without dinner.
Oh, and her father is not a Christian and thinks that Christians are hypocrites, which is one of the reasons that he doesn't particularly like Elsie, because she is a Christian.
OK, Elsie's "logic" is that, since the Bible says to obey your parents, disobeying her father is the same as disobeying God.
One of Elsie's friends tells Elsie that her father is horrible for not allowing her to come visit. Elsie says no, she can't let her friend say that, her father knows best. Her father overhears this and tells Elsie that he doesn't want her seeing this friend anymore, because the friend puts "bad notions" in Elsie's head.
You know, I used to think burning books was bad. I think I'm revising my stance on that with
Elsie Dinsmore,
though.
...really, it sounds like bad Snape fanfic.
Why is anyone supposed to like this character?
Because she's
good.
Her idiotic life as a drippy doormat inspires others to be
good.
I like to think her books served as camouflage for the dime novels the children were really reading.
If Jesus had behaved the way Elsie Dinsmore did, the Apostles would have all been standing around after his arrest saying, "Oh, thank god we won't have to deal with that spineless whiner anymore. Is there any more wine?"
FYI...for those who don't read LJ, I'm essentially going dark until after classes are done. I'm only allowing myself an hour of online time a day, so I doubt I will be able to check in here. Please send good calming and focusing thoughts. I have a lot on my plate.
Good thoughts and calming ~~~ma to vw.
I thought the antibiotic that I took for 5 days would take of the UTI and the bronchitis. NSM. Hope doc will call in another script without having to see me. Otherwise, back to Urgent Care I go. Blah.
Oh, and my officemate says he doesn't like the way the media is demonizing Chris Brown. And he also said that an offhand comment that I made was in poor taste. Dude, you're defending Chris Brown. You so don't get to decide "poor taste."
Dude, you bite someone you're pretty much demonizing yourself.
