I have a suspicion that I would like to present to the group concerning Charles Williams' DESCENT INTO HELL (which I am thoroughly enjoying by the way, I like creepy)...
First off, I feel I should warn you that I tend to pay very close attention to details, so I am always mindful of the way an author phrases things and the words they choose. As a result, I often run the risk of over-analyzing or reading-too-much into things. That being said, this passage comes from Wentworth's first encounter with "Not-quite-Adela":
"As he came nearer he was puzzled again, as he had been by the voice. It was Adela, yet it was not. It was her height, and had her movement. The likeness appeased him, yet he did not understand the faint unlikeness. For a moment he thought it was someone else, a woman of the Hill, someone he had seen whose name he did not remember (pg.82)..."
After reading this sentence, I instantly thought that "the-new-and-improved Adela" could very easily be Mrs. Sammile in a different form, who I feel qualifies as "a woman of the Hill." On page 57, Mrs. Anstruther informs Pauline and the reader, that no one is quite sure where Mrs. Sammile lives exactly, but we do know that she does, in fact, live and roam (or prey in my opinion) on the hill. From what we know of her character: her disappearing-and-reappearing nature, her mystery, and the "product" she is selling ("free" happiness), she doesn't seem to be quite human. I don't feel any human-being could "sell" what she is selling. And the fact that no one can pinpoint the location of her home, makes her less human and more of a wandering spirit.
Mrs. Sammile's offer to give Pauline everything she desires without the troubles of ever having to consider another person (or simply put, a "perfect, totally satisfying, uninterrupted" life within oneself), can be easily paralleled to the sex-devil's rhetoric, which contributes to Wentworth's further descent into himself. Mrs. Sammile and "not-quite-Adela" are essentially offering the same thing...Hell...or a life within oneself, free of everything and everyone that is not oneself. Is Williams informing the reader, quite faintly, that Mrs. Sammile and "not-quite-Adela" are the same character? I like to think so. And if so, what are the implications, if any, of this idea on the rest of the story? Does it really matter if they are the same or if they are distinct characters? Would anything change?
Hmmm....I don't know.
First off, I feel I should warn you that I tend to pay very close attention to details, so I am always mindful of the way an author phrases things and the words they choose. As a result, I often run the risk of over-analyzing or reading-too-much into things. That being said, this passage comes from Wentworth's first encounter with "Not-quite-Adela":
"As he came nearer he was puzzled again, as he had been by the voice. It was Adela, yet it was not. It was her height, and had her movement. The likeness appeased him, yet he did not understand the faint unlikeness. For a moment he thought it was someone else, a woman of the Hill, someone he had seen whose name he did not remember (pg.82)..."
After reading this sentence, I instantly thought that "the-new-and-improved Adela" could very easily be Mrs. Sammile in a different form, who I feel qualifies as "a woman of the Hill." On page 57, Mrs. Anstruther informs Pauline and the reader, that no one is quite sure where Mrs. Sammile lives exactly, but we do know that she does, in fact, live and roam (or prey in my opinion) on the hill. From what we know of her character: her disappearing-and-reappearing nature, her mystery, and the "product" she is selling ("free" happiness), she doesn't seem to be quite human. I don't feel any human-being could "sell" what she is selling. And the fact that no one can pinpoint the location of her home, makes her less human and more of a wandering spirit.
Mrs. Sammile's offer to give Pauline everything she desires without the troubles of ever having to consider another person (or simply put, a "perfect, totally satisfying, uninterrupted" life within oneself), can be easily paralleled to the sex-devil's rhetoric, which contributes to Wentworth's further descent into himself. Mrs. Sammile and "not-quite-Adela" are essentially offering the same thing...Hell...or a life within oneself, free of everything and everyone that is not oneself. Is Williams informing the reader, quite faintly, that Mrs. Sammile and "not-quite-Adela" are the same character? I like to think so. And if so, what are the implications, if any, of this idea on the rest of the story? Does it really matter if they are the same or if they are distinct characters? Would anything change?
Hmmm....I don't know.
posted by yogeert at 9:35 PM
1 Comments:
Yes, it is interesting that “not-quite-Adela's” offering seems to be very much like what is offered by Mrs. Sammile: they both appear to offer the ultimate happiness, but, in reality, lead only to a hell within the self (the “second death”?).
However, if “not-quite-Adela” and Mrs. Sammile are the same entity, there might be a few problematic issues. First, it seems that the “not-quite-Adela” is a succubus, born out of Wentworth's own longing, creation, and desire. It exemplifies what is Wentworth's withdrawal into himself, and even, in some peculiar way, eventually becomes himself. This self-created delusion comes to a point when Wentworth no longer cares for anything other than his own person. (Yet, strangely, by caring only for himself, he technically loses himself . . . how ironic . . .)
At the same time, Mrs. Lily Sammile is identified as Lilith, that ancient creature (or thing) that has been called Adam's first wife. Lilith (if the “creature” is understood correctly) has existed since soon after the beginning of measured time and, therefore, it does not seem like it is possible for her (it?) to have been a creation of Wentworth's own imagination. (That is, she could not be, unless everything works like the doctrine of substitution in that “time” is not an element; but I think there is more to it than that . . . and even if “time” was not an element, there would still be the disconcerting idea that Wentworth created the succubus himself. At least, it does not seem plausible that Wentworth could have created Lilith . . .)
Interestingly, at one point in the book, the real Adela sends Pauline to get Mrs. Sammile, because she believes Sammile can help her (chapter 11, pg. 202). But, Mrs. Sammile (Lilith) says she cannot come without Adela coming herself. Now, if Lilith and the succubus were the same, it would seem possible that Adela could get from Sammile what she wanted without going to meet her directly. (I do not remember a personal meeting between Wentworth and Sammile to discuss what HE wanted; the succubus just . . . showed up.)
However, it becomes an interesting quandary. If Lilith and the “not-quite-Adela” succubus are not the same (and I am not saying that they could not be), could they be related in some way? May Lilith still have sent “not-quite-Adela” to Wentworth without a formal meeting? Or may it only that Wentworth created his own nightmare without the assistance of Lilith (and, therefore, lacks “the devil made me do it” excuse)?
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