The Scarlet Pimpernel
Quote
"The sound of the distant breakers made her heart ache with melancholy. She was in the mood when the sea has a saddening effect upon the nerves. It is only when we are very happy, that we can bear to gaze merrily upon the vast and limitless expanse of water, rolling on and on with such persistent, irritating monotony, to the accompaniment of our thoughts, whether grave or gay"(Orczy 148).
As Marguerite prepares to begin the voyage across the English Channel to arrive in France, she suffers from anxiety and subsequent sleeplessness. In this, as she longs for her distant husband, she finds that something that once might bring joy and peace-- can also bring "irritating monotony," frustration, and melancholy. Additionally, the ocean functions as a symbol of the unknown. As she awaits nearby the shore both now and earlier in the novel, she faces extreme absences of knowledge and gaps litter her understanding.
As Marguerite prepares to begin the voyage across the English Channel to arrive in France, she suffers from anxiety and subsequent sleeplessness. In this, as she longs for her distant husband, she finds that something that once might bring joy and peace-- can also bring "irritating monotony," frustration, and melancholy. Additionally, the ocean functions as a symbol of the unknown. As she awaits nearby the shore both now and earlier in the novel, she faces extreme absences of knowledge and gaps litter her understanding.