"I don't care about fortune: she is a charming creature, and I have made up my mind to please myself... She will have in me a man already pretty well off, and a rapidly rising man, and a man of some distinction: it is a piece of good fortune for her, but she is worthy of good fortune." - Stryver (p. 145)
Stryver seems very sincere here about his love for Lucie, however, he also seems very cocky. when he says "it is a piece of good fortune for her," I think he is acting like she would be lucky to marry him, while in actuality, Lucie is the one with all the suitors, so wouldn't he be the fortunate one?
Also, Stryver gives some advice to Carton as to whom he should marry. He suggests:
"Now, let me recommend you, to look it in the face. I have looked it in the face, in my different way; look it in the face, you, in your different way. Marry. Provide somebody to take care of you. Never mind your having no enjoyment of women's society, nor understanding of it, nor tact for it. Find out somebody. Find out some respectable woman with a little property... and marry her, against a rainy day. That's the kind of thing for you." (p. 146)
While Sydney Carton doesn't give much of a response to Stryver's suggestion, it makes me wonder what Carton might have been thinking of Stryver. If I were him. I would be thinking, is "different" good or bad? What does Stryver really think of me? Or even, is he really my friend? It is clear from the text that Stryver doesn't think very highly of Carton. At the same time however, I feel that Stryver may see Sydney Carton as competition towards Lucie, and that is why he is confiding his feelings for her to him. It almost seems like Stryver is saying, 'Lucie loves me, so marry whoever you want, even if you don't love them, but Lucie is mine.' I found the exchange between these two men very confusing.
Katie, I agree completely with you. Stryver, at least what I think Dickens it trying to portray, seems like he is cocky and know that Lucie will pick him for sure. Stryver also as you said says that Lucy would be lucky to marry a guy like himself which is a very cocky and overconfident thing to say. As you said about what Carton must be thinking, I was was also wondering as I read what Carton must be thinking because for someone who you thought was your friend to say something like that to you, should make yourself question if he really is a friend or not.
ReplyDeleteKatie, I agree completely that everything that Stryver says is him trying to persuade Carton to not go after Lucy. He suggests that he should marry someone who is almost the polar opposite of Lucy. This person would have money and a more stable life, of which Lucy has neither. I also think that Stryver's plan didn't really work mainly because Carton recognized the strategy and ignored him.
ReplyDeleteKatie, I also agree that Carton should question what Stryver really thinks of him. Stryver acts as though Carton is little to nothing, he almost calls him worthless when he states, "You are in a bad way...You don't know the value of money, you live hard, you'll knock up one of these days, and be ill and poor; you really ought to think about a nurse" (146). This is not friendly at all, this makes me confused as to why Carton did not stand up for himself more?
ReplyDeleteGood job showing how over confident Stryver is. I agree he is very full of himself in saying that she would be lucky to have him. He looks down on everyone as if they all need his advice and that is why i dont like him at all. Good post
ReplyDeleteGreat textual support in your post, Katie, but I have to disagree with one of your conclusions. You write that Stryver, "seems very sincere here about his love for Lucie." Is this love? He seems like he loves himself more than he loves Lucie. What do you think?
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