I have reencountered two works of
literature this week and both encounters have left me disturbed and
reflective. The questions that they have raised dovetail with the
issues raised by Danielle's post on visiting an old slave fort, as I wrote about the other day.
A few nights ago my wife and I watched
the 2011 film version of Jane Eyre, starring Mia Wasikowska
and Michael Fassbender. I do not aim to write a review of the movie
here, but will say that my wife and I both found it enjoyable and
well-done. I had not read the book in many years, so although I was
familiar with the basic plot trajectory, many of the details had
faded from my memory. I will not attempt a thorough explanation of
the plot here so if you are unfamiliar with it, you may find it
difficult to understand some of my comments.
As I watched, the role of religion in
Jane's life struck me quite strongly. Jane is a strong-willed child,
a girl who refuses to simply acquiesce to the expectations of those
around her. This trait brings her much trouble. (And the feminist in
me asks whether a boy demonstrating such behavior would have
experienced the same response. Probably not. But we shall set aside
examining the story from a specifically feminist perspective.) Sent
off to a school for orphans, she enters a world that is disturbing in
the manner and degree to which it seeks to crush the vitality of each
girl sentenced there. This alone would be troubling, but more
troubling still, this school, called the Lowood Institute, is run by
a minister who believes that he operates it in a manner consistent
with instilling godliness in its subjects. As such the girls there
are deprived, abused and dehumanized, all while being preached to and
indoctrinated with the Bible. Religion becomes a tool of oppression
to Jane and the other girls of this prison.
Later, after a period of life in which
she experiences happiness and love for the first time ever, Jane's
world falls apart again and she flees the situation which is
crumbling around her. Her flight brings her to a remote region where,
facing death from exhaustion, she is taken in by another minister,
Mr. St. John, and his two sisters Mary and Diana. In their home she
experiences grace and kindness in the name of the Gospel. At this
point my heart lifted, for I saw faith portrayed at least in some
degree as it should be lived. Through their kindnesses and help
Jane's well-being if not happiness is restored and she resumes life
in new circumstances. However, her fortunes again change, this time
for the better when she inherits a large sum of money. Because of
their kindness to her Jane shares this inheritance with the St. John
family, which allows Mr. St. John to fulfill his own desire of going
abroad as a missionary. At this point the ugly side of religion shows
itself again as he tries to persuade Jane to join him in his mission,
not as a fellow laborer but as his wife. He insists that he knows
what God has called her to and scorns her offer to travel and work
alongside him as a sister but not as a wife.
This second abuse in the name of
religion is not as severe on the surface as that given at the Lowood
Institute, but it strikes me as abuse nonetheless. Although Mr. St.
John is well-intentioned, by asserting his claim to know God's will
for Jane and by expressing scorn for her when she offers an
alternative demonstrate, he discounts her individuality, her wishes
and her own relationship with God. As a man, he assumes that he knows
what is best for her as a woman. As a pastor, he assumes that he has
the spiritual insight and authority to tell her what she should do.
But what gives him this right? And why can he not consider her
viewpoint, her wishes and her desires? What he proposes strikes me as
another form of imprisonment, likely far more benevolent than what
she experienced at the Lowood Institute, but a form of bondage
nonetheless since she would be pressed into it against her own will.
I recognize that Jane Eyre is a work of
fiction and that there is far more to this story than the role that
the Christian religion plays in her life. Nonetheless this particular
aspect disturbs me, because it reminds me once again of how faith,
religion and the Bible are too often used to abuse others rather than
to liberate them and restore them to the fullness of their created
humanity. Jane finds this restoration, but not specifically through
the grace of Jesus Christ expressed through his children. Although
Mr. St. John and his sisters do demonstrate this grace, Mr. St. John
then contradicts it through asserting his own power and will over
Jane.
I do not think this is what Jesus asks
of us. I do not think he wants us to exert power and control over
others, regardless of whether we think and believe that we are acting
in their best interests. In most cases, we must earn the right to
speak into the lives of others. (There may be at times a place for a
prophetic word, but prophetic words in Scripture most often challenge
the abuse of power, privilege and authority, which is not how we most
often think of them in modern Western culture.) We should also
consider carefully whether in our actions which we believe to be in
the best interests of others we are truly affirming and upholding
their dignity. Thankfully I think we have come a long way from the
days of places such as Lowood Institution, but that doesn't mean we
should not continue to examine our beliefs and our actions, lest in
the effort to do good we actually do evil and destroy the image of
God in another person.
I don't think Charlotte Brontë
set out to write a critique of religion, but her novel certainly
challenges me to think again about how I live out my faith. I would
grieve to find when I stand before God that my well-intentioned
actions were in fact abusive and destructive of human dignity,
grieving God's heart. We can easily deceive ourselves, so we need to
listen to the voices of others, both those who affirm us and those
who critique us (both inside and outside the Church), seeking always
to demonstrate the kindness and grace of God through our actions,
rather than to exert power and domination over others in God's name.
In a future post I shall write about my
other recent experience, this one with Arthur Miller's The
Crucible.
No comments:
Post a Comment