Okay, it may have been the time change, or the class after spring break syndrome, but I sensed a little weariness with our old friends at Hollingford. So, in the spirit of the serial, let's do a little predicting.
1. We know there is something ominous and almost sinister about Mr. Preston. What do you think is his deal? What power might he have over Cynthia and why would his moving to the neighborhood make her want to go out to work as a governess? That throwing the flowers into the fire was perhaps the most passionate and spontaneous thing we've seen in the novel (well, Osborne's pursuit of Aimee is pretty sponaneous, but we hear about that via the narrator). Does the text give us any more clues to his personality that we didn't discuss in class?
2. Back to Osborne. What do you think will happen with the little French wife especially after two more references to French-bashing? What might (or should!) make a milque-toast like Osborne stand up for his family??
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I think that at one point in his trip to France, Roger must have had some dealings with Mr. Preston. There is a reason why Mr. Preston doesn't like Roger in particular.. The book mentions something to the fact of Mr. Preston's increase of income and I wonder if Roger has anything to do with that fact. Another theory could be that Roger just isn't impressed with the Hamleys and will treat everyone as equals regardless of their station in life. Wasn't Cynthia in boarding school in Europe? Could she have been a spurned admirer of his? The passion that Cynthia showed towards the flowers demonstates a history between them that we haven't read about yet.
Something has to give in regards to Osborne and his french wife. The only reason that I think Osborne might stick up for his wife and her heritage would be if they had/have children and Roger dies, living his children next in line. One other reason would be if the father or the women in town try to match him up with Cynthia or Molly and it gets to the point where he has to confess. But again, soon we shall see...
Well, besides being a sinister, shady character with shifting eyes, perhaps he and Cynthia had some kind of thing going that she doesn't want anyone to know about. Or she had some thing going with someone that Mr. Preston knows about but she doesn't want anyone else to find out about.
She wants to go out and work as a governess because she can't stand to be around Mr. Preston. I think he might fancy her a bit.
Osborne is such a weasley whimp! But he does seem to really love his secret wife, Aimee. I would say he will do right by her by leaving her in his will or if any other woman tries to come on to him or be set up with him, he might just fess up.
In response to Shelly...
Good point about Cynthia attending school Europe. And the flower incident was pretty fierce, I must say. You are right: she could have been a spurned admirer of his or he could have been a spurned admirer of hers! mmmhhh!
Mr. Preston-mysterious, jealous, obvious, and persistent. He makes it clear that there is something going on between him and Cynthia, but at this point we don't know what. My first reaction to his actions toward Cynthia was that he had deep feelings for her. He was eager to see her before she came to live with the Gibsons, and once she came he jumped on the chance to see her. On the other hand, Cynthia treats Mr. Preston like he is a very bad smell that she cannot seem to get out from under her nose. She throws his flowers into the fire and this can only mean that she has really strong feelings for him-at this point I would call it strong feelings of dislike. I'll make a wild guess and say that the two had a secret affair, Cynthia regretted it, and Mr. Preston is still after her but Cynthia is overcome with guilt and shame that she cannot stand the sight of him. Well that's a theory, anyway.
Now, about Osborne and his French wife. I don't know how Osborne can tolerate so much French bashing and stay quiet. In my opinion, a real man would fess up about his wife and he would stand up for her. If Osborne truly loves this woman, he should stop keeping her a secret. I believe his secret is bound to be found out, but I don't think he's going to give it up willingly. If anything, if he's not forced into a confession due to Mrs. Gibson's persistence of hooking up her daughter with him, I think the secret will slip out from someone else's mouth. Perhaps Roger, who is obviously in love with Cynthia, will accidentally tell Cynthia who will then tell her mother...Either way I seriously doubt Osbourne will say anything just because of the French bashing. He seems to much of a wuss to do that. I don't think he can stand up for his wife. What a shame.
In response to sailorgirl,
I like your ideas of what's going on with Cynthia and Mr. Preston. However, I do not agree with your assessment of Osborne. I would say he really loves his wife, but if you will read my response, you will see why I do not think his love is strong enough. You put much faith in Osborne and his ability to be a good husband. I hope that you are right.
1. I think that Mr. Preston is a creep and perhaps he violated Cynthia in some way in the past. If this is true, then obviously Cynthia would not want to be near him so she would want to move away from the neighborhood. I think that Mr. Preston is pretty controlling and jealous. He gets very upset when he hears that Cynthia threw his flowers in the fire and he even confronted her about it. It seems that with all the social taboos of this time, it would not have been his place to confront her the way he did. For some reason, he feels that he has the power and right to do that.
2. Eventually Osborne's French wife will be revealed to the squire and the rest of society. I think that the squire will get extremely upset like he always does, but he will eventually come to accept it. The one thing that I can think of that would make Osborne stand up for his family would be a pregnancy.
Mr. Preston is in the mob. He moonlights as a reasonably priced hitman, and one of his jobs took him to France. While he was strangling his mark with a piece of piano wire, Cynthia, who'd just gotten off work from a French gentleman's club, came across the grizzly scene while stumbling home at 3 in the morning. Mr. Preston, surprised by Cynthia's unwanted presence, chased the girl down the empty streets of France, screaming obscenities and vowing to kill her. Luckily for Cynthia, she made it back to the school just in the nick of time, but Mr. Preston vowed to one day silence her pretty mouth for good. This is why Mr. Preston is moving to Hollingford (to keep an eye on and to kill Cynthia), this is why Cynthia despises Mr. Preston, and fear of the revelation of her own wild behavior in France keeps her from telling anyone the horrible secrete. This theory is supported by Mr. Preston and Cynthia's behavior at the dance, where Mr. Preston, "made her reply to him" (pg. 288) and when it says, "his face and manner implied power over her." (pg. 289). This may be a stretch for that little bit of information, but trust me - I have an eye for these things. As for the flowers tossed into the fire - poisoned! The flowers were a feeble attempt to get one over on the elusive and wily Cynthia, but she's always one step ahead of Mr. Preston.
As for Osborne... it will all finally come to a head when Squire Hamley, now enjoying a small stream of money via Roger, decides to hold the “Squire Hamley's First Annual F*** the French Festival.” There will be games such as "Flatten the Frog" where several woodland frogs are placed in a pin with the Faces of French leaders taped to their frog faces. Contestants get a mallet and three wacks for a farthing. Also, there will be rides, food, and fun! However, Osborne, forced to attend and dress up in a plush frog suit in which children pay to kick him in the backside, will not act until the later evening’s events. Squire Hamley is the M.C. for the "French Open Mic Bash" (get it? Bash?), no one under 10, it gets a little blue. Anyhow, while performing his practiced "French man screwing in a light bulb" routine, Squire Hamley enrages Osborne, who, sore from so many kicks to the buttocks, storms the stage and wrestles his father to the ground. The two unleash years of pent up frustration and the giant frog and the fat man go tumbling off the stage and began to roll and fight in the mud. Everyone cheers on the violence, some going so far as to place bets (10 to 1 odds on the Frog) and the two continue fighting until, tired and muddy, Osborne confesses to his father the reason for his anger. Squire Hamly laughs hardily and pats Osborne on the back, and then says, "Son, I don't care that she's French, I'm just happy she's a she!" Everyone shares in a good laugh, all the town's people having Osborne pegged as a homosexual, and the scene comes to a heartwarming ending... somehow involving ducks.
In response to Chuck...
(:o !!
I think Mr. Preston may have had some contact with Mrs. Kirkpatrick at some point because I don't see how she could silently stand by and watch him come after her daughter without saying something to him especially since Cynthia does not like him. It may be that she had an affair with him and he is going to threaten to reveal the secret at some point in the future. Whatever the case, he has something very important that he is hiding which has given him enough power and boldness to pursue her no matter what. Clare is not perfect and her character is becoming more suspicious as the novel continues.
As for Osbourne, since he has a child on the way now, I think he may try to pass the child off to his father as the legitimate heir without telling his father that he has a French wife. Of course he can't tell his father that, but he could get his full inheritance if he made it seem as though he had a child by some woman and he was just trying to be a good man and take care of the woman for the sake of his child.
The mystery behind Preston has me at my seat and wanting to get on with the book to find out what makes Cynthia scorn at even his name’s mention. There is an obvious history between the two—or three counting Clare—that creates a sense of discomfort. What I can contentedly predict is that there was encounter between Preston and Cynthia, perhaps while she was at school that creates her uneasiness. Maybe he made a pass at her beauty considering how vain and haughty the man is. A little more far fetched analyses might be that maybe Mr. K wasn’t actually her father, and Preston is. That might explain Clare’s apprehension as well. There’s a lot yet to be answered, and the narrator’s vagueness in the aspect kills me.
Although Roger exhibits more family ties in his actions, Osborne, the supposed heir, also grows in this aspect, in my opinion. Although he is certainly a changed man and continuously shrinks in figure as the days pass, he “was very much improved in manner [and] was no longer sarcastic, or fastidious, or vain, or self-confident” (312). This element of selflessness leads me to believe that Osborne will follow Mr. Gibson’s advice and come clean to the rest of the family about his wife and the coming child. Osborne won’t be able to rely on Roger’s financial help once the bundle comes. With the help of Hollingford friends, Osborne can overcome any social injustices towards his wife’s ethnicity and move on towards redemption. After all, he showed a great deal of maturity in being able to marry the woman that he loved for who she was and not where she was in society.
Oh, I love predicting!
1. Mr. Preston seems to be from Cynthia's past. Perhaps a scorned lover bent on getting her back? He is quick on the tongue and doesn't really seem to think or dwell on what he says after he has said it. Though I don't think he's a particularly bad person, I do think he is mischevious and is out to ruffle feathers. Oh, in the book is mentions that both cythia and hyacinth were affected by him. Maybe, he was with cynthia and the older lady swooped in and went all cougar on him! It kind of fits you have to admit.... Mother sends daughter away, goes after daughters man... scandalous!
2. Osbourne should stand up for his family. I mean, how can he not tell his father and all this time be sucking money out of Roger. Osbourne gets on my nerves. He plays the 'poor pitiful me' card all the time and it is getting old. He needs to step up and be a man by 1. telling his father he's freaking married, 2. get a job of some kind or another, and 3. stop sulking.
chuck,
wow. just... wow. it's amazing! i can't wait for the movie.
In response to Claudia,
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking about Preston and Cynthia, you know, aside from my initial gut instinct that I already posted. I think there is some romantic history between Cynthia and Preston, and with Preston’s recent run in with Roger concerning the drainage project, I predict a conflict coming to a head between Roger and Preston. It will be a gruesome scene between the two men, both fighting for Cynthia’s affection, of which she can never give fully to anyone. Preston will put up a valiant effort to get the best of Roger but will be unsuccessful because, unbeknownst to everyone else, when one becomes a Senior Wrangler they are admitted into the Super Secrete Senior Wrangler School of Ninja Tactics. It was there that Roger honed his skills as a master of the deadly arts and of stealth. The fight ends with Roger killing Preston seven times before he hits the ground, then he sneaks away unseen and unheard…
Claudia, I love the linking of Preston to a stagnant smell. In the book, it made reference to his overwhelming power over her; that’s quite a smell right there. The odor eliminator doesn’t seem to rest with Mrs. Gibson, Roger, Molly, or any of the other acquaintances surrounding her. This situation is getting stickier by the chapter, and I’m eager to see what is making her beautiful face cringe when Preston comes up.
As for Osborne: I don’t quite remember my early comments/predictions of him, but I am beginning to find a little sympathy towards him. You mentioned he’s not a real man yet—and I think I had said that too—because he’s not! The only thing that REALLY bothers me now is that he seems to WANT to be in the doldrums. His poems are probably garbage, his wife is lonely, his father doesn’t speak to him…what more can the man handle? I do feel for him in this sense, but a true leader, a true heir to an estate, would show some leadership in taking control of his life in moving the right direction.
Cicely,
I agree with you on the idea that it was Mrs. Gibson/Hyacinth rather than Cynthia who had personal contact with Mr. Preston. It is a good point that if he had done something to Cynthia, Mrs. Gibson would have been a little more outspoken against him. Perhaps she had an affair with him or he used her for something. Or maybe Mr. Preston had something to do with Mr. Kirkpatrick's death. No matter what he did, it's obvious that it affected both Cynthia and her mother.
As far as I am concerned, Mr. Preston definitely has a hold over both Cynthia and Hyacinth. It’s almost as if the three have some sort of cordial arrangement with regards to Cynthia. Maybe Hyacinth is carrying around a massive secret that Mr. Preston is aware of and in return for his silence has asked for Cynthia’s hand. Hmmm! Chauvinistic charlatan! There is definitely something strange about the relationship the three hold in common. Personally I believe Mr. Preston is hung-up on a power battle and tries to overpower every threat to his very nature.
And Mr. Osborne Hamley! Well, he just makes me sick to my stomach. I believe the Hamleys have spoiled him completely rotten to the point where he does not possess a conscious anymore. How can any man, in his right mind that is, let his younger brother and father take care of not only him, but his wife as well? Osborne is definitely the weaker link and should be dismissed to Winchester indefinitely to develop manly traits. I am not sure if he’ll ever stand-up for his wife. From the text, I am sensing a hope for his unborn child to patch things up with his dad. Ha! I do not believe that the Shire will be affected by such an impulse. Osborne, bring home a baby made with a French woman and see if your father won’t try and disinherit you altogether. Heck, with Shire’s temperament, he might just haul off and sock Osborne one (or maybe take him across his knee and administer a royal whipping to his hide). At any rate, maybe Osborne will surprise me and stand-up for Aimee after a few more French-bashings.
Erin,
I completely agree with your assessment of Mr. Preston. I think his biggest issue is having power over others. How childish and brutish.
And let's just hope Osborne stands-up for his pregnant wife. Hopefully, this will be the orchidopexy needed to descend Osborne's second testicle. It is apparent to the lack there-of.
Ooooh, Mr. Preston. I honestly can't figure out what sleletons are hiding in his closet. I know someone suggested an affair with Hyacinth, but that doesn't make sense to me because Cynthia shows far more animousity than Hyacinth and why would Cynthia been so concerned with her mother's doings? Besides, Mr. Preston is, I believe, much closer to Cynthia's age as he attepmts to be her suitor. Of course that does not erase the chance of an affair with Hyacinth, but Gaskell seems quite proper and refined so something nasty like an affair with someone young enough to marry your daughter just doesn't fit too well. Cynthia was still quite young when she last lived near Mr. Preston, so even him being a stalker doesn't jive too well. I DON'T KNOW!!!
Concerning Osborne's affairs, I just can't figure out what Aimee must be thinking all this time. I would most definitely feel shunned and unloved if I knew my husband was too ashamed to reveal me to his family and instead was okay with living apart from me most of the time, not to mention that he doessn't even care enough to work to provide for me! He is depicted as deeply loving her, but I wonder if we won't see a little drama ensuing there. Now she is expecting a child; I'm quite positive she doesn't want to raise it alone. I would make a fuss eventually -- and probably sooner than later!
In response to Chuck:
Wow. That is why you are in Fiction Writing lol. Why I am in that class I have yet to decipher. Hmmmm . . . but it is quite interesting. You made a good point about the power he has over her. Obviously there is something in the past that he is able to hang over Cynthia's head for control. The question is what?
Chuck,
You crack me up. What an imagination. You should go into script writting for movies and TV shows. But what's really scary is the fact that your imagination puts all the pieces together. I doubt though that your story will coinside with the book, but now we have 2 different versions to think about...lol
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