Zusammenfassung der Ressource
emily of emerald hill
- Notion of love
- Past
- Abandonment by parents (pg 10)
- father died
- mother couldn't be bothered
- passed from relative to relative
- and all this lead to her desire to not be abandoned anymore, by raising significance and making herself important to her family.
- "I was a good mother to you!" "I was a good wife!" (Pg 45)
- "Why did you both hate me then? I didn't do anything wrong!"
- She believed that love could be earned, that if she does thing for others, she deserves their love.
- but love isn't equal exchange, you don't love out of duty.
- previously, this was how she knew to love, the only way she could love
- SYMBOL: PATCHWORK QUILT
- "wrap them, bind them in the web of your providing, till they can't lift a finger to help themselves." (Pg 45)
- "so that husband and son and sister-in-law must all depend on you, so that you control them and keep them in the palm of your hand." (Pg 45)
- "So that the whole world knows your worth." (Pg 45)
- The world must know that she is significant, and she must know that she is significant as well. that her life was worth something.
- "So that a screaming girl child ... gutter." (Pg 45)
- Her love was based on survival, so no one would throw her back into a gutter, so that she will not be unwanted trash.
- her providence, though to some extent was for her love for the people around her, consistently involved her in the equation, and was centred around her. It was selfish.
- IRONY:
- Emerald hill is hardly the gutter but she is still alone all the same.
- She is still unwanted
- you would think that by her being in Emerald hill she will not be alone, she will not be trash
- Her actions to bring people closer actually pushed them away
- EVENT: RICHARD AND RIDING SCHOOL
- Richard was the eldest son of the eldest son
- Her plans didn't include him working at the riding school
- Wanted him to be a lawyer (pg 26)
- Went to England, forced him to quit (pg 25)
- Killed himself with riding reins (Pg 27)
- Death set him free from Emily
- Riding set him free from Emily (if he couldn't use the reins in his life, he'll use them to set him free)
- Riding was also the only major life decision he made on his own without Emily's influence (Pg 23)
- EVENT: KHEONG AND DIANA
- She consistently made herself important to Kheong
- Made plans for remodelling the house (Pg 16)
- Made plans for shares (Pg 16)
- Their marriage was decided upon, and hence lacked romantic love.
- Kheong seeked Diana for love
- "I'm sure he's dying to see you." (Pg 20)
- "For more than a year now, he's been seeing that whore, Diana Lee, on and off." (Pg 40)
- Kheong didn't love Emily
- Could have appreciated her work for the household
- Refused to see her on his deathbed. (Pg 43)
- Her way of showing her dedication to Kheong wasn't what love is.
- By trying to provide for him, she consistently reminded him that she was the one doing things (build significance)
- Her actions still revolved around herself and failed to bring Kheong closer to her, because she never did anything PURELY FOR HIM (she was always in that equation)
- "each one of them sleeps all wrapped up in my patchwork quilt" (Pg 15)
- her patchwork quilt is made of parts from different people/memories
- Everyone is connected by HER stitches and wrapped in HER care
- sent to be married, by the auntie she was living with
- Present (after Kheong and Richard happened and she realised she was pushing people away)
- 1. Started to compromise, because love is not about telling people what to do/what is best for them, but to listen to them)
- COMPARE: RICHARD AND RIDING SCHOOL
- Doris wanted to marry an American (Pg 47)
- started to cry because didn't think her mother would allow (Pg 47)
- "Wait a minute, Doris. Let me think about it." (Pg 47)
- The possibility of compromise, which is not something Doris thought could happen
- Compromised (Pg 48)
- Accepted Doris's views/decisions (Pg 48)
- SYMBOL: PHONE CALL vs letter to Richard
- Phone call is more personal, it is more of an exchange between two people SHARING THE SAME PLANE OF TIME
- Gives people a chance to react, instead of just passively feeding someone with words and ideas through a letter
- You receive a letter, but you share a conversation
- shows how Emily has moved into letting her children have a chance to communicate
- 2. Helping people while removing herself from the equation
- COMPARE: KHEONG
- Bee Choo was worried because she needed a place to stay (Pg 49)
- Emily manipulated the situation so that it seems that Bee Choo is helping her. (Pg 49
- Emily removed herself as the provider, and helped people without others knowing so
- Giving without receiving, because how do you receive when others don't know you've helped them
- HER IDEA OF LOVE HAS CHANGED
- TRUE SERVING AND LOVE IS REMOVING HERSELF FROM THE EQUATION
- no more helping others to raise own significance. love is doing something without others without getting something in return (Pg 45) + without it being your duty (Kheong)
- SYMBOL: PINK COAT
- Has it whenever she talks about her youth (refer to white seals)
- represents her past self, her innocence
- Pg 45, she wrings it in her hands
- anger and frustration at how her past has shaped her
- how her past has affected her present
- Kheong and Richard
- Pg 46, puts it away like putting a hurt child to rest
- she is that hurt child
- all her perceived notions of love were wrong, recognises the irony in pushing people away
- feels great pain at her loss, the loss of the people around her
- feels great sorrow at how her actions resulted in her nightmares coming true
- something like - I worked so hard, and yet it still turned out this way, why?
- SYMBOL: SONGS
- Kentucky Home (Pg 11 and 54)
- begins and ends the play
- "Weep no more" (Pg 54)
- Home: where all mistakes can be made and it'll be okay
- Reassuring, very comforting lyrics
- Home is also a place to let go of the need to /be/ someone
- her idea of home has since changed from Pg 10
- Piccaninny (Pg 13 and 46)
- Pg 13 - Richard
- a scene of motherly love
- Pg 46 - Bin Seong (Charles' son, her grandson)
- she turns away from Binbin in the end, as if
- she is reminded of Richard, and the memory brings her pain
- Pg 46 also has the stage direction which shows how "she is more relaxed and kindly than with her own children"