Julia launched into her story about worshipping Hera, then added that she went to the marketplace afterward to look for a healing amulet for Father. Surprising Marcus, she produced a carnelian pendant from a leather pouch. \u201cThe merchant assured me that the stone is a highly evolved healer.\u201d She handed it over to Mother. \u201cPerhaps if Father wore it, he might feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phoebe held the carnelian crystal in her hand and looked at it for a long moment. Phoebe didn\u2019t want to ask any more questions; she wanted to believe that Julia\u2019s motivation for leaving the villa had been a desire to worship and buy a gift for Decimus, but she knew in her heart that it wasn\u2019t so. The carnelian pendant came from a pouch filled with other pendants Julia had bought for herself. The \u201cgift\u201d was, in truth, a bribe\u2014or an afterthought.<\/p>\n
She let out her breath slowly and handed the carnelian crystal back to her daughter. \u201cGive this to your father when your mourning ends, Julia. If you give it to him now, he\u2019ll want to know when and where you purchased it.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This passage bothered me so much I flipped back to where Julia bought the crystal to confirm what had actually happened. I\u2019m going to quote that section in full here:<\/p>\n
[The merchant] set a pale turquoise-colored crystal before them. \u201cThis aquamarine is a rare variety of beryl and is known to strengthen the viscera and purify the body,\u201d he said. \u201cIt enhances the clarity of one\u2019s mind and aids in creative expression. It will bring you into balance with the gods.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father would like this one,\u201d Julia said and set the aquamarine aside. \u201cMama thinks he\u2019s sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, my lady, then you must see this carnelian crystal. It is a highly evolved healer, opening the heart and encouraging communion with the spirits of the underworld, thus finding the many ways to escape death.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat a pretty red,\u201d Julia said and took it. She rolled it over and over in her hand. \u201cI like it too,\u201d she said and set it aside.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I suppose you could call this an \u201cafterthought,\u201d but I wouldn\u2019t. Julia stopped\u00a0at the crystal seller\u2019s stall because she wanted\u00a0to buy something pretty for herself, yes, but her interest in Decimus the moment the merchant mentioned that some crystals had healing powers was genuine.<\/p>\n
Julia\u00a0loves\u00a0her father and cares about him, but Phoebe\u2019s attitude toward Julia has come to the point where\u00a0she will not\u00a0believe<\/em>\u00a0that Julia could actually genuinely care about Decimus.\u00a0Phoebe\u00a0has made up her mind about Julia, and will throw out any evidence to suggest that she might be wrong about\u00a0her. I know what it feels to be on Julia\u2019s end of this. There is no getting out, and it eventually feels pointless to even try, as your every action will be interpreted in the worst possible light.<\/p>\nIn a very real way, Julia\u2019s mother has shut the door on her. What\u2019s worse, Rivers doesn\u2019t appear to see it this way. She writes as though Julia\u2019s anger at her mother constantly assuming the worst of her is unreasonable and petty. Poor Julia, stuck in the hands of this author.<\/p>\n
Julia clenched it tightly in her first. \u201cYou don\u2019t believe me, do you? My own mother thinks the worst of me!\u201d she said, full of angry self-pity. She stuffed the carnelian pendant back into her hard, expecting her mother to protest. When she didn\u2019t, tears sprang to Julia\u2019s eyes. She lifted her head and saw the disappointment in Phoebe\u2019s eyes. Guilt made her blush, but rebellion made her stubborn. \u201cI\u2019d like to go to my room. Or must I ask your permission to do that as well?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re excused, Julia,\u201d Phoebe said quietly.<\/p>\n
Julia stormed through the room and down the hallway. Phoebe watched her beautiful young daughter stalk away in anger. She was weary of trying to make Julia see reason. Sometimes she wondered if either of her children possessed a conscience.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
You know what? Phoebe may be my least favorite character in this book.<\/p>\n
Marcus begins pleading Julia\u2019s case to their mother\u2014Julia is young, the length of the mourning period is unreasonable, etc. This part doesn\u2019t get any prettier.<\/p>\n
Phoebe said nothing for a moment. She struggled with her own feelings. She frequently agreed with her son, for Decimus could be harsh in his dictates, not taking into account youthful zeal and individual differences. Yet, neither Marcus nor Julia understood where the real issue lay. She lifted her head and looked at him solemnly. \u201cYour father is the head of the household.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand that only too well,\u201d Marcus said. It was one of the reasons he spent so little time at the villa and had purchased his own apartments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen respect and obey him.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The argument goes on and on, and Phoebe tells Marcus that while he may not realize it, he has encouraged Julia to defy her father run after whatever pleases her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have so little confidence in the morals of your children?\u201d<\/p>\n
Phoebe\u2019s smile was pained. \u201cOf what morals do you speak, Marcus? The old ones that say children are to obey their father, or the new ones that tell you to do whatever pleases you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m of age, Mother. Julia is sixteen and a widowed woman. Neither of us are children, though you and Father seem determined to see us as such.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Again, not a Phoebe fan. But also? Men\u00a0did not\u00a0come \u201cof age\u201d in Rome until their father died. Until then, they remained under the control of the \u201cpater familias.\u201d Interestingly, with this one comment, Marcus has changed my interpretation of this entire passage.<\/p>\n
I had assumed that Phoebe was telling Marcus to respect and obey his father because Rivers was aware of family law in\u00a0Ancient Rome\u2014namely, that even at twenty-four Marcus would have been\u00a0under his father\u2019s authority, like all others in the household.\u00a0But if Rivers does not know that\u2014if Rivers believes Marcus is \u201cof age\u201d and thus independent\u2014Phoebe\u2019s comments take on a different meaning.<\/p>\n
I grew up in a conservative evangelical community where \u201cchildren obey your parents\u201d was often assumed to extend well into adulthood. While what I experienced may have been extreme, even mainstream evangelical communities frequently emphasize the importance of adult children showing a level of respect toward their parents that includes listening to and heeding their advice.<\/p>\n
If Phoebe\u2019s words are not the result of Rivers\u2019 knowledge of the Ancient Roman \u201cpater familias,\u201d they are likely an extension of her evangelical ideas about the importance of even adult children showing deference to their parents. Phoebe\u2019s urging Marcus to \u201crespect and obey\u201d Decimus is no longer an outgrowth of Roman culture but rather an insertion of evangelical sensibilities.<\/p>\n
The argument goes on,\u00a0and on, and on.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan\u2019t you see your father doesn\u2019t want to destroy her pleasure, only protect her from harm?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This statement by Phoebe is interesting, because I think protecting\u00a0children\u00a0from harm is important\u2014it\u2019s just that, unlike Phoebe, I don\u2019t think parents can do that forever. Instead, I think parents are responsible to\u00a0help\u00a0their children learn\u00a0how to protect themselves<\/em>. If Decimus is so worried about Julia being taken advantage of, why not teach her about business, and give her the skills to learn how to differentiate between friends, and those who would simply use her?<\/p>\nJulia should not have reached sixteen with so little understanding of how the world works. Julia is portrayed as vapid and silly. Certainly, part of her temperament and approach to life may simply be individual personality. But I cannot help but fault Decimus and Phoebe for spending more time separating Julia from the world than preparing her for it. What, did they expect to be able to cloister her and dictate to her forever? Even on a purely traditional pragmatic level, this girl is in no way prepared to run a household and navigate the nuances of polite society. And\u00a0that\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0on Phoebe.<\/p>\nThe argument continues, with witty exchanges like this:<\/p>\n
\u201cToo much freedom can sear a conscience.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToo little can wither a mind.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In the end, Phoebe agrees to suggest that Decimus shorten Julia\u2019s mourning time, and Marcus suggests that Phoebe place certain limits on who Julia can associate with (he\u2019s thinking of Calabah, of course).\u00a0I think that\u2019s what bothers me about Marcus\u2014in theory, he stands up for Julia, but in practice, he\u2019s just as interested in putting limits on her as Decimus and Phoebe\u2014just\u00a0different<\/em>\u00a0limits.<\/p>\nI have a <\/b>Patreon<\/b><\/a>! Please support my writing!<\/b><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Phoebe agrees to suggest that Decimus shorten Julia’s mourning time, and Marcus suggests that Phoebe place certain limits on who Julia can associate with. In theory, Marcus stands up for Julia, but in practice, he’s just as interested in putting limits on her as Decimus and Phoebe—just different limits.<\/p>\n
Click through to read more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":845,"featured_media":33444,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[630],"class_list":["post-33441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-voice-in-the-wind"],"yoast_head":"\n
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