In "The Crimson Petal and the White", something that stands out to me from the narrative as a whole is that many of the characters are grappling with the societal cycles that they have been forced to encounter. Sugar, for example, is forced into prostitution by her mother, the latter being the showrunner of a house of dirty secrets and all-night affairs. And while we don’t know exactly what brought Mrs. Castaway into that role, there are definitely assumptions that can be made. I don’t say that to exempt her from what she forced her daughter into, instead I only mention it to point out that cycles have to start somewhere. For Sugar, her cycle started with her mother forcing her to rely on her sex for everything that she had/has. As the story progresses we see Sugar ascend in class status, and when she finally becomes a fixture in the Rackham house, as Sophie’s governess, we see her begin to grapple with her own childhood. Given that she is introduced as a nineteen year old at the beginning of the novel, it’s crazy to consider how young she is to be looking after a child so closely. Sugar never had a true childhood, and with her focus shifted to the childhood of Sophie, she is at the crux of a space where she can either break a cycle that she’s been put in, or she can create a cycle for someone else. Faber’s novel grapples with trauma here, and how one may hope to overcome it, or at least not be defined by its grasp. We see this when Sugar struggles to comfort Sophie early on in their governess-child relationship. We see how Sugar’s own preconceived notions of Sophie change overtime to a more connected view of her, sharing in Sophie’s restless nights, bed-wetting bouts, and her education. Sophie and Sugar eventually develop a mother-daughter dynamic that ultimately leads to Sugar’s abduction of Sophie at the end of the book. In breaking her cycle of pain, violence, and lies, sprung on by her mother, Sugar also frees Sophie from a childhood of neglect and future trauma herself. Agnes had not seen her since she was born, and her father barely spoke to her during their brief time together, so that could come up later on in her life, maybe in Apple, but Sophie now has a chance to overcome that at an earlier age than Sugar did. Writing about Sugar, Caroline is an example of someone who does not break the cycle that they are in by the end of the novel. Preston’s point in class about Caroline being a home for the reader is very interesting to consider here. If not for Caroline we would not have met Sugar, and without meeting Sugar, Sophie would still be alone in her room, or with her old nurse. Caroline is still stuck on Church Lane, using her sex for semblance of control. Henry Jr. offers her a chance to work in a factory, which she declines, and with her choice she seems content with her way in life. This is a sad reminder that some people aren’t able to break the cycles that they are in and that they have very few options other than what they are forced to do. Some people have their spirits broken and no longer care to change anything (thinking about Caroline’s age (29-31) versus Sugar’s age (19-21)) Caroline is a reminder that every cycle has to start somewhere, even if the cycle is a systemic one.
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