being sick. She unconsciously loves to see Gerald dying. This primitive impulse occurs because of Gerald‟s bad treatment toward her. In her mind, Gerald is
nothing and a shame. She wishes him to suffer. The picture of her unconscious desire is clearly shown by the quotation below:
Sophia then experienced a pure and primitive emotion, uncoloured by any moral or religious quality. She was not sorry that Gerald had wasted his life,
nor that he was a shame to his years and to her. The manner of his life was of no importance p. 569.
Sophia cannot see Gerald struggling as he has already died. By that time, her anxiety occurs. Seeing him dead does not make her crying. She feels uneasy in
reacting to his death. Sophia feels painful emotion toward this. She was acquainted with affliction in that hour. All that she had previously
suffered sank into insignificance by the side of that suffering p. 570.
5. Moral Anxiety
Moral anxiety is a feeling of discomfort as the cause of opposing the norms of society. The characteristics of this anxiety are the occurrences of shameful and
guilty feelings. Moral anxiety, which is experienced as feelings of guilt or shame in the ego,
is aroused by a perception of danger from the conscience. The conscience as the internalized agent of parental authority threatens to punish the person for
doing something or thinking something which transgresses the perfectionistic aims of the ego-ideal that have been laid down in the personality by the
parents Halls, 1954: 68.
In the story, Sophia also suffers from moral anxiety. Sophia‟s moral anxiety
occurs when she breaks the norm of the society. Right from the beginning, Sophia has opposed the society‟s command. She always thinks about opposing the
command. Sophia even does an action to stay away from it. As the result for this, Sophia has feelings of guilt and shame.
a. Sophia‟s Anxiety for Opposing Her Parents
She passes her life full of dispute with Mrs. Baines. This hostile relationship is formed because of the clash between the two. Mrs. Baines‟ expectation,
domination, and intervention are contrary with Sophia‟s. Those make the conflicts
are complete between them. „That must be considered. As Constance is to learn the millinery, I‟ve been
thinking that you might begin to make yourself useful in the underwear, gloves, silks, and so on. Then between you, you would one day be able to
manage quite nicely all that side of the shop, and I should be
— „
„I don‟t want to go into the shop, Mother‟ p. 38. Sophia feels guilty for opposing her mother‟s will. It occurs because she
breaks the norms to not obey her mother. Sophia realizes about her fault for having opposing decision with her mother. It triggers the development of her
anxiety. The anxiety occurs as a responding toward her rebellious plan and decision. She has feeling of guilt that nobody knows it. Sophia even hides it for
years. It can be concluded that she feels guilty and ashamed to reveal her plan and decision for her future. Her opposing decision toward her mother causes her to
have anxiety. To not obey parents‟ will is surely violating the norm of society.
Sophia is really anxious about this. This is the result of her opposing decision toward her mother.
She did not understand how her mother and Constance could bring themselves to be deferential and flattering to every customer that entered. No,
she did not understand it ; but her mother though a proud woman and Constance seemed to practise such behaviour so naturally, so unquestionably,
that she had never imparted to either of them her feelings ; she guessed that she would not be comprehended. But long ago she had decided that she
would never „go into the shop‟. She knew that she would be expected to do something, and she had fixed on teaching as the one possibility. These
decisions had formed part of her inner life for years past. She had not mentioned them, being secretive and scarcely anxious for unpleasantness p.
51.
b. Sophia‟s Shameful Impact
Sophia suffers guilty and shameful feelings for leaving her homeland and family. She is conscious that her previous decision to leave England is rebellious.
She knows that it is against the norm of society to runs off from home. As she realizes it, the anxiety occurs as a punishment for violating her norm. She begins
to feel ashamed to come back home. Mrs. Baines even sends Sophia to accompany Aunt Harriet. Sophia reluctantly accept the decision. Actually, she
does not want to go to her aunt‟s town. She hates the town. Under those circumstances, Sophia runs off, leaving her family behind. Her choice to runs off
is breaking the norm of the society. She does not follow what her mother asks her to. But if she fulfils her mother‟s will, she will be trapped inside the family shop.
This triggers her anxiety to think about running off from her mother‟s domination. Lastly, Sophia decides to runs off with Gerald, and it grows her anxiety even
more. Only yesterday, and she had been an innocent, timid creature in Bursley, in
Axe, a foolish creature who deemed the concealment of letters a supreme excitement p. 335.
Sophia is ashamed to appear among the family. She assumes that she is a shame for her family.
She was one of those daughters who disappear and are not discussed in the family circle. The thought of her immense foolishness, the little tender
thoughts of Constance, some flitting souvenir, full of unwilling admiration, of a regal gesture of her mother
—these things only steeled her against any sort of resurrection after death p. 344.
Her shameful feeling is also shown when she says to herself that she will never visit her homeland.
And he was urging her to write home for money Why, she would not even have paid a visit splendor to St Luke‟s Square. Never should they know what
she had suffered p. 344.
She will be ashamed if her family knows that she actually suffers. To conclude, her pathetic condition at that moment is not worth with her sacrifice for violating
the norms of society. As the result, it makes her ashamed.
C. Sophia’s Reaction in Facing Her Anxiety
