The Greatest Threat to an Individual Is the Ignorance and Misunderstanding of Others
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- Category: English: Novels
- Date Submitted: 11/02/2011 02:57 AM
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Though the plague played a large role in the demise of the small town of Eyam in the 17th century in Geraldine Brooks’ novel ‘Year Of Wonders’, the ignorance and misinterpretation of events of the townspeople assisted in their own downfall, especially relating to religion, witchcraft and tradition.
Anys and Mem Gowdie were the towns’ herbalists and midwives. Born into a time where belief in demons and the ‘wrath of God’ was rife amongst the villages, the success and skill of the Gowdies was often questioned to be the work of witches, as no human could possibly possess such skills. It was this wariness of the Gowdies that led to their demise. Because education was uncommon, the Gowdies were one step ahead of everyone else, and the unfamiliarity of this caused the villagers to treat the Gowdies with distaste and eventually publically execute Anys Gowdie, injuring Mem Gowdie in the process, which was enough to kill her. This ignorance of the Gowdies practices and willingness to believe in the improbable quickly led the villagers to their own demise, as with only the small knowledge of medicines from Elinor and Anna, the villagers were not able to survive the plague as well as they could have if the Gowdies help was still available. This fear and ignorance also lead the villagers to be tricked out of their money by Aphra, who dressed as the ghost of Anys Gowdie and claimed she had medicinals that could ail their wounds. With money running low, the desperation of these villagers was evident in their ability to go against what their faith dictated and take a risk in the ‘mysterious ghost’, so when this leap of faith turned out to be a fallacy, all hope was lost for many of the townspeople, which only aided the plagues spreading, as many gave up on their fight for life. The entire villages ignorance of medicinal practices was one of the biggest and hardest threats to overcome, and may have assisted in the devastating effect of the plague on the village Eyam....
Anys and Mem Gowdie were the towns’ herbalists and midwives. Born into a time where belief in demons and the ‘wrath of God’ was rife amongst the villages, the success and skill of the Gowdies was often questioned to be the work of witches, as no human could possibly possess such skills. It was this wariness of the Gowdies that led to their demise. Because education was uncommon, the Gowdies were one step ahead of everyone else, and the unfamiliarity of this caused the villagers to treat the Gowdies with distaste and eventually publically execute Anys Gowdie, injuring Mem Gowdie in the process, which was enough to kill her. This ignorance of the Gowdies practices and willingness to believe in the improbable quickly led the villagers to their own demise, as with only the small knowledge of medicines from Elinor and Anna, the villagers were not able to survive the plague as well as they could have if the Gowdies help was still available. This fear and ignorance also lead the villagers to be tricked out of their money by Aphra, who dressed as the ghost of Anys Gowdie and claimed she had medicinals that could ail their wounds. With money running low, the desperation of these villagers was evident in their ability to go against what their faith dictated and take a risk in the ‘mysterious ghost’, so when this leap of faith turned out to be a fallacy, all hope was lost for many of the townspeople, which only aided the plagues spreading, as many gave up on their fight for life. The entire villages ignorance of medicinal practices was one of the biggest and hardest threats to overcome, and may have assisted in the devastating effect of the plague on the village Eyam....