Charlotte Temple by Susanna Haswell Rowson - Book Report/Review Example

Charlotte Temple by Susanna Haswell Rowson The book, Charlotte Temple by Susanna Rowson, is an American novel described as a tale of truth whose first edition got published in the year 1794. It became the first and the best-selling book in the earliest years of America. The book traces its root back to the years when America was still grabbling yet with efforts of defining its political identity and its culture. Susanna Rowson wrote Charlotte Temple in the setting of revolutionary war particularly critical to Americans (Rowson 5). Charlotte Temple is a literature narration reflecting on the common social happenings evident today. The book bases on an actual story of the ordeals and ill fate that begot a particular American girl. The identity of this American girl has however been disguised by the author and her name replaced by the name Charlotte Temple. The author wrote the book to act as a social-life guideline for the young girls who are yet to become adults. The literature narration written by Rowson shakes the mind of the readers, particularly girls. The audiences are cautioned not fall into a trap of unpleasant and sad fate that Charlotte got clawed into, by embracing the story of Charlotte. Charlotte, just as many of her peers are currently misleading other girls, got misled by a conniving French schoolmistress, Mademoiselle La Rue. Montraville, a soldier from Britain then seduces Charlotte and later abandons her in a new country that is strange to her (Rowson 5). The phenomenon is synonymous to the current incidences of those who get married only to end later  being divorced. Within the social setting, a conversation between two British soldiers, Montraville, and Belcour is preliminarily introduced. The two soldiers from Britain were brothers, Montraville was a Lieutenant, Belcour was an officer, and both were working in the army. The two were amongst some of the military soldiers and officers deployed in America during the revolutionary war of independence. However, they were on leave, were waiting for their departure from America to return to Portsmouth. It was during this duration of departure that they made a stop at Chichester to dine and survey the women returning from devotions (Rowson, Clara, and Rudolf 14). The two soldier brothers while taking a view of women at Chisester, become attracted by the youth assemblage of Madame Du Pont who was descending from the church then. The church and the assembling in this instance is a reflection and an indication of the respect accorded to the church in our society today. Madame Du Pont is the head of Madame Du Pont’s schools. Just as Madame Du Pont passed, almost concurrently, another tall and elegant girl was making a pass too. The girl looked at Montraville while passing and blushed. Montarville develops an interest towards Charlotte and starts to target her for a relationship. The explanation depicted in this book is a plain demonstration of how the church (religion) is presently used as a place to prey and rather not to pray. People go with various intentions contrary to the expectations when going to the church. For instance, Montraville and Belcour went to Chesester only have a view only of women coming from church devotion instead of joining them in the worship. Montraville becomes more intrigued in Charlotte just by an on-sight onetime look. Montraville gets beheld with the vanity of wishing to see her again suffused by the witnessed emotions. The situation is a perfect reflection of the commonly witnessed mishaps and love on first sight incidences currently prevalent in the current societies and social existence. Montraville becomes defeated to let go his thoughts about Charlotte. She had made a too great impression on Montraville’s mind and eradicating it became difficult. Having spent three days thinking of Charlotte, Montraville advances a seduction to Chisester. Charlotte was still a student at the Madame Du Pont’s schools. Both Montraville and Charlotte, overwhelmed by emotions of attraction towards each other, get into an intimate relationship (Rowson, Clara, and Rudolf 16). Getting into a relationship is no wrong though some relationships can be either right or wrong. There exists factors that one must consider in a relationship to determine whether it is not a wrong relationship. In this situation, the relationship between Montraville and Charlotte seems to be wrong. Charlotte is entwined into a relationship with quite an old man yet she is still a very young schoolgirl at the tender age of 15 years. There are many wrong relationships evident in our society. Many young girls are clawed into wrong relationships with men who are far too much older them. What is more evil the act of men to target small and young schoolgirls whom they end up ruining their future. Charlotte, lured by the promises of a living wage, better education, and steady employment left her family, school and drives away to live with Montraville. Consequently, with time, Charlotte faces oppression and the promises previously made all become a fail. She became powerless and betrayed at the hands of the evil people like Belcour, who control her future economically (Rowson and Ann 47). There exist many similar incidences facing the current education system. Many young girls have knowingly opted to waste their future by dropping out of school and getting married in the name of blind love only to get miserable later as Charlotte. The disparity in the socioeconomic status is a contributing factor to the menace in societies today. The episodes of seduction from the book are what entwine charlotte’s life to many sufferings. Charlotte was in an intimate relationship with Montraville, contrary to the expectation Becour (Montraville’s brother). Becour also seems interested in Charlotte as well. The incidences, where married men lure young women into relationships, is a common practice in the contemporary society. Many marriages are under death toll or fall merely due to the incidences of seduction to a married party, men or women. The situations lead to quarrels, mistrust or infidelities in a marriage hence consequently leading to marriage break-ups. The ever-irredeemable Belcour makes an arrangement of being the one to be passing the support provided by Montraville onto Charlotte. He thus puts himself in an irresistible position of seducing Charlotte both in appearance and in actuality. Charlotte, because of her reasserted virtue, plainly and valiantly resists this Belcour’s overtures, a reason that makes her suffer severely. As a result, Charlotte becomes completely miserable and desperate in life at the new place. Temple Charlotte later gets abandoned and left with feelings of loneliness (Rowson 112). The act is a common phenomenon encountered in many marriages due to the bridegroom’s family interferences because Belcour was Montraville’s brother. He becomes the party making the relationship between his brother and Charlotte to face many challenges. Charlotte ultimately suffers adversely for the rest of her lives all owing to an earlier mistake, which got prompted by naivety and blind passion. The main characters in the book, Charlotte, Montraville, Belcour and Mademoiselle La Rue, did not take a pause to reflect on the repercussions of their actions just as many people do today. They neither weighed the rationality of their actions nor read rightly on the prevaricating evidence of what is right to do (Rowson 114). Works Cited Rowson, Susanna and Ann Douglas. Charlotte Temple ; And, Lucy Temple. New York, N.Y., U.S.A: Penguin Books, 1991. Print. Rowson, Susanna and Ann Douglas. Charlotte Temple ; And, Lucy Temple. New York, N.Y., U.S.A: Penguin Books, 1991. Print Rowson, Susanna, Clara M. Kirk, and Rudolf Kirk. Charlotte Temple: A Tale of Truth. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1964. Print. Rowson, Susanna. Charlotte Temple. Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA, 1987. Print. Rowson, Susanna. Charlotte Temple: A Tale of Truth. New York: Published by R. Hobbs, 1827. Print. Read More