Secondly, Joan tells of being fearful of the English. Was she so fearful that she attempted to take her own life versus falling into their hands?
Thirdly, within the above mentioned quote we are told that Joan commended herself to God and was injured in that leap. I have to wonder if this would have put any doubt into Joan's mind about God's plan for her? Meaning, was the injury caused by God not wanting Joan to escape or was it simply because she put too much faith in the fact that God would allow her to escape and made a careless decision?
Was her leap a suicide attempt? According to Joan, "In leaping I commended myself to God, and I thought in making that leap to escape so that I should not be delivered over to the English" (By Herself, 155). Joan believed that her leap of faith would result in God protecting her from injury and allowing her to escape from her imprisonment. However, after the leap resulted in her being injured and being imprisoned by the same people once again, Joan still maintained her faith in God. I have to wonder whether anyone else who sought God's protection in an escape attempt and failed would still have that same level of devoutness to God? Do you think Joan just came to the realization that God meant for her to be captured and sold over to the English? Or do you think Joan ever doubted, even for a second, whether God was still at her side?
Works Cited
Pernoud, Regine. Joan of Arc: By Herself and Her Witnesses. Lanham: Scarborough House, 1994.
Image from http://www.maidofheaven.com/maid_assets/extras/joan_beaurevoir_castle.jpg.
Great questions at the end. Wondering if others have observations here? This section gives good insights into a voice (anyone heard any yet?). A voice telling Joan "no"--but she does it anyway. This voice is not very physical--and almost seems very mental. Still, she felt like making the jump would "commend her to God and VM," so even that was perceived in religious ways and not inherently bad. Do we expect too much in Joan when we make her superhuman?
ReplyDeleteI would like a physical description of the layout near where she jumped. Was it closer to the ground at that point? Was there a tree she could have grabbed on to? Or was there a moat nearby? I do not recall reading about that but I may have overlooked the "lay of the land."
ReplyDeleteEvan, you must be a historian. Essentially you are asking: what's the evidence? Books label her fall at around 40-60 feet. We have an image of the tower, so I don't believe it had a moat (like a castle), or a tree. Joan did not eat for a few days. I'm going to dig around a little bit more.
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