The Getting of Wisdom · Question
How does The Getting of Wisdom develop the theme of Imagination vs. Harsh Reality?
Answer
The Getting of Wisdom by Henry Handel Richardson develops Imagination vs. Harsh Reality across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
Laura's romantic and storytelling nature is repeatedly confronted by the mundane, often brutal realities of school life, from her disillusionment with realistic literature like Ibsen to the painful consequences of her fabricated tales.
Laura's imaginative farewells to the garden (playing Crusoe, Juliet) contrast with the harsh reality of leaving home and facing an uncertain school life.
Laura's idealized daydreams of school life contrast sharply with the awkward, self-conscious reality of her arrival.
Laura fantasizes about violent revenge on her tormentors, contrasting with her actual helplessness.
Evidence in the book
- II
Laura's imaginative farewells to the garden (playing Crusoe, Juliet) contrast with the harsh reality of leaving home and facing an uncertain school life.
- III
Laura's idealized daydreams of school life contrast sharply with the awkward, self-conscious reality of her arrival.
- V
Laura fantasizes about violent revenge on her tormentors, contrasting with her actual helplessness.
- VIII
Laura's high expectations for the holiday are crushed by the reality of neglect, boredom, and bullying.
- XVI
Laura escapes into King Solomon's Mines and later Robby's travel tales, contrasting with the tense, frugal reality of the Shepherd home.
- XVII
Laura's imaginative romance clashes with the mundane reality of her visit, where she saw Mr. Shepherd as 'overworked, underfed' and felt no genuine affection.
- XXI
Laura's struggle to write reveals the tension between her romantic imagination (Venetian romance) and the harsh reality of her own life; her failed attempts mirror her earlier confusion reading Ibsen's realistic play.
- XXV
Laura's grand aspirations to see the world clash with the practical limitations of her life, and her friends' dreams are tempered by marriage and obscurity.
