Reply To: Discuss some examples of forgiveness in A World of Curiosities
There are multiple examples of forgiveness in this book. The most poignant is the final scene with Armand and Amelia, a deeply personal interaction in which Armand shares with her his initial denial of her application to the Surete and the reasons behind it, his remorse and embarrassment and explicitly asks for forgiveness. A forgiveness Amelia readily offers. It is an interaction which frees them both, Armand from his sense of shame and Amelia from a belief that she should atone for her father’s actions. It ends with Amelia invited to Sunday dinner. We know from Jean-Guy that represents inclusion in the Gamache family. It is hard to imagine a more moving example of forgiveness. But there are others-Anne Lamarque and the women banished return to forgive those who banished them, Reine-Marie visits Fiona in prison for the second time. Those suggest to me a more limited idea of forgiveness, one-sided but a deliberate decision to move on, to release one’s resentment regardless of whether they deserve forgiveness. It also frees the person forgiving to move forward and reclaim their time and energy.