Part two turned out so different than I expected! I feel like I got into Charity's character and really understood where she was coming from. These two scenes really shocked me and helped me develop a better understanding of Charity. "If all the people got married that folks say are going to you'd have your time full making wedding dresses," she said ironically. / "Why--don't you believe it?" Ally ventured. / "It would not make it true if I did-- nor prevent it if I didn't." / "That's so... I only know I seen her crying the night of the party because her dress didn't set right. that was why she wouldn't dance any..." / Charity stood absently gazing down at the lacy garment on Ally's knee. Abruptly she stooped and snatched it up. / "Well, I guess she won't dance in this either," she said with sudden violence; and grasping the blouse in her strong young hands she tore it in two and flung the tattered bits to the floor." p.142 This passage stood out to me because it was unexpected and showed part of her personality that we had not been exposed to yet in her acting out physically. For some reason throughout the book, I viewed Charity as kind of a passive character on the outside but who was in touch with her emotions and desires. Her thought process seems somewhat immature and she seems unaware of all the emotions that she's being faced with. This scene is almost like a tantrum and I was so glad to see some rage because it's almost like the exact opposite of what the town seems to expect from women and girls. Acting out how you feel or throwing a tantrum is almost like a stepping stone to understanding your feelings and what you want not what others want.
The second section that shocked me was, "I'm married to Mr. Royall. I'll always remember you. -Charity" The last letter she sent to Harney was a shock to me. Charity held so much in and I almost feel bad for her that she feels like she has to do what is "right". The ending shocked me so much because it left me with a few questions and I wanted to know more about what was going on in Charity's head. I felt like she let society and people's opinions get in her way of love and exploring the world which seems like what she wanted to do. It kind of reminded me of Victoria from "As Children Together" because I feel like both the characters wanted to get out but didn't believe it possible or felt like they were stuck.

I was reading over the blogs about part 1 of Summer and I like that KP recognized the passage at the beginning of the book and how it goes along with the narratives we've been talking about in class. I didn't recognize when I was reading how Wharton phrased the gender roles, it kind of flew by me so I'm glad KP caught on to it. When I read KP's comment about Mr. Royall not mentioning Charity's name when talking to Harney about the child he had brought down from the mountains it made me wonder too if he was not mentioning her name out of respect for Charity or not. When I first read that particular passage, I thought that Mr. Royall probably thought Charity might be eavesdropping on his conversation with Mr. Harney because he knew she was interested in the young man. I also thought he might have exaggerated his rescuing her to make her feel like he saved her. I'm not sure but I'm glad KP brought up that scene because it does make me question why he didn't mention her name.