Karma/Sin and Penitence: the Christian Way

In Maria Edgeworth's Harrington, there is an obvious dichotomy created between Christianity and Judaism.  We have previously discussed how Harrington's Antisemitic illness is a result of what society and the Christians within it have taught him about Jews.  A divide between the Christian British and the Jewish British is established very quickly in the novel because of this.  That divide is only emphasized as the Christians of the novel discriminate and actively hate the Jewish people throughout the entire novel. Instances of this are when Harrington and Mowbray bully and abuse the Jew Jacob and through the representations and references to Shakespeare's Jew Shylock.  The Jewish people are constantly discriminated against in some way, and there is never an instance of the Christians apologizing for this discrimination.  In fact, as we have discussed, there is a focus on how a Christian regrets discriminating against the Jews, but not an instance of the Christian realizing how the Jew might feel about being discriminated against.  This focus on the Christian's point of view on Antisemitism is carried throughout the novel and shows an inherent tendency for Christians to be self-centered.  In fact, this tendency is especially prominent in the last section we read through the reveal of Mowbray and Fowler's "jest."  The reveal of the jest and the consequences that Mowbray and Fowler face in relation to it show the karma of their self-centered actions, and their request for penitence from Harrington shows another tendency to be self-centered.  In this instance, Fowler shows a tendency of being self-centered that can attributed to her status as a Christian than Mowbray.

We see Fowler's first tendency toward self-centeredness in the first chapter of the novel when she tells Harrington the story about Simon the Jew in order to force him into "passive obedience" and "get [him] to bed, and out of her way" (70; 74).  She then proceeds to tell him more terrifying stories about Simon and Jews in general in order to "reduce" his "rebel spirit" so she would have an easier time managing him (70).  As we know, Fowler's selfish actions to make her life easier scar Harrington and give him his Antisemitic sickness and fits.  Even after Fowler is dismissed as his nursemaid, Harrington still suffers from her self-centeredness and lies.  Instead of apologizing to Harrington for essentially ruining his childhood and most of his life, Fowler demands that Harrington "never tell anybody the secret she has communicated" with him so she is not in "disgrace with [his] mother" (71).  Fowler shows no real repentance for her actions until she too begins to suffer because of them, which in turn leads her to try and correct them.  Unfortunately for Harrington, she only makes the problem worse and then, in a fantastic display of self-centeredness, runs off to become the nursemaid of the young Lady Anne Mowbray.

When we see Fowler again at the end of the novel, it is revealed that Fowler has once again committed a heinous act in her self-centeredness that directly affects Harrington.  She worked with Mowbray in his "jest" to ruin Harrington's reputation with Berenice when Mowbray bribed her with the marriage between a rich apothecary and her daughter.  This marriage is one that Fowler was desperate to see come true, and she leapt at the chance to see it happen despite how the jest might affect others - an act of selfishness.  Her entire treachery is only revealed when Harrington is about to accuse her of stealing from Lady de Brantefield, and it is Fowler who reveals her treachery in its entirety in an effort to save herself.  It is Fowler's self-centeredness that causes her to reveal everything to the Harringtons while she throws Mowbray under the bus as being the one who "knew better" and was "the wickedest" of them both (282-283).  Even as Fowler reveals what she has done, she bases her reveal around how sorry she is and if Harrington will ever forgive her.  Fowler tries to show her penitence as she begs for forgiveness for her sins.  Now, sin is a Christian concept similar to karma in that both are a cause-and-effect relationship between one's actions and the results of those actions.  However, sin is a concept that is focused more on how the self is affected by its actions as opposed to how the actions can affect others.  In addition, a Christian can ask for forgiveness for their sin as a means of counteracting that karma.  So Fowler insisting she is a "great sinner" that is not the "worse one" shows that Fowler is trying to excuse her heinous actions by begging for forgiveness for those sins and implying that her sins should be forgiven because they are not nearly as bad as the sins of others (read: Mowbray) (279).  She even asks for forgiveness for her actions when Harrington was a child and she was his nursemaid.

Fowler shows a great tendency towards self-centeredness that can be tied in with her status as a Christian and their concept of sin and penitence.  Fowler focuses on how she is affected by her own actions and only begins to beg forgiveness for her misdeeds once she begins to suffer some consequences.  This penchant for only asking forgiveness and feeling penitence when it affects her shows how Fowler uses her religion as a way to excuse her actions and lessen her own suffering.

This article explains the similarities and differences between "karma" and "sin" in Christianity.  It's a short but informative read that gives you the impression that Christians focus more on how they are affected by something than how others can be affected by it.

Questions

• We've seen how self-centered Fowler is in her actions and how that leads to a focus on the self in karma/sin and penitence.  How does Mowbray show a focus on the self in karma/sin and penitence? If possible, how does Mowbray's karma/sin and penitence tie in with his status as a Christian?
• Who, if any, are the other characters who have a tendency towards self-centeredness?