"What had I to love? Oh many things: there was the moonshine and the bright stars; the breezes and the refreshing rains; there was the whole earth and the sky that covers it: all lovely forms that visited my imagination, all memories of heroism and virtue."
Mathilda is an intelligent and complex character, one who often analyses her personality and her place in the world. In this extract, she explores the small things in life that make her happy, such as elements of nature or the powers of her imagination.
“If pain can purify the heart, mine will be pure.”
Mathilda reflects on the pain she has experienced in her short life. Although only in her early twenties, Mathilda has had her fair share of suffering, and here suggests that if pain purifies the heart, hers must be pure due to the sheer amount of suffering she has experienced.
“At first, as the memory of former happiness contrasted to my present despair came across me.”
In this quote, Mathilda reflects on how happy memories can often exacerbate present unhappiness. Her happy memories of her past make her realize how much she is suffering in the present, therefore showing a different side to how happy memories can be perceived.
