Fear

Through intensive character studies of both Miss Goering and Mrs. Copperfield, the author explores the individual's capacity to confront and overcome her most profound fears. The author begins establishing this notion in the early pages of Chapter 1 during Miss Goering and Miss Gamelon's conversation about travel. Miss Gamelon says, "I always believe...that you get your warning. Some people don't heed their warnings. That's when they come into conflict. I think that anything you feel strange or nervous about, you weren't cut out to do" (8). Miss Goering, however, believes exactly the opposite of Miss Gamelon. Whenever she is in a situation that gives her an unsettling or uncomfortable sensation, she pursues the scenario, rather than avoiding it. She later tells Miss Gamelon that she has decided to sell her property because it gives her "a comfortable feeling of safety," a feeling which she believes precludes her...