Over the course of The Return of the Soldier, Jenny repeatedly describes Margaret as a saint, metaphorically comparing her appearance to that of important religious figures as depicted in great works of art. When Jenny first visits Margaret in her home, she remarks that:
You know how the saints and the prophets are depicted in the steel engravings in old Bibles [...] she was really like that. She had responded to my irrelevant murmur of adoration by just such a solemn and beatified appearance as I had imagined.
Up until this point, Jenny has behaved condescendingly toward Margaret and privately deplored the shabbiness of her home, husband, and personal appearance. But all of this changes when Jenny reveals that Kitty wants Margaret to meet with Chris. Misunderstanding Kitty's cynical motivations, Margaret says that Kitty "must have a lovely nature," and her mistaken belief in Kitty's selflessness causes her face to take on a "beatified" (or saintly) appearance and inspires Jenny's metaphor. By linking Margaret to the "saints" and "prophets" who are depicted in art as impassively beautiful, Jenny implicitly argues that even though Margaret lacks the superficial beauty that Kitty possesses in abundance, her innate goodness imbues her with an otherworldly appearance that distinguishes her from other women in the novel. (Notably, Jenny says that Margaret's appearance in this moment makes Kitty seem "faceless" by comparison.)
Since Jenny goes on to make similar comparisons in the rest of the novel, the metaphor of Margaret's saintliness becomes a motif. When Jenny shows Margaret the nursery where Chris's dead son, Oliver, once lived, she compares her explicitly to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ in Christian theology. Describing how the Virgin Mary is portrayed in art as powerful and life-giving, Jenny compares Margaret to paintings of the saint:
“Let there be life,” their suspended bodies seem to cry out to the universe about them, and the very clouds under their feet change to cherubim. As Margaret stood there, her hands pressed palm to palm beneath her chin, and a blind smile on her face, she looked even so.
Even though Margaret is a visitor in Baldry Court, looking at baby clothes and furniture she could never have afforded for her own child, her saintly appearance imbues her with a spiritual beauty that outstrips the house's grandeur. It's notable that Jenny compares Margaret to the Virgin Mary—a woman who famously conceived a child without having sex—even though Margaret is far more sexually developed and transgressive than the novel's other women. During Dr. Anderson's visit, Margaret implicitly admits to having extramarital sex with Chris, and the romantic encounters that Jenny observes between them are so intense that she can hardly bear to describe them. By contrast, Jenny frequently describes Kitty as bride-like or "virginal," emphasizing her adherence to social expectation's of women's sexual purity. The fact that Margaret is frequently associated with saints suggests that spiritual elevation does not come from adhering to those expectations but by pursuing authentic relationships, even those deemed unacceptable by others. While Kitty's virginal appearance contributes to the novel's characterization of her as cold and unloving, Margaret's saintly aura is the direct result of both her goodness and her willingness to violate social norms for love.
Over the course of The Return of the Soldier, Jenny repeatedly describes Margaret as a saint, metaphorically comparing her appearance to that of important religious figures as depicted in great works of art. When Jenny first visits Margaret in her home, she remarks that:
You know how the saints and the prophets are depicted in the steel engravings in old Bibles [...] she was really like that. She had responded to my irrelevant murmur of adoration by just such a solemn and beatified appearance as I had imagined.
Up until this point, Jenny has behaved condescendingly toward Margaret and privately deplored the shabbiness of her home, husband, and personal appearance. But all of this changes when Jenny reveals that Kitty wants Margaret to meet with Chris. Misunderstanding Kitty's cynical motivations, Margaret says that Kitty "must have a lovely nature," and her mistaken belief in Kitty's selflessness causes her face to take on a "beatified" (or saintly) appearance and inspires Jenny's metaphor. By linking Margaret to the "saints" and "prophets" who are depicted in art as impassively beautiful, Jenny implicitly argues that even though Margaret lacks the superficial beauty that Kitty possesses in abundance, her innate goodness imbues her with an otherworldly appearance that distinguishes her from other women in the novel. (Notably, Jenny says that Margaret's appearance in this moment makes Kitty seem "faceless" by comparison.)
Since Jenny goes on to make similar comparisons in the rest of the novel, the metaphor of Margaret's saintliness becomes a motif. When Jenny shows Margaret the nursery where Chris's dead son, Oliver, once lived, she compares her explicitly to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ in Christian theology. Describing how the Virgin Mary is portrayed in art as powerful and life-giving, Jenny compares Margaret to paintings of the saint:
“Let there be life,” their suspended bodies seem to cry out to the universe about them, and the very clouds under their feet change to cherubim. As Margaret stood there, her hands pressed palm to palm beneath her chin, and a blind smile on her face, she looked even so.
Even though Margaret is a visitor in Baldry Court, looking at baby clothes and furniture she could never have afforded for her own child, her saintly appearance imbues her with a spiritual beauty that outstrips the house's grandeur. It's notable that Jenny compares Margaret to the Virgin Mary—a woman who famously conceived a child without having sex—even though Margaret is far more sexually developed and transgressive than the novel's other women. During Dr. Anderson's visit, Margaret implicitly admits to having extramarital sex with Chris, and the romantic encounters that Jenny observes between them are so intense that she can hardly bear to describe them. By contrast, Jenny frequently describes Kitty as bride-like or "virginal," emphasizing her adherence to social expectation's of women's sexual purity. The fact that Margaret is frequently associated with saints suggests that spiritual elevation does not come from adhering to those expectations but by pursuing authentic relationships, even those deemed unacceptable by others. While Kitty's virginal appearance contributes to the novel's characterization of her as cold and unloving, Margaret's saintly aura is the direct result of both her goodness and her willingness to violate social norms for love.
