Camilla not being liked by other women, namely Judy and Marion, makes me so sad. All members of the Greek class are out of step with the general population in some way, but I dont think any of them experience that isolation as acutely as Camilla does. Even within her little group she is the odd one out, in turns abused, adored, hated, desired, and treated as an object.
I don't think she was ever very popular with other girls. I can see young Camilla, strange, solitary Camilla, being left out at school, treated with contempt and suspicion by her peers. I can see her spending hours wondering whats wrong with her, why it's so hard for her to make friends. I think this contributed heavily towards her inappropriate relationship with Charles, already codependent due to their shared childhood trauma. I think her inability to relate to other women made her retreat into their bond further, which in turn made her seem even more bizarre to outsiders.
Charles, who is certainly not without his share of problems, does not have the same effect on other men. He is described by Richard as charming and generally well liked, and I think part of that is because his possessiveness of his sister is more or less expected. The men around her, who either consciously or subconsciously see women as objects, don’t find it strange that Charles treats Camilla as his.
This is not to say that Camilla is some kind of innocent victim whose sad backstory excuses her actions, she certainly is not that. But I do think that she shares Richard's desperate need for belonging, and her relationship with the men of the Greek class is a sort of extension of her relationship with Charles, a shield from a world that has shunned her.
blakekathryn
romaincrisis
pixelskylines
amandla
