Sati is the Hindu ritualistic suicide where widows would voluntarily throw themselves into the flames as their husband's bodies were being burned. It was believed that by doing this, women were paying the debt of their husbands sins and would go straight to Heaven. There were seen as virtuous and pure.
I wonder, if Mrs. Gottlieb chose to self-immolate so she could go straight to her heaven to be with her beloved son, where she knew she was waiting for her. Was she paying for his sins as well?
These are great questions, Lisa. I wonder, too, if the motivation behind her choice might be more selfish. Did she do this for Gordon, or was it to satisfy her own sense of mourning? Perhaps she is more into her own needs by not letting him go. You blog sparks so many new questions for me!
ReplyDeleteWho is the artist that created the image you posted?
Those are some good questions! Mrs. G is a character who is hard to tease apart -- I'm still trying to figure her out!
ReplyDeleteI got the image from Google Images, the webpage it was listed on did not cite the artist, but I will keep looking!