…it’s occurred to me that there is another good reason why Meg wouldn’t have gone on in academia. In addition to her issues with knowing too much, there’s also the fact that she refused to play the game. The game that says when your teacher is droning on and on about somethign you already know, you scribble diligently in your notebook, pretending to be taking notes when you’re actually doodling or writing a sci-fi story. The game that says when your teacher is full of BS, you plaster the “that is the most fascinating thing I’ve ever heard” expression on your face and and complain to your friends later. You be a good girl and do as your told.
That game doesn’t go away in grad school; in fact, it gets worse. You do what your advisor tells you, focus on putting out publications that people may or may not read, and make whatever changes to your thesis your committee wants whether or not they make sense. I can easily imagine Meg taking one look at all that and telling them to shove it.
”Comment on a review of Madeline L’Engle’s The Arm of the Starfish.
To which I say exactly. Meg’s decision to not persue an academic career is actually quite fitting with her character, and is not a sign of weakness and sexism. Of course, I also feel that Mrs. Murry’s explanation in An Acceptable Time was a factor, but lack of confidence has always been a part of Meg’s character, and although she gets better, it’s realistic that it not disappear completely.
(Source: tor.com)
