Ownership In Christina Kathero's When Burthred

As a woman, a child, or both, there is going to be ownership surrounding that one’s whole life, and for Theodora that is exactly what is happening. At a very young age, Christina vowed to virginity and only giver herself to Christ, but her family wasn’t too fond of the decision that she made. Christina’s mother, Beatrix, made it her mission to marry off her daughter and would not care to who. She insisted on “[wasting] a great deal of money on old crones who tried with their love potions and charms to drive her out of her mind with impure desires. But the most elaborate potions had no effect. One Jewess wanted to harm Christina with tricks which were more powerful than the rest” (Talbot, 144). Beatrix wanted her daughter to fit society’s norms, …show more content…
Although the two wed it was not consummated because Christina refused; she did not want to be tied down to any man but Christ. Her parents, because they wanted her to cave in, “encourage Burthred to assault Christina in her sleep, but when he enters her chamber at night, he finds her fully dressed and awake. She delivers a pillow sermon on the theme of St. Cecilia” (Sanok, 118). It is obvious that Christina knew this was going to happen and begins to ramble on about Saint Cecilia’s life, which ultimately stops him from his assault on her. Christina knew the only way to free this marriage was to free herself which meant leaving to pursue her journey with God as a companion. Burthred was also able to free her “for he was aware, and he admitted it, that he had gravely sinned against it, and especially against Christ’s handmaid Theodora” (Talbot, 149). He began to see her as a person, and what she wanted, rather than inhuman with no feelings. While Burthred took the liberty of treating Christina like an item, Christina’s mother took it into her own hands to make sure Christina had no will power of her