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What happened to the Three Pines community as a result of Jane Neal’s death? What did Clara mean by having “Surprised by Joy” engraved on Jane Neal’s tombstone?
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One of the things that happened was what Gamache predicted in his initial meeting with the villagers in St. Thomas’ church. “We all have secrets, and before this is over I’ll know most of yours.” For most of the villagers, that may have been uncomfortable but ultimately strengthened their relationships with one another. The secrets revealed, Ruth’s sabotage of Jane’s relationship, Philippe’s real struggle, Ben’s betrayal of Peter and, particularly, Jane’s fear of sharing her home and her art all served to strengthen the villagers’ connection to one another.
According to Thomas Aquinas, “Joy is the human’s noblest act.” I think that has become Clara’s understanding of joy and of Jane Neal and the legacy Jane leaves to Three Pines. It is surely true that Jane and Timmer’s foe was from “their own house” but that is not how Clara wants to remember Jane or wants her to be regarded by others.
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I think a number of the villagers are devastated, especially Clara. As a result, many of them are grieving. Clara is the most overt in her grief, but Matthew Croft, Lucy, and Ruth, they grieve too. Jane’s death also brought forward lots of secrets in the community into the light, from the boys involved in vandalizing the bistro to Ruth’s secret to Ben’s villainy (and the others Jane mentions). It made many of them rethink what they thought they knew about each other, especially when they found Jane’s artwork in her home. On a positive note, I think that once these truths come to light and the evil is rooted out, the community is brought closer together.
I’m not exactly sure what Clara meant by having Surprised by Joy engraved, but I think it’s to honour her friend. Certainly the original proposed inscription would be far too sombre and negative for such a loving person like Jane. I also think it’s a callback to Clara finding the CS Lewis book of the same name on Jane’s bedside and to the William Wordsworth poem.
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Maybe the Surprised by Joy refers to the surprise of all of Jane’s joy-filled painting in her house.
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Yes, there certainly was a lot of grief, and a lot of secrets revealed! Once they realized that the murderer was one of their own, it made the villagers question and re-evaluate their relationships with one another, and made them question whether or not they truly knew one another. For some, like Matthew Croft and Phillipe, the secrets revealed may lead to an improvement in their relationship, and healing. For others, like Ruth, the self-examination led to some peace of mind, as she realized what good friends that Jane and Timmer had always been for her, despite her betrayal. Peter, however, was negatively affected, because it made him retreat even further into his protective shell and see the world and relationships as even less reliable than he already did. Ben’s betrayal has hurt him deeply, and his inability to be more emotionally available for Clara has done some damage to their relationship as well.
I think that Clara picked a perfect epitaph for Jane. She was a woman who had not been physically beautiful, yet was beautiful in spirit. She may have been disappointed and hurt by life in many ways, but she managed to live a life full of love, creativity, and belonging, while helping so many others along the way. She had been told by her family that her art was horrible, and yet she finally was given the gift of acknowledgement of its worth when Fair Day was accepted into the art show. She cried tears of joy over that — surprised by joy, indeed.
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