What did you think of Belle's character? Did you find her sympathetic? What do you imagine happened to her after she escaped?

What did you think of Belle's character? Did you find her sympathetic? What do you imagine happened to her after she escaped?

I did not find Belle’s character to be sympathetic. She was self centered and opportunistic and don’t think that she thought of Rosie at all.

I felt Belle was also a victim. She was sexually assaulted by a relative and then dismissed by her mother. She was trying to survive her circumstances with the limited skill set she had….use rather than be used. After she escaped, I imagine Belle continued to use men to get what she needed or wanted. I think her life continued to be difficult and empty. No happy ending for Belle.

I was torn between feeling compassion for Belle and then feeling that she was cold-hearted, callous. It was easy to feel compassionate for her when she shared a little bit about the sexual assaults during her life before being sent to the asylum. She went through more than anyone should have to deal with in the course of their entire lifetime. I briefly had hope that Belle might put aside her cold-hearted coping mechanisms and have a soft enough heart for Rosie to make sure that Rosie was able to safely escape.
Like Cindyb, I think Belle’s life continued on the same empty trajectory without a happy ending. Though Belle clearly had a certain level of resilience, it seemed to be driven more by obstinance and stubbornness rather than by tenaciousness and fortitude.

Everyone who ended up in the asylum had experienced trauma, and there were different ways of coping. Belle was a survivor because she knew how to manipulate circumstances to her advantage in order to escape. I am sure she carried psychological scars with her, however. The author does a great job of creating tension for the reader as we watch her just stringing Rosie along as Rosie continues to trust her.

I felt Belle was shaped by the disbelief she experienced from her family after she told of the sexual assault. It caused her to look out for herself because obviously no one else was going to look after her. I hope she made a good life for herself after her escape.

I think Belle’s manipulative character was clearly a result of having been sexually assaulted at a very young age and then additionally condemned as the instigator of the action instead of being cared for as the victim of a crime. She probably learned that the best way to deal with duplicity was to use lies and manipulation to achieve her own goals. I doubt that her future was happy or stable. I think she was too badly damaged by her experiences to be able to change for the better.

I agree with the first 3/4 of LindaMonaco's statement.
But I feel her future could improve with the right help and support along the way.
Now here is a question: did she help Bell out of genuine concern or did she have an ulterior motive? I'm not really sure after reading some of the readers' concerns.

I think Belle was a victim, who survived the best way she could. Her future doesn't look great unless she meets some compassionate people along the way. She is a survivor and a user, but given the circumstances of her background not surprising and Rosie was just too trusting and really needed/wanted a friend - also a victim of her background.

I agree with all who said that Belle is a victim of very sad circumstances. That doesn't mean she's totally blameless for some of her selfish actions, but looking at everything she did in context, I believe she was just doing her best to survive. And she was still so young when we last saw her--I like to believe that she got the help she needed and was able to live a fulfilled life.

I agree with all the comments about Belle. I would also add that she wasn't entirely selfish because remember, she did send the necklace and the key as well as Helen's letter back to Rosie. Rosie had told her about the money in San Jose (which I'm sure she was smart enough to know that the key would've helped get that money) and the necklace would've probably been worth something monetarily, but instead of keeping that stuff (which might have helped her better her lot in life), Belle sent it back to Rosie knowing how much it meant to her. Compare that to Celine, who had the means financially and the ability to help Rosie, but she let her hatred of Rosie due to her husband's betrayal get the better of her and took back the money that Truman left for Rosie as compensation (and this knowing that Rosie would very likely need the money). I definitely sympathized with Belle and hope that she was able to live a good life.

Yes, Lee, I was thinking that too, she sent the key and necklace back. Since the money went to Celine, part of me wished that Belle had retrieved the money first. But who can say if the bank would have opened the box for her? I was so angry when I read that part. Truman was trying to help in the only way he felt he could and Celine took all of that away.

I was angry with Belle for insulting Stuart and not realizing how that could affect the escape plan.

I did wonder what had happened to Belle.