Why was Jo expelled?

[Yak]

I wonder this whenever I read Last Term at MT. Jo Jones was presented as an awful character - a bully, swollen-headed and spoiled. And then at the end of the book it appears that she might actually have the chance of redemption: she realises just how bad her own, and her father's behaviour is and has been and she wants another chance. And yet Miss Grayling does not give it to her: she is still expelled. Why? Daphne, who was just as much a thief as Jo, was given another chance despite having been sent away from two or three schools previously for stealing. And yet Jo was sent away just at the time when she had begun to realise her mistakes and the flaws in her character. I feel that this was a serious failing on Miss Grayling's part.

[manzanita]

There's another thread somewhere with this question in and it is a good one.

I agree with you - it really makes no sense. I sat here for a while thinking of why and without re-reading the actual book, I can't explain why for sure, but all I can illogically logically come up with is that it's because she's nouveau riche and not to the manor born, like the other girls are. Presumably their fathers have worked for their money but it's not as overt in the story as Jo's family.

I think that even though not explained, Jo was nothing but a social experiment for Miss Grayling and that I find hard to accept against the MT ethos. I hope Jo wasn't nothing but a plaything but sadly, I think she was. I think that even had Jo reformed, the Grayling still would have found some reason to expel her.

Maybe I'm harsh...

[Yak]

There were other nouvea riche girls in the books .. Sheila Naylor was one although she can't really be said to have been a great success (although not actually expelled she was quietly phased out). But yeah, there really does not seem to be a reason at all, does there? It can't even be, as in the cases of, for instance, Prudence or Erica that the other girls would just never have accepted her because it was shown, when they received her letter (via Deidre), that they were sympathetic to her and I think they would have given her a chance. But Miss Grayling did not ..

[Lenoir]

Who are we to question Miss Grayling’s judgment?

Daphne had shown that she had something good in her so Miss Grayling made the unusual decision of letting the girls decide whether she would be allowed to stay on. Daphne had to face her peers and tell them the truth and she changed her ways.

Jo had led a younger girl into possible danger, and had done nothing to redeem herself. Having a bad influence on other girls seems to be what caused Miss Grayling to take such a hard stance. Maybe she also wanted to teach Mr Jones a lesson as well. (“How important parents are” thought Miss Grayling). Jo’s father was implicated because of the way he had brought her up, and Miss Grayling probably thought it was an unrecoverable situation.

[Yak]

Who are we to question Miss Grayling? Human beings. She ain't God, ya know

Daphne nearly, albeit indirectly, caused a younger girl to almost be KILLED. I think that what Daphne did was far worse than what Jo did... and what Jo did can partly be explained by the fact that she was unhappy and being treated badly by her peers. Sorry but I think Miss G showed a severe lack of judgement in this case.

[manzanita]

Nope, I have to agree with Yak here... Miss Grayling's judgment and conduct is questionable. Why can't we question her decisions? Or does the Grayling run some kind of dictator state where her word is rule and that is that? Granted, Jo is not perfect, but she deserves to be treated better than a mere plaything for Miss Grayling, and to me Jo is because of when the Grayling says "we took her on as an experiment.." or words to that effect.

So, it's acceptable to use people as experiments and dump them when it suits you according to Miss Grayling, because I do think Miss Grayling dumped Jo because she COULD and for no other reason. Jo could be safely dumped from MT, protecting her precious elite of The Right Girls without staining her conscience.

Seriously, the whole blind adoration of Miss Grayling and following of the MT code is partly what gets up my nose about MT. A fair few of those girls to me, cannot be termed successes or good examples, not least of all Darrell!

[Yak]

Yes, I did wonder why Darrell became headgirl .. as late as the Upper Fourth she used physical violence against another pupil - a considerably younger one - and I don't understand why that was acceptable. Of course, she HAD to be head girl to round off the series but nonetheless I think that there were many other pupils who would have been more suitable.

Jo says, in her letter to Deidre, that she knows that she will never get into as good a school again. So Miss Grayling has effectively destroyed her future .. at the very point at which she came to realise that she COULD be a success and could get out from under her father's influence (and her father seemed to realise it too).

[manzanita]

I just read Last Term and I think Mr Jones gives us the answer:

"And I reckon, Miss Grayling, that you might have given Jo another chance if you'd thought I'd seen things the right way - and I didn't"

I think now, that it is actually nothing to do with Jo or her crime or class, rather Mr Jones. After all, doesn't Mr Jones embarrass Miss Grayling by interrupting her when talking to parents at the half term day when she's talking to Dr Leyton? Presumably the Leytons are better bred and if you are trying to cultivate an air of well bred-ness ot parents, the last thing you need is for a booming Mr Jones to interrupt you and generally act in a common manner. Hence, the comment about experiments - perhaps to save her face and make sure the parents know the Jones aren't the normal class of girl or family at MT?

So, perhaps after Jo's thieving, Miss Grayling saw a way to get back at Mr Jones' via his daughter and perhaps after embarassing her at the half term, she didn't feel like being generous and giving Jo another chance.

Which begs the question - did Miss Grayling know what she was doing was dubious and wrong? And if so, is she really a weak character because she couldn't change her mind once it was made?

[Yak]

The funny thing is that Mr Jones, at that point, HAD seen that his conduct was wrong. I don't think that either he or Jo would have changed overnight and become perfect people but I think both started to improve immensely at that point. So yeah, your question is a valid one .. was Miss Grayling actually punishing Jo's father and not Jo herself?

And I wonder where Jo went, and what sort of report Miss Grayling made of her. She would have had to, of course, mention that she had expelled Jo. I wonder how she explained that, whilst still trying to ensure that Jo got a chance at another school?

[manzanita]

I just re-read and you're right - he does see the error of his ways. To be honest, I think Miss Grayling was just too weak to admit her decision is wrong and couldn't admit it. Rather like Alicia - her pride wouldn't let her change and once she's made her mind up she can't go back on it. At least Alicia saw the error of her ways in "In The Fifth" by going back into the pantomime as the Demon King.

My opinion of MT and Miss Grayling hasn't really improved since reading the books I have to say...

[Yak]

I don't dislike MT as a whole but this whole episode is one of its weaknesses I think. There is just no reason whatsoever to expel Jo right at the point when her life could be changed, her attitudes and all. AND those of her father! And it's not even as if Miss Grayling was concerned (as Miss Theobald was when Erica left St Clare's, for instance) that the second formers would not accept Jo back into class; I think that their subsequent reception of her letter to Deidre shows that they would.

[manzanita]

I vaguely remember Erica in SC - didn't she steal and report the second formers for having a midnight feast?

[Yak]

That was Elsie . Erica was the one who played tricks on some of the first formers - though she was a second former, I think(?) - and let Margery take the blame for it, till Margery rescued her from a burning building..

[manzanita]

In the O'Sullivan Twins? Either way I remember the fire in the san and that seemed really well written when I read it as a child.