MovieChat Forums > Lark Rise to Candleford (2008) Discussion > Laura vs. the declaration

Laura vs. the declaration

posted 9 years ago by dathaler
2 replies | jump to latest

I do solemnly promise and declare that I will not open or delay, or cause or suffer to be opened or delayed, any letter or anything sent by post......

....and yet she deliberately violated that oath on several occasions, apparently with no consequences. In season 1, she lost a parcel intended for the Pratts because she let Philip distract her. In season 2, she hid the final part for the town clock in an effort to get Fisher to stay in Candleford. In season 3, she delayed delivery of a letter from an imprisoned Caroline to Alf so that it wouldn't spoil the housewarming. In season 4, she sent telegrams to neighboring towns trying to confirm the identity of "Rufus" and "Bess"; no deliveries involved, but clearly not a postal matter, particularly when Rufus and Bess turned out to be hunting dogs.

Meanwhile, Thomas gets reprimanded for using the mail bag (without any letters or parcels) to distribute flyers on temperance.

How is Dorcas so clueless where Laura is concerned?

[–] vikki-lewis 9 years ago

I don't see how sending telegrams has much to do with the declaration. It was just a way of communicating, doesn't have to be about postal matters at all. Miss Lane used it to contact the prison, Caroline's daughter used it to send a message that she had given birth, Queenie had one about her brother's illness and death, Miss Lane used it to relay information about Sydney, the Pratt sisters used it to ask about a clients dress orders...and so on and so on.

Though Dorcas seems to bend the Post Office rules herself when it suits her. I don't think she's clueless (as in...being blind to the obvious)

She thought when Laura lost the parcel that she was too young to give Laura that responsibility, and went to the Pratts to personally apologise.

When Laura (and Minnie) hid the clockpart she was quite stern with Laura and wanted her to confess because of her Post Office's reputation.

From what I remember...when Laura hid the letter to Alf, she didn't tell Dorcas. And Dorcas wasn't in the room when she hid it, so how else could she have known about the letter?

Thomas was using the bag in public and as Dorcas said giving off the impression that the temperence movement was "the views of the Post Office". I suppose he got a more stern talking to because he has been working there for a couple of decades atleast, and Laura had been working there for less than a year at the time.

[–] dathaler 9 years ago

Miss Lane used it to contact the prison, Caroline's daughter used it to send a message that she had given birth, Queenie had one about her brother's illness and death, Miss Lane used it to relay information about Sydney, the Pratt sisters used it to ask about a clients dress orders...and so on and so on.

Those were communications about how the health and welfare of family members, or in the case of the Pratts, inquiries of a business or professional nature. That's quite different from inquiring about a couple of gravestones based in your own romantic imaginings.