St Joan: A Story of Passioin

I found the section in the preface of the play, titled "Failures of the Voices," to be very interesting and thought provoking. It is easy to think of Joan as a hero because she died for her faith in God and passion for her country, but the people of the time, and perhaps most people today, would not believe that she had heard the voice of God speak to her. Why is it that only in retrospect was she deemed acceptable for sainthood? Would we react to her the same way today that people in the past reacted to her "visions" and conversations with God?

            The stories in the bible focus on those who heard the word of God and led his people out of oppression and into redemption, and the masses followed. This was not the case for Joan: even during a time when religion was a strong force in all aspects of society, the idea that God was speaking to her was considered absurd. I never considered the fact that Joan could have been crazy or delusional for hearing voices in her head, especially since she was always portrayed to me as a hero, but this seems to be suggested in the preface. I don’t think this view of her makes her any less powerful, because she was a woman fighting along men for what she believed in, and it has inspired many who have wavered in their faith.