Love is Submission and Sacrifice - Essay Example

If a person who reads this story is doubtful of Mabel's and Jack's love for each other simply because they do not believe in love at first site, one must consider the fact that, in actuality, they did know each other since long though their previous encounters were formal until they meet at the stream. This story leads us to wonder how long they had really harbored this love for each other. How long had these feelings thrived before bursting at its seams, surprising even Mabel and Jack who experienced them It is very hard to believe their love would unfold so suddenly and dramatically after they seemed to have known each other for so long.

There are many different ways their love, if it truly was love, could have manifested. In order to understand Mabel and Jack's capability of love, we must first understand them as people, what their lives were like and the circumstances in which they lived. Mabel in particular seems to have had a harsh life. The author describes her as being a short, sulky young woman with an impressive fixity to her face. He also describes her as being "alone." Since she wasn't friendly with her brothers, there was a lack of affection between them; this is evident when the author states; "There was a strange air of ineffectuality about the three men", ".

keeping the home together in penury for her ineffectual brothers" (Lawrence). The author also shows the hatred of the three men towards their sister when, the brothers address Mabel with harsh language "go as a skivvy", " the sulkiest bitch that ever trod." The author has attributed this to her tolerating nature when he states " they had talked at her and around her for so many years, that she hardly heard them at all" (Lawrence). Sadly, to add to Mabel's depressing situation, she had no friends or colleagues of her own except her sister Lucy, who had married and moved away.

Mabel's loneliness did not seem to trouble her because before their father died and left them in huge debts, she was still alone; the only difference was that she was well off financially, and that made her proud and reserved, "but so long as there was money, the girl felt herself established and brutally proud, reserved." She had many servants earlier who used to take care of the house but now that she was left alone in all these years of poverty, she managed to look after the house until the debt their father had left to them had prevailed and everything, including their house was taken over.

Mabel had felt self-sufficient but now that everything had come to an end she still has a certain pride "animal pride" that was unstealable. She has a strong character that would never compromise how harsh and difficult situations may be. "Still she would not cast about her, she would follow her own way just the same, and she would always hold the key of her situation". Even now when the situation was forcing to give away her pride and asking her to submit herself to others, she made her mind to end life and never bend down in front of others to what the author has described as " glorification of herself ".

The pride in her had taken over her sensibility so much that death seemed more appealing then her current situation. However, in the end it is evident that her new life had softened her, she had lost her pride in the pond and now wanted to submit herself for love "she shuffled forward on her knees, put her arms around him." She had changed completely in her new