Love In Anne Rinaldi's The Coffin Quilt

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With two feuding families who despise one another, it is difficult to see the love between them. The Hatfield and McCoy dispute all started when Harmon McCoy was killed by Anse Hatfield, over the ownership over pigs and sow. Ever since that day hatred arose between both families and within their own families as well. When love was found, it caused more damage than good. Within “The Coffin Quilt” written by Anne Rinaldi, not only is hatred portrayed, but also, love proves to be another destructive force and intensifies the conflict. First, Roseanna and Fanny McCoy had a very close relationship. Fanny admired Roseanna more than her other sisters, she stated “And I can say this because I loved her best of all” (19). Fanny's opinion drastically …show more content…

Despite their fighting families, Roseanna and Johnse Hatfield were passionate for each other. In the beginning of the novel, Roseanna says, “He's asked to me to marry him” (34). Seeing that they loved and ran away together, emphasizes the conflict. Of course, Roseanna's baby helped to intensified the conflict as well.”We'll talk here. It isn’t that I’m not happy about the baby, Ro. How couldn’t I be? But we've got to do something. I don't want my child a wood's colt” (88). The news of the baby had Johnse frantic to get married, but the “Onliest was is if we ran off” (88), Johnse stated. The daring love between Johnse and Ro is constantly intensifying, as they want to run off …show more content…

First and foremost, was how Fanny's loving opinion drastically changed towards Ro. “Her voice, so sweet, like dripping honey, had always made things all right with me. Had always put my fears to rest. Now that same voice was saying things I couldn’t abide” (163). As the result of Roseanna creating the coffin quilt, Fanny realized that Ro had changed and was a different person then before. Next was Johnse and Ro's risky love. Disregarding their feuding families, they still ran off together, and planned to get married. “Nothing, honey. You don't say a word. Tell Pa you couldn’t find me. When we're wed we'll let them know, sure 'nuff”(36). Since Roseanna and Johnse loved each other, it created the main conflict, as they ran off together. Lastly, Bill and Bud emotional relationship. “I heard the music before I got to the top. Bill was playing his fiddle softly. The sun still cast a faint light in the west. He was backlit by the light, kneeling by the graves”(167). Since Bill was suffering after the death of his brother, he would play the fiddle by his grave and grieve. Their love was intensified after the passing of Bud. As a final point, love and hate both added tension and conflict between the Hatfield and McCoy

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