Phillipa's Fox Hunt by Somerville Ross

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Recommended: Use of Symbolism

The story by Somerville Ross, “Philippa’s Fox Hunt” was set in Ireland. A recently married couple Mr. and Mrs. Yeates were featured adapting to a new environment. The new place was characterized by new social activities that were not common in their previous residence. They had to learn new skills such as riding horses and hunting. Mr. Yeates who narrated the story described his life after marriage and how events had shaped his marriage. At the very beginning I was able to pick an element of symbolism; a newly married couple will naturally start a new life and similarly in the story the couple ventured into a new society where almost everything was new just in the same way when two people get married to each other. The starting of the story kept me in suspense: the starting sentence, “No one can accuse Philippa and me of having married in haste” (Fox 1). This clearly brought up the theme of love and marriage. The selection of words by the narrator told that the speaker did not regret his marriage. The defensive tone of the narrator made me to think that perhaps people had criticized his marriage. Theme of religion came out clearly in this story: “Philippa had what are known as High Church proclivities, and took the matter seriously” (Fox 1). People in this context honor God by fasting. One lady, Julia said that she could not eat an egg on a fasting day. Mr. Yeates said that his wife always had a gift for the church and that she highly honored the elders of the church. These are indications of a society that had religion at heart. Family was a place of gathering where people met to eat, drink and socialize. The people in the story were also religious as shown by Mrs. Knox as she prayed for her family. The narrator described th... ... middle of paper ... ...ople see from outside might not be the truth about a particular marriage though there may be some truth in it. Most weddings are done in church. The newly wedded couple is supposed to hold on to their faithfulness in God. Praying and fasting are major activities that are recommended for the couples. Church, best maids and the altar are a symbol of holiness in marriage and that still applies in today’s life. Church weddings are upheld in the society and people take pride being associated with weddings. In conclusion, Somerville and Ross story “Phillipa’s Fox Hunt” is a story of relevance in today’s society especially in marriage. Social activities and the role of women and men in marriage is a topic of interest to many people of our age. The story was written with a lot of thought. Works Cited Fox, Hunt. Philippa’s Fox Hunt. Elfinspell, n.d. Web. June 15, 2011.

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