“What a Wonderful Wife”

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Recommended: Romantic concept of literature

This paragraph concludes chapter six of “A Lost Lady” by Willa Cather. Since this paragraph concludes chapter six and it is in the middle of the book it has an increased importance in its role. This role is to demonstrate what Niel is attracted to about Mrs. Forrester just pages before that attraction is taken away from him. This paragraph develops the idea that he is attracted to her because of her love of and loyalty to Mr. Forrester. His attraction to this mainly relates to the theme of the real versus the ideal, where Niel prefers the ideal. This conflict between the real and the ideal primarily relates to Mrs. Forrester’s sexuality and relationship with the past.
The narrator, through Niel’s point of view, states, “From that disparity, he believed, came the subtlest thrill,” when discussing Mrs. Forrester’s conflicting sexualities. These conflicting sexualities follow the theme of one being the ideal sexuality and one being the real. The more real world one is that of her beauty and flirtatious nature. She is able to have any man she wants fall in love with her, which is shown w...

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