Lady’s Maid & My Sisters Marriage Essay, Research Paper

Life s a peculiar process. You grow and get nourishment, you sleep and wake, you live and die. All are rudimentary essentials to life, however there is on thing that makes life worth living and that is love. Love is the building block of all relationships whether big or small and it s the glue to a healthy family. One can arguably agree that these stories exemplify this form of love. Both stories (My Lady s Maid & My Sisters Marriage) respectively share a common theme, from the protagonists point of view that there is nothing more important in life than being loved or wanting to be loved.

Everyone grows up with a sense of insecurity in life at one point or another and with a sense of need. We all need to feel included in whatever we feel exclude from because without feeling wanted in life one can slip into the dark shadow of depression. Both stories exemplify this form of wanting to be needed. Sara-Ann feels as though her father is ignoring her and would frequently express it over dinner, Olive everyday you remind me of your mother. This comment hurt Sara-Ann because she bore a striking resemblance to Olive and feels as though if Olive is getting praise because she looks like her mother than so should she. Conversely to the ignoring attitude that Sara-Ann received from her father, Ellen (protagonist-Lady s Maid) was once venerated by her grand- father but was rejected not ignored for snipping her hair to bits , I cut of all my hair; snipped it off all to bits, like the little monkey I was. Grand-father was furious. She ran away shortly after searching for love and she began to work for a lady for whom she took care-of. She loves the Lady and believes the lady loves her.

Whereas Ellen s quest for love was innocent because she was literally rejected by her Grand-Father when she was a child, Sara-Ann s quest was based on jealousy, Lets play house I thought it wasn t fare, just because Olive was three years older than me that she should always be the mother. I wanted to sit opposite my father at dinner and have him smile at me like that. (p.186) Sara-Ann feels as though her father had renounced what little love for her and gave it to Olive, his favorite daughter.

Whereas both stories share their simple differences their similarities are of a unique nature. Sara-Ann Finally gets the love from her father after her sister leaves, conversely to the manner Ellen receives her love. A love that pulls her in two separate direction: On is the love she shares for the Lady and the other is the love for Henry (a love that can be questioned). Ellen chose to stay with the lady but one can sense some regret in her actions, Take them all back I can t leave my lady I had to slam the door in his face When I opened the door-believe me or not, madam-that man was gone! I ran out into the road just as I was, in my apron and my house shoes, and there I stayed in the middle of the road staring. Ellen s search for love was of a difficult course she was torn between two parties and let her poor judgment get into the way of her possibly marriage.

Many have questioned the meaning of love and it s usefulness but these two Stories (Lady s Maid & My Sisters Marriage) have shown what the lack of love can force one to do. It forced Sara-Ann to seek the veneration from her father in a slanderous way and it influenced Ellen s regretful annulment of her wedding with Henry. To love is to be loved , said the great philosopher Jermaine, but To live a life without love is to live in the empty shell of life.