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The Rectors Daughter: An Analysis Of Flora Macdonald Mayors

708 Words3 Pages

How is the separation of lovers and its consequences presented in the extract?
This extract of Flora Macdonald Mayors ' novel, 'The rectors daughter ', develops the theme of hedonism being extingished by the misfortune of unrequited love, through the perspective of a middle aged woman of the 1920 's. Mary Jocelyn, the stories narrator, aims to persue the man of her desires, however his absence of affection is prominant in this extract when we discover his devotion to another woman. This extract is significant to the era, as newly upcoming 'flapper girls ' encouraged a future of female independence and open sexuality, but this segment leaves connotations that not all women took this lifestyle by storm, and still remained unsatisfied as a woman when unaccompanied by a husband, as shown through Mary 's characterisation in the text. Throughout the excerpt, the consequences faced by the separation of lovers is evident to leave a negative effect on the person on the receaving end.
Within the segment, the narrator observes that "a large yellow moon was shining in" when referring to the nursery that she previously "rushed" into. The emphasis on the moon gives implications of the nursey being a gravitational vaccumm to her, which suggests her spirituality and future being as bleak as the dimmly lit room she is standing in. As well as this, Mayor makes repeated references to the "dead", making further connotations to the deteriorating hope of the narrator for any chance of

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