“There is no man who loves a woman that does not desire to come to her for the renewal of his courage, for the cutting asunder of his difficulties. And that will be the mainspring of his desire for her. We are all so afraid, we are all so alone, we all so need from the outside the assurance of our own worthiness to exist.”
Dowell emphasizes how individuals are reliant on external reassurance in order to feel comfortable in their own skin, predominantly in romantic relationships. The plot revolves around the theme of commitment and its value; Dowell being a victim of betrayal suffers from self-worth issues since he lacked the affection and passion from his deceitful wife to feel worthy. Also, the demise of the two villains of the tale arises from not respecting their commitments and facing rejection. Furthermore, it also alludes to how Dowell is portraying himself as the victim of the story to achieve the empathy of the reader in order to attain worth. When the reader identifies more with Dowell than the other characters, as the narrator he gains our concern.
“I was aware of something treacherous, something frightful, something evil in the day.”
The extramarital affair involving one of each household, Edward and Florence, is a deceitful act that would affect the other parties driving their decisions in the story. In this statement, John can already sense the betrayal in his marriage even though he will not be aware of the cheating for some time to come. The feeling of having a wife that refuses to consummate their marriage but sleeps with other men is a disconcerting feeling for Dowell or anyone else for that matter. Either when aware or just suspicious of it. Though he disregards the feeling at this juncture, it would gradually affect his self-worth. Dowell and Edward’s wife Leonora are the victims of this indiscretion; their emotions and mental state are on the line. And over time they begin harboring feelings of self-doubt, paranoia, jealousy, and loneliness.
“This is the saddest story I have ever heard.”
Dowell being the unreliable narrator, the reader has no other point of view thus has to take his narration as the truth. Therefore, in this statement regarding the ensuing events in the story that depicts him as a guiltless victim in the indiscretions of others, he sets the tone. He portrays the other characters as the active participators in this tale of betrayal, taking a backseat in the statement despite also being a central part of it. Florence manipulates and cheats on him throughout their union. Seeking adulterous affairs with Edward behind his back which in turn also destroys the Ashburnham household. Moreover, the consequences of these actions on him and Leonora while the deceitful spouses also face their demises by the culmination of the story.
