Self Realization In The Wedding Gift English Literature Essay

Published Date: 23 Mar 2015

Seeking a way to avoid the forthcoming of a seemingly inevitable and grey-veiled marriage is the first and foremost motivation of the poor and underestimated Kezia Barnes, living in the snowy little village of Port Marriot. In order to break away from the rueful restrictions of the Barclay family and the troublesome inferiority Kezia suffers every day, she is urged to delve into her wittiness and thus to finally discover the situation where she can utilize her capabilities of self­-realization. Upon discovering that she would only be tossed even deeper into subjugation within the confinements of a marriage to Mr. Hathaway, she finds herself in a series of situations enticing with a possibility to show her wittiness and independence. The first outward manifestation of these occurs during the journey, when realizing how to best reach Bristol Creek. She proves her ideas' worth, as well, when along with Mr. Mears she is stuck in the middle of the woods within a forsaken hut, pursued by the freezing winds of the night. Her final and almost unquestionable solution to overthrow the undesirable promises of an apparently hopeless marriage is her most powerful idea to become just a little more independent than she is under the control of the Barclays.

When setting out to the frosty journey with Mr. Mears, she proposes her idea of the way they should travel. Raddall's concept of self-made man, in this case woman, becomes submitted at this point. "Tom Raddall has always been a man of rugged independence, self-made…"(Heath 79) as Andrew T. Seaman points out. Here Kezia's disinterestedness regarding the horse and Mr. Mears shows how she is, indeed, capable to mingle her wits with selflessness. The ride-and-tie process grants each of them, including the horse, a time for some rest and comfort while, at the same time, advancing towards Bristol Creek. The reader is aware of Kezia's reluctance to marry Mr. Hathaway and it is, in fact, quite a twofold submission from her part to still try and do her best to reach the village and still try to manage the journey so that the young preacher and the old horse could both be kept away from fatigue. However, this subjection is evidently dual-natured; it is Kezia's own decision to keep the priest and the animal safe from becoming exhausted, but it is outside her will to arrive at Bristol Creek. In this part, she is still "a meek little thing" and subjugated but already showing traces of being capable of independent and sharp thinking. It is entirely her wish and decision to preserve the comfort and rest of her companions.

Arriving to the log cabin within the windless shelter of the woods, Kezia's meekness begins to shift towards sturdiness, and her dominance over her companion becomes all the more manifest in her actions. Due to the disappearance of the horse, the struggle to arrive at Bristol Creek becomes even harder and longer. "…Raddall […] recreates an atmosphere of a world inhabited by real people involved in real struggles." (Bevan and New 28) This struggle, however, is overcome by Kezia and her conscious control over the situation. Her character takes on the image of a determined but caring mother over the childish and awkward figure of the young and humble priest. His clumsy helplessness strengthens Kezia's controlling figure and the one becoming submitted is the priest. His character never once dominates the happenings and events and his submission towards Kezia is constantly emphasized. This seems to be one of Raddall's tools to delineate the development of Kezia's character, from a quiet and meek Kezia towards a still gentle, but grittier, more unwavering one. The shy and childlike demeanor of the priest provides a possibility for Kezia's sharp thinking, as well. Her ideas concerning the marriage become fully valid and understood by the very end of the story; however, Raddall already suggests in this part of their journey that Kezia is up to something. Her insistence on "bundling" together with the priest, wrapped up in bearskins, and her sharp reasoning beside the idea already evokes the notion of escaping the unpleasant marriage to Mr. Hathaway. The priest's primary devotion to protect his companion from freezing and death denies him the possibility to think otherwise and so, finally, he somewhat doubtingly but agrees. His audible prayers and affirmations made towards God are obvious signs of his regarding the act as somewhat dubious and dangerous. His feelings, however, are quite the contradictories of his thoughts; the smell of Kezia's freshly washed hair reminds him of his mother and gently pushes him in tranquil dreams. His perception of Kezia, as being in any way similar to his mother is another sign of the change in Kezia's figure. When she wakes during the night, she already seems resolute about something. This is implied in her act of kissing the priest's cheek, which, for her, "seemed a very natural thing to do."

Her cheerful welcoming of the horse is a key notion in the story. Upon the arrival of the animal, the question rises: why would she so happily welcome the horse once she is so reluctant to reach the confines of Bristol Creek? Her love towards the horse is evident, but is it reason enough for her happiness? Probably, the answer is no. As the story develops towards morning, her resoluteness becomes clear. She no longer has in mind getting to Bristol Creek; instead, she proposes her idea of marrying the priest. This is where her meekness turns entirely to becoming an initiator and a person in control. Here the another question emerges, namely, whether she prefers the marriage to the priest instead of Mr. Hathaway, because she feels more dominant and determined, thus avoiding the inferiority awaiting her beside Mr. Hathaway or rather, because she really adopted love towards the priest? Both seem possible; the story does not provide a clear, sufficient answer. She rather accepts to be poor but loved and being treated as equal, instead of becoming richer but remaining inferior. Beside the priest, her independence would become somewhat accessible and realizable, a concept she would never be able to fully realize beside Mr. Hathaway. The kiss on the cheek is also a sign of her liking the young preacher; however, her intention not to marry anyone at all, stated at the beginning of the story, might imply otherwise. It seems that the only possibility to escape the constraining marriage with Mr. Hathaway is to marry the priest instead; even if she does not wish to marry anybody. This may assign a rather tragic undertone to the conclusion of the story; the concept of independence and being self-made may never be fully achieved. It is only accessible through compromises, which means she would never be entirely independent.

The story truly describes the struggles of a constrained, meek woman to achieve a certain degree of self-realization, even if it can only be done beside an even humbler human being, a priest. Kezia's attempts at self-realization, in fact, remain only attempts; the reader never gets to know how independent she could really become if not for the clumsy figure of the priest. Her situation rooted in the strict confinements generated by the Barclays seems unable to ever provide her real chance for freedom. The story, however, does not leave the reader with a fully bitter taste in the mouth; it does provide some spark of hope for Kezia. It suggests that life beside the priest will not be so sour as it would have been in the dark and rankling matrimony with Mr. Hathaway.