不釣り合いな結婚の生態(4):「良心ゆえに」の場合 : 共感の通路を求めて

For Conscience' Sake in Life's Little Ironies suggests an interesting perspective in terms of Time. Millborne tries to compensate his broken promise of marriage to Leonora in his young days. In spite of his friend's negative advice, he tries to find out Leonora and fulfill his word after twenty years. Twenty years have, however, established a gap between them and their daughter Frances never to be filled. His deed based upon the moral sense is nothing but 'uncongenial' to Leonora and Frances. His moral sense on his conscience is juxtaposed in his mind with those on forgetting the fastening of the windows or on not repaying the borrowed money. Such juxtaposition is sure to breed 'little ironies.' He tries to recover 'a congenial channel' which was once connected between them on the verge of marriage. The time of twenty years has helped them to lead their own life severally. His moral sense and compensation reflects his view on women: the marriage is the final goal for women. Such view is, however, his own (or men's) imaginative fallacy. Women including Loenora and Frances are in reality very tactful and sly in fulfilling their own dream and in establishing their life. This discrepancy of views between men and women creates 'little ironies.' In this paper For Conscience' Sake is analyzed from the viewpoint of the ironical relationship with the protagonists in relation with the same theme of hankering for 'a congenial channel' with those in An Imaginative Woman and other tales.

公開日:2010年1月24日で登録したコンテンツは、国立情報学研究所において電子化したものです。