Alexandra seems to feel very disappointed in Marie after everything happened. As in page 117, Cather narrated about Alexandra blaming on Marie “She blamed Marie bitterly. And why, with her happy, affectionate nature, should she have brought destruction and sorrow to all who had loved her ,…” It appears to Alexandra that Marie was the main reason to cause all the troubles. Later in the chapter, when Carl came to meet her she said “Could you have believed that of Marie Tovesky? I would have been cut to pieces, little by little, before I would have betrayed her trust in me! (120)” It is hard for Alexandra to believe and accept the truth that Marie and Emil had a secret affair. However, at the end she did not put any blame on Marie. As they both, Carl and Alexandra continued the conversation they agreed that “There are women who spread ruin around them through no fault of theirs, just by being too beautiful, too full of life and love. (121)”
One thought on “Alexandra’s feeling toward Marie”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
While Alexandra eventually forgives and doesn’t blame Marie as shown in your quote on page 121, Willa Cather’s characterization of Marie, especially towards the end of the novel I found to be dangerous because it absolved the men from blame. For example on page 77 Marie says “Frank’s wife ought to be timid” when she describes how she differs from an ideal wife for Frank. In addition to placing the blame on herself, this language doesn’t allow for Marie to fully express herself or pursue the American Dream. In addition your quote, “There are women who spread ruin around them through no fault of theirs, just by being too beautiful, too full of life and love. (121)” suggests that it wasn’t the men’s fault for their transgressions.