Character Commentary
These are sketches Frank drew. His parents showed me around the house, the house that Frank was going to show me. The house he was going to bring me to. His vivid descriptions hold true to what I have seen thus far. His parents are very kind, and they treat me as if I am their own daughter. The daughter I was to be but may never become. We still have no word on Frank's status. I don't know if he is alive, dead, or worse. Finding these sketches are lovely, yet they sting to gaze at. Frank always mentioned how beautiful his home in Cornwall was, but less focus on the foliage. He captures the anatomy of the plants so intricately that I feel as if I could touch them through the paper. If only I could do that with the words he wrote in his last letter, maybe then, I could see him again. I wish Frank were here with my arm looped around his. He could show me his favorite spots, the places of his childhood memories, and many more areas. Now, I do not even know if I will ever lay eyes on him again. I believe if I knew for a fact he was dead or still alive is something that would be far less painful than this limbo of unknowing. I have no idea what his parents are feeling, but if it is anything like how I feel now, it is a chronic ache for the time being.
- Lucy L.
Editorial Commentary
From what Lucy writes, Frank has an unknown mortality status, and she has arrived at Frank's parents' home without him. As of this entry, Lucy has taken a small trip from her business with her sisters to visit what would-be her in-laws today. Lucy partially follows traditional aspects of Victorian society but in a slightly unconventional way. She is invited by her would-be in-laws, but none of them know if Frank is alive. In the 19th century, women were expected to be reliant on their husbands to provide for them. Lucy is not married, only engaged, so her possible future in-laws have zero need to assist her. Death, or could be death, was a large topic during the Victorian Era. Life expectancy was low, so many families prepared many years ahead for funerals. For higher society, it was a social event, but for lower society, proper funerals may not be possible (Broadview). In this instance, Frank's mortality is unknown, but Lucy and his parents have thoughts he could be dead. Lucy mentions in her entry how she would rather know whether Frank is dead than be left to guess his fate, and it hurts her more to not have any closure. If Lucy and Frank's parents knew he was dead, then they could mourn in a traditional manner. Since they do not know his condition, they cannot host such an event, and they are left to fall in between how society would deal with a topic such as death and the predicament they are currently in.
Sources
“The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: Concise Volume B.” Google Books, Edited by Joseph Black et al., 3rd Edition, Broadview Press, 2021. books.google.com/books?id=H1s7EAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&vq=employment,+political+and+legal+rights,+and+civic+visibility.#v=onepage&q=employment%2C%20political%20and%20legal%20rights%2C%20and%20civic%20visibility.&f=false
“Wild Flower Identification Guide (ID Guide).” WILD FLOWER IDENTIFICATION GUIDE (ID GUIDE), wildflowerfinder.org.uk/. Accessed 8 Oct. 2023.