Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion of Walker Percy

[Joshua <joshuaemrich AT yahoo.com>]

They are 2 different women. And questions can be dumb.


Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 10, 2012, at 12:12 PM, Alex Bell <alexbell25 AT tamu.edu> wrote:

> hello all,
> 
> I'm a English graduate student at Texas A&M, and i have a question that 
> hopefully can be answered (or at least assuaged) with consensus. In _Love 
> in the Ruins_ Tom More repeatedly reminisces on his dead wife Doris. we are 
> told that she was a highly principled yet non-religious woman (i believe he 
> refers to her as an ex-episcopalian who found interest in eastern 
> religion). Ellen Oglethorpe, Dr More's secretary and eventual lover, is the 
> referred to in a similar fashion-- a Presbyterian who has "no use" for God, 
> but who adheres to a strict moral code. How then are we to differentiate 
> these women (if we even are to do so), especially in regards to their 
> effect on More? can More's "choosing" of Ellen be a return to a previous 
> state of life--life before the loss of his child--or is there as subtle 
> difference between Doris and Ellen which i am missing?
> 
> 
> thank you in advance for any enlightenment
> 
> Alex Bell
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