Aha! (10/24)

Read Frances EW Harper's poem, "Learning to Read" and Charles W. Chesnutt's short story, "The Wife of his Youth" (both posted in the Webliography). Then, in the white hot fever of inspiration, you record your own process of coming to a significant insight, realization, or understanding of the texts. Get it all down and record the moment of enlightenment in 300-400 words. 


I first began reading "The Wife of His Youth" I was a bit put out. The title itself didn't make me very interested.  I thought it was going to be like some of the other stories we have read where the husband feels almost entitled to his wife, like he owns her, for lack of a better way of putting it.  The more I read the more frustrated I became I felt like Mr. Ryder was starting to fit into the ideation of a man who felt entitled to things.  I felt like this while I read about how he planned to ask Mrs. Dixon to marry him.  He was going to make this grand gesture towards her without even knowing if she wanted that sort of things from him, plus she was a widow and as I remember from reading Gone With The Wind, aren't you supposed to be in mourning during this time and remarrying was almost like a mortal sin, but that doesn't have much to do with the point I am trying to make. I just did not have the best feeling toward Mr. Ryder, until Liza Jane showed up.  He seemed to change, his gentlemanly side started to show, he was kind and considerate toward Liza Jane.  He listened intently offering advice about her situation of her missing husband and honestly trying to help her.  As the ball began I still had no clue what way the story was going.  Then, all of a sudden, when Mr. Ryder began telling his story to his guests it all became clear to me.  I still was holding some disdain toward Mr. Ryder believing that he was going to ignore Liza Jane and pretend like he was not her husband and just send her on her way and marry Mrs. Dixon like he wanted.  Then out of the blue, for me at least, he went and told Liza Jane he was her husband.  All of a sudden, my feelings towards Mr. Ryder completely changed.  I came to realize after all my ideations of him he was a true gentleman, a genuine person who truly cared about the happiness of others.  He put his happiness and desire aside so he could be with his "slave wife" who is in all actuality is not technically his wife.  Even though he wanted to be with Mrs. Dixon, he could not deny Liza Jane who had been searching for him for 25 years.  Liza knew he was a good man and still loved her and he knew in his heart he had to do the right thing.  At that moment, Mr. Ryder became like a olden day Disney prince to me.