Discuss the themes of Love and Lost in the Half Brothers by Elizabeth Gaskell

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 Discuss the themes of Love and Lost in the Half Brothers by Elizabeth Gaskell  

     Love and lost plays an integral role in the story of the Half Bothers, which successfully leads to an inevitable ending. Each character rein act different aspects of the definition of love and lost.

    For this reason, I will explore the way Elizabeth Gaskell epitomises love in each of the characters Helen, William and Gregory.

     The reader is forced to feel sorry for Helen, as she has experience much pain and heartache. She was previously married but then her husband died of ill health and left her a widow with a child on the way. Her little girl she had when her husband was alive became sick and died also. Helen then gave birth to a new baby boy called Gregory. At that time She was poverty-stricken because the farm she had wasn’t doing well so she didn’t have enough money to take care of herself and her new baby Gregory. Never the less her problems were solved when William a man asks her to marry him. When Helen and her sister are conversing about the marriage it obvious to the reader that she is going to marry William purely because of the love she has for her son.

‘She seemed after that to think of nothing but her new son ’

   Helen and Gregory are bought closer by the death of her previous husband and daughter Perhaps it is because the Gregory may resemble the father or daughter in some way. It is obvious that she marries William because of this immense love for her son Gregory as she makes William promise something before they get married.

‘William Preston had asked her to marry him, and had promised to take good charge of her little boy………neither in the way of keep nor of education’

   The author substantiates that she has not entirely got over the death of her previous husband, in the text it mentions ‘after they married she never smiles again’ However later on in the story, it shows us that the only time she is happy this occurs when she has her son in her hand. It is this, which unfortunately leads to William being envious of Gregory the little boy.

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‘And he took a positive dislike to Gregory he was so jealous of the ready made love that always gushed out like a spring of fresh water that came near’.

   When ever Helen sees her son her eyes lit up and she never fails to smile or to stick up for her son whenever there is need too. However it mentions that she did all she could to please her husband so one could make the assumption that she has a child for William to show that she does have some love for him and maybe because ...

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