![]() ![]() In chapter II, James recounts on how May loved him without regard to his fault, loved him without humor, believed in him fully, making his life part of hers (485, 6).ĭespite this, Marcher, in his selfish nature, refuses to marry her (485). James notes that May to Marcher never “chaffed him nor betrayed him” and they had a “goodly bond” all because she loved him wholeheartedly (484, 7, 8). As the story progresses, the reader learns more, and often will focus more, on all that they frequently do together, such as their meetings becoming a “daily habit” and their “anniversary,” for so many years, watching with giddy hopefulness that they, like some creatures of a century-old romance novel, will get together. Even a reference to having “taken” someone, alluding to intercourse, is made (481). ![]() Before much of the mystery in the story is revealed, May asks him, “Has it ever happened?” giving implication of sexuality, though never engaged in, perhaps even wondering if he will engage with her (481). As James writes, “They looked at each other as with the feeling of an occasion missed,” which hints strongly to tension and mutual, probably romantic, feelings (479). First, there is much in the way of evidence that James places in order to lead the reader to believe that Marcher and May’s relationship is one of unreciprocated love, a romance never embraced, one that even Marcher once pretends to conjure and with no success (480). James is clever in how he writes because he does not initially offer up the overarching point he will make with the story. All of this is done with a love story, one that in reality often plays out much the same: tragically, because of willful ignorance. In a form of what I consider to be an extension of the allegory, this story presents how many people live their lives without true Love, wasting them because they intentionally do not embrace the Love which has always been before them, rejecting and replacing it with the self, a practice always ending in destruction. The Beast in the Jungle is a metaphor for everyone’s lives, though well disguised much like the message it represents, it must be worked at to be understood. He edified his readers in what many probably never even considered in their lives, much less between the pages of his story. Instead, James used his words to teach an overarching truth, an everlasting truth. Indeed, James did not simply write this story to appease a few minutes of selfish desire entertained by a thrilling romance. Undoubtedly, Henry James created this story of love and selfishness intentionally, knowing the lessons that could be made with them. The foundation of the book rests on a tension between love and selfishness. Through the selfish nature of Marcher, the death of his friend May, and the doom lurking behind the corner of every page, there seems to be more hurt than heart. Perhaps, though, some may read the story as a tragedy rather than a romance. Throughout the tale, there are underlying sexual tensions, unrequited love, and overwhelming heartbreak, the loss of which being the climax and the doom. The story of The Beast in the Jungle is to many a great unrealized romance. A paper I wrote during my Undergrad studies reformatted as a speech I gave at the same University. ![]()
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