Elizabeth

Elizabeth is the silent, suffering woman who accepts her fate with resignation. She does not possess the courage of Florence to take decisions on her own and assert her rights. She does undergo suffering and withstands the pressures of life but finds it difficult to resolve her dilemmas. As a child, she had loved her father and enjoyed his company. However, after her motherÂ’s demise, when her aunt decides to take her away from him, she fails to protest. Later, she leads a restricted life with her aunt but is unable to break away from her. Only when Richard appears on the scene, does she entertain ideas of escaping from her trap.

She loses her heart to Richard and elopes with him to New York, instead of asking him to marry her. Later, she conceives RichardÂ’s child but keeps it a secret from him. And after Richard commits suicide, she is desolate and distraught. She is afraid to face the world living in the same environment. Thus, she shifts her residence to another locality in the city. Here she delivers her child and experiences the anguish of being a single parent.

Elizabeth is romantic and gullible. As a youngster, she keeps chasing dreams but feels disillusioned when she confronts reality. She runs away with Richard to New York to taste freedom and experience bliss. However, she gets chained to the vicious routine of the city and finds little time to enjoy life. Also, she conceives RichardÂ’s child before marrying him and traps herself into a life of misery. Her impulsive action leads her to a life of struggle. Later, she meets Gabriel and gets married to him because she visualizes him to be her saviour. After marriage, when she becomes aware of his real, autocratic self, she feels disappointed. She resigns herself to her situation and hopes for a better tomorrow.

Elizabeth combines the good looks of Esther and the goodness of Deborah. Thus, she is a better partner for Gabriel than the other two women and deserves a better life from Gabriel. However, she has no complaints for herself. She only wants justice for John. She hopes Gabriel would treat him better in the future. She is happy that John is blessed by god to become His agent and feels rewarded. Elizabeth is content with the little pleasures of life and holds on to them with hope.

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