Do you belive Jerusha was truely happy?
I don't think she was happy being married to Abner. Abner doesn't seem to be the husband she wished, prayed, and longed for. But I do think she was happy about being with the hawaian people. and teaching them to write.
I was just wondering if anyone esle thought she was happy or not happy.
Froggy - I agree with you. Jerusha definitely was unhappy with Abner, but she stays in Hawaii because she was devoted to her work with the Hawaiians. She probably also did not want to break her marriage vows. That's what I think, anyway. I also think that Rafer, creep that he was, really did truly love Jerusha, and that she loved him in return. So it was tragic that her uncle intercepted Rafer's letters. Many people feel this subplot was unnecessary, but I think it is key to her character. Rafer represents an almost irresistable temptation, but Jerusha is too noble and self-sacrificing to abandon Abner.
shareFinally someone who agrees with me.
I think having the subplot was necessary to tell how Jerusha was.....how noble she was, how strong she was, and in some ways how unhappy she really was with Abner. I always think about her happiness when she kisses Rafer. Anyone who was truly I mean truly happy with there marriage, would have stopped the kiss. Since she didn't and from what I see kissed him back and then was torn over going back to Boston with him, she wasn't happy with Abner. And really how could be happy with Abner, he was so ingrossed with his church and preaching he didn't see the love that could have been. He acted as if he could love Jerusha and God at the same time, which I think if he would have accepted he could love God and Jerusha at the same time things would have been better. But then it wouldn't be the same movie.
We might be the only two people online who care about this, but yes, she didn't have to kiss Rafer. Plus in those days, kissing was a big, big deal. You only kissed your husband or maybe your fiance after he popped the question. So Jerusha must have loved Rafer. Another interesting scene is earlier in the movie, when Rafer says that he could've seduced her, and then he adds "And you know it!" which (to me) implies that he was the one who kept them from going all the way.
Then again late in the movie, when Dr Whipple tries to persuade Jerusha to go back to New England, she promises to talk to Abner about it, and then she starts to say that she's "only delayed this long because..." but then she never finishes her sentence! This drives me up a wall because I don't know what she was getting at - was it that Rafer was still unmarried, and that she was waiting for him to marry someone else? What do you think?
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To me Rafer was a jerk, he should have realize that Jerusha had not received his letters of his love for her. If he loved her, he would not interested passing the time with Hawaiian ladies.
Yes Jerusha was not really happy with Abner, he was too dominate male to notice what would make her happy and her needs were. He did not even allow her to name their son, David, it had to be Mikah or else.
Not only was Rafer a jerk, but he was a child molester as well. He took advantage of that little girl who Jerusha and Abner took in. What was she, 12-13 years old? There is no way Jerusha was ever going to be happy with somebody who was capable of doing that.
shareThe book spends a lot more time on Abner's GOOD qualities and why Jerusha truly did love him for who he was. She was often not happy on the islands, and her lifestyle there eventually led to her death at a relatively young age, but she always loved the people and appreciated the opportunity they had there.
Otterprods, to keep those aquatic Mustelidae in line.
I always thought that Rafer became cynical and corrupt because of being cheated out of marrying Jerusha. It's been so long since I read the book, but back in Concord, they had been in love. When she didn't hear from him after he had gone to sea,(and I think her uncle intercepted his letters to her-I can't remember why-), Jerusha gave up hope of Rafer's return, finally, and accepted the marriage to Abner, intending to make the best of it. I think she did come to love him. Many marriages back then were born out of necessity. Love, if it came at all, came later.
"..sure you won't change your mind? Why, is there something wrong with the one I have?"
We should recall that this took place in the 1820's and 1830's, among a very particular group of people - serious Christian missionaries. Whether or not a woman was "happy" in her marriage was not necessarily a relevant consideration for them. Doing God's will was all that mattered. Also, life was pretty hard in general for most Americans of that period, so they were not expecting an easy life and comforts. I don't recall the movie that well, but in the book, there was this horrible part during the voyage from Massachusetts to Hawaii where Abner was given a huge bunch of bananas. Seeing it as a gift from God, he insisted that he and his wife eat one each day, and this despite the fact that she was constantly seasick and the smell and consistency of bananas (unknown to people in Massachusetts of the time) made her totally ill. I guess what I am saying is that the relevant question might be whether or not she expected to be happy or whether taht was a of crucial importance to her. Perhaps another way to look at is is to believe that doing her duty as she understood it (serving God and submitting totally to His will) made her happy.
shareI saw this movie for the first time this morning ... and I missed the first 45 min .. but I do agree with you .. She was truly happy , but she wasn't the type of woman that would have ran off and left Abner ... Her faith would have stopped her .. but I wished she had ... Abner was a lousy husband ... and that's putting it lightly .. lol .
"A man that wouldn't cheat for a poke don't want one bad enough".
No, Jerusha was not happy.
But I do believe she tried to remain positive and made the best of her situation. She did seem to truly love the Hawaiians, and her devotion to her "mission" is where she found contentment.
As for her marriage, I think there was only one time when she actually was happy with Abner, and that was when he expressed his love for her at the birth of their son. He later recanted, saying it was a sin for him to love her as much as he loved God. You could see that she was crushed. Abner seemed to think loving any human was a sin, and that to be a devout Christian, he could ONLY love God. He was downright neglectful and emotionally abusive toward her. (Recall the doctor asking why she continued to make salted ham and dried beans for all the family's meals, when there was an abundance of fresh fruit and fish available, as the preserved food was contributing to her rapid decline in health. Her reply was that Abner didn't want them eating what the locals ate, or something to that effect.) This is probably one of the very few times I was rooting for the devoted wife to run off with the handsome, rakish past love.