It seems that second chances are a main theme of my novels or at least most of my novels offer a second chance to their heroes and heroines. Darcy and Elizabeth are given a second chance once they realize that their first impressions were wrong. Knightly gives Emma a second chance after she was so rude to Miss Bates. Although really I'm sure Knightly gave Emma many chances. Henry Tilney gives Catherine a second chance after she says his father murdered his mother and Catherine is sent home in the middle of the night. Edward and Elinor are given a second chance once Lucy Steele changes her alliance.Colonel Brandon gets a second chance after Marianne realizes that Willoughby is lost and perhaps not the best man to have faith in. Fanny gets a second chance with Edmund even though I think he's a lame hero. More importantly Anne and Wentworth are given a second chance at happiness after seven years apart.
I was trying to figure out if I deliberately gave my characters second chances or if second chances are just part of life. Surely we've all been given second chances and perhaps not all those second chances worked out. Perhaps instead of winning the hero we lost him, but we may be given a second chance at love, just not with the same hero.
Maybe the important part here is to learn about forgiveness. Because forgiveness is needed in all second chances. We need to forgive the biting comment that we are tolerable. We need to forgive a foolish mistake made seven years ago. We need to forgive a falsehood that hurt us greatly. We need to forgive an overactive imagination. We need to forgive to find happiness and perhaps during this season this means more to us than we realize.
What about you? Have you been given a second chance? Do you desire a second chance with someone or something?
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Well, my opinion is that you mustn't waste the chances life offers, you mustn't wait for second chances because they are not always given. Anne or Lizzie have been so fortunate! So I don't regret anything in my life since everything was chosen convincingly. If I were given the chance to re-live my life I'm sure I wouldn't do anything differently ... though it is not perfect ... Hope I was clear. Thanks for suggesting this interesting thread, Jane!
ReplyDeleteMaria, good for you that you wouldn't change anything. I know I would change things...especially things with Wentworth, which if you read my Wentworth Factor post you would understand. I will say the interesting thing is for the longest time I thought I made a mistake about the major I chose in college and always thought I'd make a different decision if I knew then what I know now. But perseverance is always the key and I realized that although I thought I made mistakes I made the right choices and they will get me to where I want to go. Things work mysteriously sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you have a Wentworth in your past. But were you perusaded by others to desert him? If I turned someone down it was just because of my will so ... no second chances will change that fact. I know, I'm rather presumptuous. Anyhow, I can understand what you say...You mean something like... when you realise you've lost someone because of a misunderstanding...
ReplyDeleteMaria, I was not persuaded by others to desert Wentworth. Distance was the main issue with the Wentworth relationship although both of us have done and said things to each other that we deeply regret. Maturity was also an issue since Wentworth only recently admitted that he has been sabotaging relationships and he's not sure why. The distance is no longer an issue, but we still might not get that second chance. But I suppose that is life and my namesake did just fine without a significant other. Perhaps for some of us it is just not meant to be.
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