Emma tells Townsend, "We've got to find Abbott and help Grace Backhouse discover who killed her husband." Why do you think she was so compelled to get involved?
Created: 05/17/18
Replies: 11
Join Date: 10/15/10
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Join Date: 05/09/18
Posts: 90
I am curious about what others think. Initially, I thought Emma had some sort of romantic interest in Michael Abbott, but then later on that seemed not to be the case due to her interest in Townsend. I wish we find out more about this. Perhaps Emma is just a "do-gooder??"
Join Date: 09/08/12
Posts: 81
Living in the boarding house she was exposed to the conversations of the wheelers and dealers of the slave trade. And she could not avoid seeing how slaves were treated if she ventured out onto the streets. Like Townsend, she represented a younger generation with new ideals which caused her to act.
Join Date: 12/01/16
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Join Date: 04/21/11
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Join Date: 06/07/17
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I too, agree with everything said so far: she was a compassionate ("do-gooder") person in general and heard a lot in the boarding house that upset her; also she and her mother were sympathetic to the the "urchins" who roamed the streets -- they fed them. She was sympathetic to Grace Backhouse's agony and wanted to help her find who was responsible for her husband's murder. She was a good friend to Padre Pablo Uribe (against human suffering in any form). And while Townsend initially assumed she was romantically interested in Abbott, she informed him that it was not her, but her mother and Abbott who were involved. So at least some of this was in support of that relationship -- she liked Abbott.
Join Date: 08/10/17
Posts: 215
Emma had a friendly relationship with Grace Backhouse and she would have wanted to help find out what happened to her husband for that reason. Also, at one point she tells Townsend that she thought Abbott would be the right man for her mother, not for herself. Emma seemed to have high ideals and was very caring for humanity in general.
Join Date: 11/05/16
Posts: 16
Emma may just be bored and looking for something to do. Or maybe Lloyd is writing her as a do-gooder as women of the nineteenth century often have been written. At times she seems to have an approach-avoidance relationship with the world, doesn't she?
Join Date: 02/03/14
Posts: 271
I hope it was because she was exposed to views other than "slavery is necessary" and other tropes that were spouted to justify slavery and it's cruelty - she was naive enough to think she could make a difference and was passionate about her cause. the people she met helped her get "woke" as was the case with many other swho were opposed to and fought to end slavery in that era. She did not live on a plantation so did not have to justify the practice.
Join Date: 04/05/16
Posts: 23
Emma was a modern woman. She and her mother were forced to be independent due to the circumstances of being left without a husband and father in the household. If her father had been present she may have been shielded from hearing political discussions or from expressing her views about slavey. As a result of this lifestyle she was allowed to think for herself and become involved in justice for Michael Abbott.
Join Date: 01/22/18
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Join Date: 06/25/14
Posts: 82
Emma was very condescending toward Townsend when he was reluctant to continue to investigate Michael Aboot's disappearance. I felt that this righteous behaviour was out of character for a young woman living in a hispanic culture in the 1860's. I had a hard time accepting Emma's naivete.
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