Another Big Pivotal moment + the Euthanasia
Various pivotal scenes have been listed on this board, but I think one of the most crucial ones, is not the one where Charles says to Elizabeth while watching Louisa play in the Lake House, but what came later: the almost drowning of his daughter. But for the chance that Elizabeth woke up and followed Louisa to the lake, and was there in time to save her, he might have lost his only child. I think that this incident was what finally galvanized him into action to put his life into order.
He could no longer allow things to slide along as they had for the past ten years, the dichotomy of his life in relation to that of his flesh and blood daughter, and his mistress Elizabeth. This dichotomy had almost proved fatal to the both of them: the sight of him and Elizabeth in bed together had almost overwhelmed Louisa with the fear of losing the only person that she perceived who truly loved her, so much so that she fled to the only place that she knew to seek solace. But for Elizabeth's maternal instincts, she'd have died because of that. And Elizabeth too could have easily drowned herself while rescuing their daughter- and all because of his conceit not to bring the calumny of scandal onto his vegetative wife, or to appear as debauched as his father.
Another thing, while many have criticized the the Euthanasia, I find that I have to keep asking myself as to whatever choices that he had. We must remember that he was about to vacate his comfortable home in the dead of winter. His choices were a series of Hobson's choice at the best, and they alternated from 'Bad' to 'Worst'.
1. Allow her to die peacefully in her sleep.
2. Stick her into an Institution, without any real ability to oversee the quality of her continued care (He could probably afford to pay for it, but what care would actually be delivered would have to be accepted on the basis of trust, -on just how much can one person trust another where money is involved: i.e. remember Brocklehurst in Jane Eyre).
3. Lug her about the frozen countryside like a stick of furniture.
If anyone can shed some more ideas on this, I'd be most interested in hearing them.
Yours truly,
David P. Hoadley