Saturday 18 October 2014

Ashton Pryor- A Modern Day Heathcliff?



Warning:  Contains Spoilers to The Atonement



I have always been fascinated by the character of Heathcliff in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.

Tom Hardy as Heathcliff- a hero or a villain?
Image Source: http://thealphabetician.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/
the-psycho-who-doesnt-bring-sexy-back-heathcliff-in-wuthering-heights/
He is the typical bad boy of his time. His despicable conduct towards Catherine, his violence and his possessiveness makes him out to be the perfect character you just love to hate.

Through the entire novel, he is a true enigma as readers struggle to decipher why he acts the way he does, searching instead for redeemable qualities to justify why he even attempts to be the protagonist in Wuthering Heights. Why is he even worthy of Catherine's love?

While writing Affairs & Atonement, I couldn't help but revisit my fascination for this dark character. Thus perhaps sub-consciously inspiring some of those flawed elements into my very own Mr. Pryor.

From the very on-set, Ashton isn't the perfect hero. He makes mistakes. He regrets them. He works on amending them.

If anything, he maybe confusing. As a result, I will do my best to shed some light on his actions.


1. Why does Ashton heartlessly throw Christy out on the night of their marriage?


Ashton loves his sister, Linda. Undoubtedly, he is a young man very much influenced by the women in that period of his life. He protects Linda like a son would protect his mother and he does explain that later in the novel.

However, his attraction for Christy wavers him and he doesn't like this at all. It confuses him. His initial intentions of giving Christy a chance to life by marrying her are honest and honorable. This is evident when he refuses to apologize to Christy for marrying her. He has always wanted to marry her.

However, when he receives that ill-fated call about Linda's deteriorating health, it puts him into an irrational spin. And he blurts out in automated mode the sentiments of the women in his life- his mother and his aunt.

Take note Ashton is only an 18 year old. As a boy just entering adulthood, he can be quite impressionable. It isn't exactly a new fact that boys mature much later than girls. And it takes Ashton some time to grow-up and form his own opinion on certain subjects, especially those regarding his own family.

Moreover, Ashton spoke out of passion for his family. And people do say and do things in their moments of hurts and pain they would not have otherwise done in a better state of mind.

Ashton does regret his contemptuous behavior when he goes looking for Christy the instant he returns home to Bennett. In his naivety, he had assumed Christy would be there at Marshall's because she had no where else to go. This however, backfired on him when he discovers she runs away altogether. He regrets what he has done to her for the rest of his life.



2. Marital Abandonment and other legal issues



Marital abandonment was certainly a remedy Ashton or Christy could have sought in order to formally dissolve their marriage. And by all means he could have had his divorce papers served to her. In fact, he would never have had to set his eyes on Christy again! He could have happily married Naomi and sailed into the sunset.

However this is what you would most likely get to read after 20 or so pages:


Source: https://0.s3.envato.com/files/38938444/end%20title%20590.jpg


But that's not my story. That isn't the route I wanted to take. Affairs & Atonement is not meant to be a case study for some law textbook. It is not meant to be anyone's guide on how its various issues could be rectified by some legal remedy. It's a romance veered by the emotions of the characters involved.

Furthermore, Naomi comes to realize that Ashton's eleven year search for Christy to end his marriage is just an excuse. Ashton reveals to the end of the novel that he had always loved Christy and that he never intended to end his marriage to her. Considering every attempt to find her had failed, his engagement to Naomi was simply a ruse to convince Christy's close friend, Hilda into revealing Christy's whereabouts.

Of course, like most people, he doesn't realize why he has done what he's done until he is forced to man-up to his emotions.


3. Ashton's Affairs


Ashton is an 18 year old when Christy disappears. He explains he has never really loved anyone else other than her, evident from the manner in which he would sabotage his relationships with other women. He's convinced though, with the despicable manner in which he had treated Christy, there would be little chance of them ever getting together again. His reasons for initially searching for her are to largely apologize for his behavior and to ensure that she is doing well.

Seeing that there really is no hope in ever being with her, he mindlessly moves from one relationship to another. Come on, people... he is 18 years old. Do you really expect him to remain celibate for eleven years?




4. Ashton and Naomi



Naomi is a poor substitute for Christy. Ashton is very clear about that. He settles for her in the disheartening belief that even if he wanted Christy, she would never want him back.

But he does care for Naomi as a friend would do another. And this makes it all the more hard for him to end his relationship with her when he is called to do so.




5. Naomi or Christy



Ashton cares about the women in his life. He acknowledges that he is who he is because of the women in his life.

He could have ruthlessly brushed Naomi away because he's finally found Christy again. But because he respects her for the woman she is, he is conflicted on how he should break the news to her. He begs time and again for Christy to be patient. He knows he would have to tell Naomi about his feelings for Christy. But he wants to be certain that he has opted for a way that would hurt her less and not more.

Has it ever been easy to choose between two people you care about?




6. Ashton's Affair with Christy



Christy is Ashton's weakness. He acknowledges that through the entire book.So when he does meet her again, he can't help but give into it.

Source:http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsY0OKUsaWY/T7yGIxsU_
AI/AAAAAAAACbU/bz0HCa8jFhA/s1600/not_perfect_person_photo.jpg
He is aware that he is cheating on Naomi, but as a man who had been searching for the love of his life for eleven years, he submits to his desires to be with her. Since Naomi is away, he procrastinates on his decision to face her and tell her how he feels about Christy. His actions are largely a sub-conscious decision to not face up to reality.

However, when Naomi does make an unannounced entrance at Puyallup, he knows he would have to tell her sooner or later. While he doesn't verbally reveal his affair to Naomi, his manner and his body betrays him. He refuses to touch or sleep with Naomi romantically after Christy re-enters his life.




7. The Atonement



His first atonement begins when he helps Christy with the lodge. His reasons are largely to put her back on her feet so he is assured she is independent and secured.

His second atonement is to not revenge by seeking legal reparations regarding their son. Instead, he perseveres to do what's best for his wife and son.

His last atonement is being there finally for the woman he has loved after she's had her accident. She suffers life threatening injuries and with Christy's condition, Margaret, Christy's foster mother would never have been able to shoulder the burdens of the lodge on her own.

Ashton at last attains enlightenment on what he needs to do in his life. He quits his job to be with the people he loves and works on healing Christy both emotionally and physically.


It's been a rather emotional journey bringing to life a flawed protagonist. Of course, Heathcliff will continue to remain my very epitome of all flawed heroes.

Who has been your favorite bad boy? Any  character out there you just simply loved to hate?




Friday 10 October 2014

When The Wife Becomes The Other Woman

A few weeks ago, Sydney journalist, Amanda Goff revealed that she quit her job as a beauty editor and taken up a career as a high-paying sex escort, charging up to $5000 a night.

Amanda Goff- From journalist to escort
Source: http://www.womansday.com.au/lifestyle/true-life-stories/2014/9/amanda-goff-reveals-why-she-went-public-about-her-life-as-a-high-class-escort/

As I scrolled down the article https://au.news.yahoo.com/sunday-night/features/a/24859902/australian-journalist-reveals-secret-life-as-escort/, reading about why she had decided to make such an unusual career change, it is the following statement which intrigued me.

"Now she believes she can help save marriages because of her experiences with the married man who pay more than three times the average weekly wage for a night of her company."

So can infidelity save marriages?

While that question is up for debate, it holds without a doubt that infidelity exists. The reasons for cheating are though multitude- ranging from personality issues, to lack of sexual attraction or an addiction to sex.

Some claim that human beings are simply not engineered to be monogamous. It sounds all very scientific and logical, but there are also several cases in the history of human existence which show couples have remained loyal through their lives without ever cheating- thus successfully counteracting that argument.

The term "cheaters" in itself carry a negative connotation. Regardless of where it happens, in exams, jobs, relationships, games- both the doer and the deed are bound to be socially chastised.

Why then is cheating given salvation in marriages? Perhaps because people are desperate for some justice in their acceptance of infidelity in their relationships?

However is the case, there is always someone who will be hurt when someone cheats. And for that reason alone, infidelity may not be all worth it.



Being a staunch loyalist, I fail to realize how cheating saves a marriage. But it isn't just my strong sense of faithfulness to my husband that keeps me on the straight and narrow. I know I would totally fail as a cheat. I'm too bleeping lazy! I'd be tripping over all the evidences and the lies. In addition, I'm comfortable. And the idea of getting back to all that work of trying to impress a new partner, absolutely dreads me. You know you've got a keeper of a man if you can fart comfortably without being judged. Neither do I have the energy for all the 'emo' drama that follows cheating... yep, I didn't lie when I said I was lazy. In light of all the labor involved, I'd rather quit the relationship than cheat.

Of course to each his own. So if you are intending to cheat, I do advice that you invest in a serious course on spying and private investigation. After all, it is a whole lotta work. And because cheating is only good until... well, you're caught.

My new romance, 'Affairs & Atonements' centers around the theme of infidelity. The question though is where does Ashton Pryor's infidelity lie? With his girlfriend or his wife?

Affairs & Atonements is now available at all Amazon stores