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Sally and Sarah are set up in opposition to each other throughout the novel, and Martha guesses incorrectly about both of their futures. Did you see those plot twists coming? Would you have acted differently toward either woman if you had been in Martha’s shoes?
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I was working from the original question being about plot twists, not specific to Sally and Sarah, so my answer doesn’t quite fit the above question.
The Wakanabi believe the silver fox is a sign, a guide, presenting itself in times of great uncertainty. She directs Martha to the house where the girls are taking care of Sam Dawin. She darts in front of Brutus which causes him to knock Martha off. Brutus runs back to the Hook and saves Martha’s life because Ephraim found him and knew Martha was in trouble.
Martha could not testify in Vasselboro without Ephraim whom North had sent to repeat a survey. When Ephraim hadn’t returned she began to think he was dead. Percy returns without Ephraim. Tied around his leg is a message from Ephraim that he will meet her at the courthouse in Vasselboro.
The piece of lace that Martha saw Sam Dawin take from his pocket leads Martha to talk to Jonathan about what happened when they found the body in the river. She finds out that the rope Sam had was bloody.
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I didn’t really know if Sally would end up with Jonathan, but I had a guess she would after discovering she was pregnant. Both Sally and Jonathan have some growing up to do, especially Sally, who isn’t depicted as a young woman with strong character. She seems easily swayed by the men in her life, whether that be her father or Jonathan. And she also is prone to gossip, obviously, otherwise her father would have never known about the conversation she overheard between Martha and Rebecca. So I’m not sure I’d behave differently towards Sally than Martha did. Sally does quite a bit of harm to Rebecca with her testimony. When Martha goes to help Sally give birth, she is actually quite kind and matter-of-fact about it. She doesn’t chastise her, she simply declares, “You have a beautiful boy” even though she knows full well who the father is.
As for Sarah, I think Martha is disappointed that Cyrus won’t get his wish, but that disappointment is from a place of a mother’s love and concern not because of any disappointment in Sarah, who I think she holds in high regard. When she learns that Sarah’s Major did come back she admires Sarah: “Sarah has lived on the fringes of society. Yet she’s chosen the course of her life. She’s found love on her own terms.” Martha is a good friend to Sarah, and it was nice to see Sarah help Martha in her time of need with Emmeline.
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Martha goes on quite a journey with Sally. From calling her a “doe-eyed little traitor” at the beginning of the story to delivering her grandson. I’m sure she was relieved when Jonathan stepped forward to declare himself the father in North’s court because she’d been through enough drama over the past few months. I was pleased that there wasn’t a new scandal and that North did not have an opportunity to humiliate her in court. I didn’t expect Sally’s pregnancy, but I wasn’t surprised when the plot twist emerged.
Sarah’s fiancé returning out of the blue really was like something out of a romance novel. I enjoyed the clever nod to this by acknowledging that plot twist when Martha muses that Sarah’s story is a lot like the Emmeline book she had just read. Martha is just as invested in Sarah’s happiness as Cyrus’s, so I think how she acted is in keeping with her character and her respect for Sarah.
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Well, these two women are about as different from one another as it is possible to be. Sally lies in court about overhearing Rebecca Foster say that her husband killed Joshua Burgess and schemes to become pregnant by Jonathan Ballard.
Sarah protects the identity of the father of her child and pays both the fine and Martha’s fee for attending the birth of her daughter, pays those from money she has earned. It is to Sarah that Martha takes the infant girl conceived during North and Burgess’ rape of Rebecca Foster, knowing that Sarah is still nursing Charlotte and trusting her to care for the child until Martha can consider an alternative to throwing the infant in the river.
Sarah is an example of grace and generosity, Sally of weakness and selfishness. I think I would have struggled to respond as Martha did. Martha recognized the goodness of Sarah and wanted that for Cyrus yet she accepted and respected Sarah’s commitment to Henry Warren. That she could find it in her to accept Sally as Jonathan’s wife was quite a stretch for me especially after Jonathan makes clear he had no genuine love for or desire to marry Sally.
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I didn’t see either of the plot twists with Sarah and Sally coming. I really had thought that Sarah would end up with Cyrus. Jonathan marrying Sally redeemed him a bit for me as he was quite unlikable and so was Sally. But it was fun to read in Lawhon’s notes that Sally was at Martha’s deathbed – and I like her imagining that the two had come to peace with one another. Like Nancy I was thinking more about the other plot twists in the story. I thought the twist with Sam being the killer because of what Burgess did to his girlfriend, versus it having anything to do with Rebecca was a good twist and enjoyed that reveal.
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Agree about Sam and also found Jonathan’s role in the death of Joshua Burgess an interesting reveal. I think Cyrus was the more obvious connection in my mind as well as in Martha’s. I also enjoyed how Martha finds the evidence of Joseph North’s intentions when she delivers the tonic to Lidia. There were some interesting twists throughout the story.
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I really was surprised that Sarah’s Major came back to her, but was happy for her, despite my wishes, like Martha’s, to get her together with Cyrus. I would have been as skeptical as Martha about her situation, but it would have been good for my cynical heart to see that sometimes people’s dreams DO come true. Sarah always knew her own mind and heart, and acted honorably, and deserves her happily-ever-after.
Sally is a more mixed bag. She was intimidated by her father, and was a less stronger personality than Sarah, it seems. She didn’t seem to have a good sense of herself, and resorted to subterfuge and trickery in her life. Martha could see that, and she and I would have been on the same page about not having much high regard for her. Yet, Sally seemed to genuinely want to be with Johnathan, whether for love, lust, or security, or a combination of all. Martha sees her for who she is, yet doesn’t shun her or deny her the care she needs. I think she sees that Sally is merely human, and needs some kindness in her life, too.-
Oh Susan, I’m right there with you about Cyrus and Sarah. That was my greatest disappointment with this book, only because I was so hoping that he would get his girl. Sigh.
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