Liza Jane In 'The Wife Of His Youth'

“Such devotion and confidence are rare even among women. There are many who would have searched a year, some who would have waited five years, a few who might have hoped ten years; but for twenty-five years this woman has retained her affection for and her faith in a man she has not seen or heard of in all that time.” This quote from The Wife of His Youth tells the story of a woman by the name of Liza Jane, whose endless love and loyalty for her husband led her on a twenty-five year search. Liza Jane eventually finds her husband in the end though not is the way she had hoped. Upon meeting a handsome and rich young man, Mr. Ryder, she explains to him her story of how she was separated from her husband. Mr. Ryder attempts to persuade her that it's been a long time and that Sam could have moved on, she responded quickly reassuring him that Sam must be searching for her too, for they were in love. All the while this was happening during Mr. Ryder’s ball that he threw for many reasons, though one being to impress a woman. The only reason Liza “found” her husband was because Mr. Ryder disclosed that he is in fact Sam Taylor, because he wanted to win the heart of the young woman. Both Liza and Mr. Ryder throughout the story show traits that …show more content…
In return her husband is quick to forget about her and focuses on his own success, rather than returning to save his wife. Liza’s hope was what kept fueled her long journey to find her husband, but it was also her biggest weakness. Her dreams of finally living a perfect life with her love blinded her from seeing that she was naive to think his love for unbreakable. As for Mr. Ryder, his great speaking skills and charming personality helped him make his way up the social ladder. His determination to be on the top of the social pyramid was being fueled by his fear of being rejected by