The judges wife
The judges wifeFulfilling Ones Desires
The struggle for freedom is a universal issue that all people must
go through. People are always looking for freedom, whether it is little
things such as trying to get more freedom from your parents or
freeing yourself of inner demons, which is what Isabel Allende writes
about in the “The Judges Wife”. The two main characters, Nicolas
Vidal and Casilda are both trying to find freedom from their inner
demons and fight their desires for love and intimacy, but Isabel
Allende shows that no matter how hard you try, everyone must
eventually give into their desires.
In the “Judges Wife”, “Nicolas Vidal had always known a woman
would cost him his life”. (203) This prediction had made him avoid
any serious relationships with women throughout his life which also
him to a lonely life and never fulfill his desires. To avoid women,
Vidal surrounded himself with all men who were outside the law and
led dangerous lives. Living this life style made it hard for any woman
to get attached to Vidal. But Vidal could not seem to get Casilda out
of his mind. Every other girl, he quickly forgot about, but when it
came to Casilda he seemed to remember every small detail, for
example “the translucent young girl in her traveling suit, with bashful
eyes and delicate fingers”. (203) Vidal also sat and watched her
marriage to Judge Hildago, a curious thing to do because Hildago
can put Vidal in jail. Allende sets all this up to show that Vidal is
trying to find freedom from his desire for love and intimacy, but he
can’t resist his desires. Allende writes, “Nicolas Vidal fled from love
his whole life…”, but in the end of the story, Vidal gives in to his
desire to love another woman and this eventually will cost him his life.
He could have run away after raping Casilda but instead stays
because he has finally found love and he is willing to give up his life
for it. He tried to find freedom from his desire to love another
woman, but in the end he couldn’t run away and gave into his desires
and this cost Vidal his life.
Casilda is another person looking to find freedom from her
desires. She married Judge Hildago who “was several times her
age, and had slept alone for so many years, that he did not know
how to begin to please a woman”. (204) This marriage was surely
for Casilda just a marriage of convenience, for a girl who wanted to
live comfortably and securely. She brought her kids up in a rich
household where they could be well fed and schooled. She never
truly loved him,...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.