The+plague+and+the+human+heart!!

The plague unleashes a number of different emotions. Examples: Villagers grow superstitious of witchcraft being the soul cause of the plague, and George Viccars to be ‘the Devil’s spawn who brought the Plague here!’(91). A mob forms and turns on Mem and Anys Gowdie and both a violently attacked in the old mine. ‘You killed my family, hag!’ – Mary Hadfield to Mem Gowdie (89) Anys Gowdie manipulates the mob’s superstitions and turns them against each other in an unsuccessful attempt to escape execution. ‘I have seen your wives lie with him (the Devil)!’ – Anys Gowdie to the angry mob (93) Many villagers also turn to black magic themselves, in secret, desperately attempting to ward the plague out of their households. Kate Talbot uses the ‘Abracadabra’ spell and the Liversedge’s turn to the ‘Chaldee charm’ to try and save their baby from plague. The loss of her husband and sons drives Aphra Bont to madness and insanity. She turns to witchcraft and devil worship in an attempt to save herself and her remaining daughter. Prior to this Aphra plays upon the villagers superstitions and sells spells and potions to them, posing as the ghost of Anys Gowdie. At Josiah Bont’s grave, Anna witnesses Aphra’s shift to black magic – ‘But when I said amen, her mutterings continued, and the sign she made at the end of it did not resemble the sign of the cross.’ (208) Aphra chants around her fireplace and strings her last dead child, Faith, in her croft. – ‘Aphra was dancing, leaping before her fire and throwing her arms upward as lunatics do when seized by a fit.’(249) Finally Aphra murders Elinor in a fit of rage and madness, and then commits suicide.
 * The Plague and the Human Heart **
 * // Superstition //**
 * // Madness //**

John Gordon turns to flagellants to spare himself and his wife Urith from the plague. ‘We lost the Gowdies to a like madness.’(221) **//Greed//** Josiah Bont, Anna’s father is engulfed in greed and the takes advantage of his grieving community. He begins to demand high payment for his grave digging efforts, and insensitively will only dig graves when it suits himself, such as before the victim has even died. Finally Joss Bont burries Christopher Unwin alive, stealing his valuable possessions including the clothes off his back. Christopher survives and Joss is punished by his fellow miners, all of which have turned against him, and ends up paying for his sins with his life. ‘That spawn of Satan had me laid there... Lucky for me in his laziness and lust to be at my possessions, he scattered just a crust of earth to hide me.’ ‘That swine not only tried to rob me of my life – he stole the very clothes I lay in.’ – Christopher Unwin (200) Aphra too preys on the desperateness of the villagers, and poses as the ghost of Anys Gowdie, selling spells and potions to the plague victims’ families. David Burton takes over the Wickford mine, when all of young Merry Wickford’s family fall victim to plague. Miner’s law allowed David to take possession on the mine when Merry Wickford was unable to mine it herself, stealing riches from an orphan. Anna and Elinor help Merry win back her mine by digging up the lead from the mine themselves, almost costing Anna her life. (185) Anna greedily steals the Poppies of Lethe from Elinor, to drug herself into a goodnight’s sleep. Though guilty returns them to Elinor. (149) **//Cruelty //** The angry, superstitious and drunken mob cruelly tortures the Gowdies. Beating Mem to a pulp and hanging Anys. (89-95) Anna’s father, Josiah Bont is a cruel and violent father, beating Anna and her siblings as well as publicly humiliating her mother with a ‘muzzle’ (133) and preying on his grieving neighbours to greedily steal their possessions. Brand and Robert throw Aphra into the manure pit when they take it upon themselves to imprison her when they uncover that it is she, who is cheating them out of their money with fake charms and spells. They leave her to tread in the pit overnight and reduce her to ‘a gibbering, broken thing.’(246) Joss Bont is also cruelly punished for his sins of theft and greed. He is nailed to the Unwin mine’s wall, and nobody in the village comes to free him. (208) Michael Mompellion also has a dark, cruel streak to himself, punishing his wife, Elinor, with a sexless marriage, believing it would cleanse her soul. ‘I deemed that she should atone by living some part of her life with her lusts unrequited.’ – Mompellion (281) **//Demonization//** (see superstitions and madness) **//Fear//** Fear of the plague and death drives the wealthy Bradfords out of the village. (116) fear is closely linked to the villagers superstitions and beliefs. They fear the wrath of God and God’s judgement, the temptation of Satan and the art of witchcraft and black magic. Obviously they fear death as people still do today, which drives them to extremities to avoid falling victim to the plague, such as black magic, flagellants and burning all their possessions. Neighbouring villages also fear the plague and the shadow of death it brings, driving Maggie Cantwell and Brand back to the village when they tried to flee to Bakewell. (127) **//Kindness//** By quarantining themselves, the village band together and develop a strong sense of community, as this is all they have. They co-operate and are kind to one another helping out those in need. Michael Mompellion keeps his promise that no villager will be left to die alone. Anna and Elinor evolve to become ‘healers’ as well as helping pregnant women deliver their babies. Brand saves Maggie Cantwell in Bakewell and returns her safely to the village. Anna attempts to reach out to help Aphra when no-one else would. Anna tries to defend Anys Gowdie. Elinor and Anna help out Merry Wickford. The village donates clothes and food to Urith Gordon when they hear of the poverty in which the Gordons live in. The neighbouring Earl donates supplies to the village, acknowledging the sacrifice they are making so no villager will go hungry. **//Selflessness//** the villagers themselves sacrifice their lives, to save others, to stop the spread of the Plague from their town to neighbouring villages. Their great selfless act leads to the death of half of their village, as they choose to remain and courageously face the Plague. Michael, Elinor and Anna, selflessly stayed by the deathbeds of their family and friends, time and time again exposing themselves to the Plague without a second thought, none of the villagers would die alone. ‘ And now I pray you be gone from here lest this foul contagion touch you.’ – George Viccars (42) Anna is nearly crushed to death in the Wickford mine, when helping orphaned Merry Wickford. She also flees the village with the Bradford baby, putting her life on the line and leaving behind all she knows for the life of this infant. **//Grief//** Anna is overcome with grief when the Plague takes her two young sons Tom and Jamie from her. She is never freed of her loss; the memory of her sons is constantly woven into her thoughts long after their deaths. ‘When I woke ... there was a wild voice howling... My neighbours were all standing there, their faces turned to me, full of grief and fear. Some had tears in their eyes. But the howling voice was mine.’ – Anna Frith (78-79) With the loss of Elinor, Michael Mompellion grows into a dark brooding character. He turns his back on the village, and spends all day locked in his room reading the bible in the dark, only eating when Anna insists on it. Without Anna Mompellion would most likely have stayed locked in his room away from the world forever. Aphra Bont is driven mad with grief and guilt which drives her to the point of insanity. The entire village fears her and her devil-worship and she is shunned out of the community. Jane Martin grows from a devout Puritan into a promiscuous drunken orphan, losing her faith and morals with the loss of her family. Mary Hadfield deals with her grief by blaming her loss on the Gowdies, pointing the finger at them accusing them of killing her sons by setting the plague onto them. As the novel progresses, villagers learn how to deal with death and grief as they are all constantly exposed to the loss of life. Ultimately they are gradually desensitised and mourn less and less as more and more of their friends, family and neighbours pass on.