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John Ward vs. Helen Ward

This interesting novel explores two major themes: the questioning of orthodox Christianity and a woman's independent thinking in opposition to her husband's beliefs. John Ward is a rigid Calvinist minister, literal believer in all things Scriptural and all other orthodox Christian doctrines. His wife Helen, however, is not at all rigid and questions many tenets of the faith, including original sin and salvation. Ward believes he has a duty to "save" his wife and convert her to his beliefs, and this becomes a war of wills between husband and wife. Some in the novel criticize Helen not for her religious beliefs but because she won't "obey" her husband. Thus Helen faces a dual conflict. Ward, proving how unbending, even unloving he can be, forbids Helen to enter their home while she remains defiant, which sets up a "forced" ending, but the only way to resolve the issue: John becomes ill, Helen rushes to his bedside to aid him, and he dies. Helen is then left "totally without faith." The deathbed ending seems too easy a solution without ever really solving anything, but Deland writes well and convincingly in this, her first novel.

Interestingly, in England in the same year (1888), Mrs. Humphrey Ward published her novel ROBERT ELSMERE, which explores the same religious theme only in reverse: the wife is the orthodox one and the preacher husband is the one with the "heretical" ideas. Both books were best sellers at the time, though ELSMERE has probably become more highly regarded over time. Deland would continue advocating her unorthodox religious ideas in future novels, but never as basically or successfully as in JOHN WARD. ... Read more

Product Description
Publisher: Little, Brown and companyPublication date: 1889Subjects: Saint Augustine (Fla.)Saint Johns River (Fla.)Biography ... Read more