One of the major themes in the Book of Ruth by Jane Hamilton is that throughout our lives we all suffer, but its how we deal with the suffering that determines the quality of our lives. Many individuals suffer their entire lives and never come to grips with it until it is too late. While others suffer and deal with that suffering, leading to much more happier lives May is a character in the Book of Ruth that has dealt with a lot of suffering. It seems that almost her whole life suffering is all she has done. For May, suffering began with childhood and lasted all the way to her own death. We can all clearly see that how May dealt with her suffering, truly did shape how her life turned out. The death of May's husband shaped the person that she was and how she acted towards others.
"The original sketch of Mr. Adams, taken when dyin...
Portrait of Captain Ray Milton Sterling and his wi...
The Book of Ruth: Journey of FaithLeading finally to her tragic death.
One major cause of May's suffering was the death of the love her life, Willard Jenson. "The year was 1941 and Pearl Harbor gave president Roosevelt the chance he'd been dying for. War was declared and Willard Jenson got the call"(36). May's husband was called to war. It was there that he was killed. May never saw him again. May had lost the only person that she cared about and the only person who cared about her. Willard Jenson was May's life, and so after he was gone, so was her life. Death is always hard for everyone. It is difficult to lose a loved one, but for May is was especially tough. May had not only lost her world, she was in denial about it. This denial lasted for ten, long years. To her, because the body was never found, Willard was still...