Marriage

Marriage is the means of social organization that is the catalyst for the novel’s plot. Miranda’s story within the novel begins on the morning of her mother’s wedding to Fisher. Twenty-one years prior, Bianca’s belief that she will marry Hugh is what brings Joseph into the world. Fisher is the link between these two women’s stories, and his conflict lies in who he decides to marry. His first marriage to Abigail is the reason Bianca pursues a marriage with Vargas. In turn, Bianca’s marriage to Vargas creates conflict within her own family because of Vargas’s prior engagement to her cousin Francisca. Fisher’s wedding to Francine is what brings Miranda to Winthrop Island to meet Joseph in the first place, and her failed marriage with Carroll is what brings her back there 18 years later. Her desire to be with...