Dear Kaori Nagai
Here is my answer to your question.
The heroine, 'William', emerges triumphantly from the tale. She had refused
to be stereotyped into a traditional woman's role on her station in the
Punjab, had insisted on pitching in to help most effectively with the famine
relief in South India, and - having refused 'half a dozen subalterns, a
civilian twenty years her senior, one major, and a man in the Indian Medical
Department' had won the heart of Scott, the man she had come to love. You
could say that she had swept all before her.
Every student of English history at that time was familiar with 'William the
Conqueror' who had his way with England after the battle of Hastings in
1066, so it made a good title. But I wouldn't push the parallel too far !
All good wishes, John Radcliffe
----- Original Message -----
From: kn6 <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, May 22, 2000 1:55 PM
Subject: Re: the Indian Famine
> hello
>
> I am the one who posted a question about the Indian Famine
> the other day, and I am so surprised to receive such good
> feedback. Thank you very much. I have gone through Angus
> Wilson's biography on Kipling and W. R. Aykroyd's essay,
> and got hold of 'The Men Who Ruled India', and is planning
> to re-read other works in The Day's Work, including The
> Bridge Builders.
> (I find the question which W. R. Aykroyd asks in the last
> paragraph of his essay very interesting : namely, why is
> the heroine of the story called 'William the Conqueror'?
> Does anybody have a thought on this?)
>
>
> thank you very much again
> Kaori Nagai
>
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