A New England Nun Study Guide

The couple plans to marry the following month. A reason there is tension between Louisa and Joe is that they had not seen each other for fourteen of the fifteen years of their engagement. Joe was in Australia making his fortune for fourteen of the years. After he made his fortune, he returned to see Louisa without telling her of his arrival. Even though she was expecting him to arrive one day, she was still surprised to see him. During their time apart Louisa had changed and she became set in her own ways. She became independent. Her parents, died and she developed routines that comforted her. She never thought of marrying anyone other than Joe, though she never missed him in his absence. She felt at peace with her life. For her, marriage to Joe would be the expected thing to do. In a way,... (read more)