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''Pembroke'' (1894) is a 300-page novel written by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. It is set in the small town of Pembroke, Massachusetts in the 1830s and 40s. The novel tells the story of a romance gone awry and the dramatic events that follow, which entertain the residents of the small town for years after. As one of Freeman's first novels, ''Pembroke'' experienced great success in its time and, although it has only recently experienced a comeback in the academic sphere, it is known for being an exemplary piece of New England local color fiction.〔Freeman〕 ==Plot Summary== The novel begins with the breaking off of the engagement between Barney Thayer and Charlotte Barnard after Charlotte’s father and Barney get into a heated political argument. The breaking of their engagement is central to the story, as it happens in the beginning of the novel and sets the stage for the novel’s later events. Upon ending their engagement, Barney moves into the house that was intended to be the home of him and Charlotte after their wedding. Many members of Barney’s family and Charlotte’s attempt to appeal to Barney to make him return to Charlotte and fix their engagement, but in his mind there is no alternative to the way things are and there is sense in him trying to return to Charlotte. Thus, Barney continues to live in the unfinished house alone. Although Charlotte has the opportunity to marry Thomas Payne, a wealthy and worthy member of her town, she declines his offer, stating that she is not in love with him and could only ever marry Barney. Charlotte continues to live in her parents home, taking on work as a seamstress and assistance at weddings. Other courtships are revealed throughout the novel, including that of Sylvia Crane and Richard Alger, Rebecca Thayer and William Berry, and Rose Berry and Tommy Ray. Sylvia Crane, Charlotte’s aunt, is involved in a long-term courtship with Richard Alger that provides a source of wonder to the townspeople. No one seems to know the details of their relationship, and even Sylvia and Richard do not seem to know where they are trying to go. At one point, Richard tells Sylvia that they should not see each other anymore and stops visiting her, which breaks Sylvia’s heart. This continues for a few years, until Richard witnesses Sylvia being taken to the poorhouse. Richard finally takes control of the situation, returns Sylvia to her home, and promises to make up for the bad ways he has treated her. Sylvia and Richard are then married and are essentially given a “happily-ever-after” ending. Rebecca Thayer, Barney’s sister, and William Berry have a scandalous affair. Despite being forbidden by her mother to see William, who is Charlotte’s cousin, Rebecca proceeds to have a several-month-long courtship with William that entails her sneaking out of the house on several occasions to see him. Although the whole town is aware of this, no one says a word to either of Rebecca’s parents, who remain oblivious. Deborah eventually becomes aware of what her daughter has been up to when she is making a dress for Rebecca and notices her swollen belly, recognizing that she is pregnant. Deborah kicks Rebecca out in the middle of a terrible snowstorm. Later that night, Deborah goes to Barney and commands him to find William and make him marry Rebecca. Barney and William eventually find Rebecca at the home of the town recluse, where Rebecca and William are married by the minister. At this point though, there is no longer any love between Rebecca and William, which results in their withdrawal from the town. After Charlotte and Barney’s engagement ends, Rose Berry begins to show interest in Barney. This is quickly put to an end when Charlotte becomes aware of what her cousin is up to and Barney begins to avoid Rose. Rose quickly moves on to Tommy Ray, despite the fact that she knows he is not a good match and she thinks of him as still a boy. Nonetheless, after several months of courtship Rose and Tommy are married, providing the only example of a typical courtship in the novel. These are not the only important events that add to the drama occurring in Pembroke at the time. Silas Berry, the father of Rose and William, further ostracizes himself through his greed when he offers to let his children have a party at his cherry orchard for all the young people of Pembroke. The party ensues happily, but as the guests are leaving, Silas approaches them with a bill for the cherries they ate. This action leads to the utter embarrassment of William and Rose, and successfully prevents Silas from ever making a profit on his cherries again. The small town is also rocked by the death of Ephraim Thayer, Barney’s brother. Because Deborah Thayer viewed her other children, Barney and Rebecca, as lost causes, all her hope was placed in her youngest son who is quite ill with some type of heart ailment. Having been ill his entire life, Ephraim always received stronger amounts of Deborah’s sternness. He lived a solitary childhood, never getting to experience and of the typical joys of youth. His mother always kept him on a strict diet and schedule, which contained nothing of what he wanted to do. As he gets older, Ephraim becomes more and more rebellious. He begins to sneak snacks that he is forbidden to eat, gives his mother a hard time when she tells him to do things, and secretly thinks of all the things he would do were she not around. One night Ephraim sneaks out to go sledding, knowing this is strictly against his mother’s rules. The next day Ephraim fails to carry out one of Deborah’s orders. In the midst of her anger from her other children, Deborah whips Ephraim, despite the fact that he had always spared such a punishment due to his poor health. Ephraim dies in the middle of the whipping and for a long time Deborah lives thinking she has killed her son. She is eventually made aware of Ephraim’s joyride, which is more likely the cause of his death, but by this time she has already lost so much of herself from the strain placed on her by Rebecca and Barney that Ephraim’s death is too much for her to handle. Deborah dies a sudden death, leaving her husband, Caleb to live alone in their house. The end of the novel brings focus back to Charlotte and Barney. It has been about ten years since their engagement was ended, and the town has stopped overflowing with rumors about them. Barney has taken up work as a woodcutter, and suddenly falls severely ill with rheumatism. Despite her parents’ wishes, Charlotte maintains her dedication to Barney by going to take care of him. Once again, the town begins to talk. Everyone disapproves of Charlotte staying in Barney’s house to nurse him when they are unwed. The townspeople send the minister to Charlotte to convey their feelings. Barney realizes what troubles he is bringing to Charlotte and tells her to leave his house. Charlotte says nothing, packs her things, and heads home. Barney then experiences a change. He becomes aware of the wrong he has been doing to Charlotte all these years, and the fact that Charlotte is still devoted to him brings him great guilt. Barney undergoes a type of spiritual healing that miraculously brings him back to health. The story is drawn to a close with the hopeful image of Barney walking up to the Barnard house, and announcing to Charlotte that he is back. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pembroke (book)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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