Faithful are the wounds pp. 211-281

Although he is a relatively young character in the novel, George seems to very well understand why Edward decides to run into the subway track. Therefore, I believe that George is the only character who is able to achieve higher learning in the novel. However, other characters, such as Damon, are not able to understand why Edward decides to die. For instance, Damon's reaction to Julia's sorrow after the funeral represents how shallow and immature he is. In page 225, Damon scolds Julia by saying "Oh for Christ's sake, Julia. He's dead now. That's what funerals are for, to make it final-didn't you feel at all relieved?" His reaction shows that Damon is not able to learn what Edward wanted the people to know, beyond political conflicts and arguments. In contrast, George seems to be able to understand what Edward wanted to mean by his death. In page, 253, he says "I mean my generation didn't have that kind of faith... I have a feeling now that Cavan must have felt that nobody really cared, you know.. The things he believed in aren't working out, you see." In other words, George believes that Edward wanted to deliever some other message rather than simply saying the people should stop political conflicts and become more flexible. Edward also wanted to urge the young generation to actively think and take actions to create differences in their enviornments (possibly political environments). After reading the part where George understands the meaning of Edward's death, I was able to appreciate why May Sarton has dragged so long about Edward's death. Certainly, Edward was not an angry suicidal who jumped for the death because other people didn't simply understand his idea. He wanted to echo for the next generation how important it is to not possessed by old theories and ideas of elder generation but to actively ponder and take actions to make differences in the world they live in.