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Character Analysis Of Dr. Rankin In John Collier's De Mortuis

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What would a person do for the one they love? Or, in some cases, to the one they love? How would they show their feelings of love, lust, hurt, anger, or betrayal? Some begin drinking others completely lose themselves. And yet, some take things to an extreme. In John Collier’s “De Mortuis” Dr. Rankin is a very loving and trusting husband. That is, until he learns some unsettling news about his beloved wife, Irene. Will Dr. Rankin be able to love her the way he has, or will he do the unthinkable? This is how Dr. Rankin, a trusted man of society and a loving husband, changes after his wife’s betrayal. After learning this disturbing news, Dr. Rankin’s character must decide what he wants. Keep on as if he does not know or put an end to Irene’s ways (literally) by taking matters into his own hands?
Dr. Rankin is a very patient and respectable man. He has a well-established job in town and some good friends. It is said in the story that “He had those huge hands which can be an asset to a doctor in a small upstate town where people still retain a rural relish for paradox, thinking that the more apelike the paw, the …show more content…

The passage, “’She’s no housekeeper,’ said the doctor. ‘I know it. But that’s not the only thing a man wants. She’s enjoyed herself. . . . That’s what I love,’” shows that the doctor starts off thinking that his wife is only a carefree spirit. But when his friends Buck and Bud suspect something sinister and mention that “’It’s not as if he didn’t have the provocation.’” Dr. Rankin begins to question his wife’s loyalty. The story goes on with Bud reciting the story of how Dr. Rankin and Irene started. Bud says, “’A decent; straightforward guy comes to a place like this and marries the town floozy.’” Only after this statement does the doctor start to realize what his wife has been up to this whole time. This shows the doctor Irene’s true colors. Soon, his opinion of her

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