Within The Good Soldier, Florence Dowell, Edward Ashburnham, Jimmy, Maisie Maiden, and Nancy Rufford all commit some type of promiscuity. For Florence, Edward, Maisie, and Jimmy, they all act out lustful deeds, while Nancy does so from afar. Florence becomes involved with a young man named Jimmy, who she tosses aside for another man. Jimmy loses very little due to his involvement with Florence, but his dignity and self-esteem lower due to Florence viewing him very lowly and going to someone else. On the other hand, Edward, the second lover of Florence, receives a much worse fate compared to Jimmy. After his affairs with several women, including La Dolciquita and Maise, he commits suicide after losing the woman he believes he truly cares for: …show more content…
In Maisie’s case, she suffers physically because of her real heart condition. Despite being married, Maisie enters somewhat hesitantly into an affair with Edward Ashburnham. She ends up as his third lover and acts in an unfaithful way to her husband, ultimately paying with her life. After learning of why she was brought to Nauheim, Maisie tries to escape from in order to quit participating in her affair with Edward. However, her heart fails her and she dies just as she was trying to leave her unwanted situation and change her lifestyle for the better. Although she aimed for a better future, Maisie received deadly consequences because of her affair with Edward. Unlike Edward’s other affairs, Nancy Rufford does not engage in anything sexual with him, instead experiencing a love affair from afar. This type of emotional causes pain for both of them. Even though their relationship ceases to be physical, the two suffer because of their love for one another. Nancy, upon hearing of Edward’s sexual past, leaves but continues to care for him. Upon hearing of his suicide, she breaks down and goes mad, completely distraught and catatonic due to the situation. His suicide destroys her mental and physical state. Ultimately, all of the participants in illicit affairs received disastrous ends due to their infidelity, with Ford implying that those who commit such actions do not go unpunished and receive some type of justification in the