“Loyalty and devotion lead to bravery. Bravery leads to the spirit of self- sacrifice. Self- sacrifice creates trust in the power of love,” Morihei Ueshiba once claimed. Through love and devotion come these multiple characteristics that build upon the foundation of a heathy and prosperous relationship. In the New York Times best-seller novel, titled Serena, author Ron Rash, depicts the relationship between two of the main characters, George and Serena Pemberton, as holding a peculiar yet devoted relationship between husband and wife. As the audience is aware, the two’s personalities do not go hand in hand with one another, yet the couple does seem to be devoted to each other, one more than the other, however. Warning signs of the imbalance …show more content…
The knife, correlating with the overall theme of Serena, resembles the connection between devotion and murder. Like so many do in today’s wedding traditions, the bride and grooms often times exchange wedding presents between one another. Pemberton’s gift to Serena, a white majestic- like Arabian horse. Serena’s gift to Pemberton, an elk- bone handle bowie knife. The knife, as later revealed to the audience, is a key symbol in representing the theme of power and devotion throughout the storyline. Around the world, the knife symbolizes the significance of betrayal, revenge, pain, and sacrifice. From the relationship standpoint, it represents the cutting away of negative aspects within the partnership, liberating the individual. Pemberton quickly becomes aware of the power he holds with the knife when …show more content…
Death becomes an increasingly common occurrence for the citizens that occupy the small timber producing town. If one does not die from a timber accident or snake bite, then he or she is a candidate for murder. Pemberton killed a man in Boston and another within an hour of arriving back in town with his new bride, yet Serena shows no signs of being ashamed or having disbelief. Later on, Serena goes out and murders the old widow, with whom watches over Jacob so Rachel can earn a living, reasoning it had to have been done in order to bring her and Pemberton closer together, revealing just how devoted Serena is to her husband, under any and all circumstances, except with the subject of Rachel and Jacob come up. Their once blissful marriage slowly begins to unravel as Pemberton longs for an heir that Serena is unable to provide for him. Pemberton, not as devoted to Serena as she is to him, begins to help Rachel and Jacob out as much as he can. Serena, in a crying outrage, realizes that he cannot possibly be as devoted to her when he has a son right there in the town. She murders Pemberton through a combination of rat poison, a rattlesnake bite, and a broken leg. Serena was so devoted to Pemberton that she could not let anyone stand in her way, thus eliminating the opportunity for him to be with his son, preventing him from breaking the devotion they vowed to hold until death do