Judges Wife Essay Research Paper Self Fulfilling

Judges Wife Essay, Research Paper

Self Fulfilling Prophecy

In the story, ?The Judge?s Wife,? by Isabel Allende;

Nicholas Vidal, the son of Juana, the Forlorn, came in to

the world regardless of the countless tries of violent

abortions. Vidal was born with four nipples; therefore, the

mid-wife predicted that Vidal would lose his head over a

woman. This same prediction was later confirmed by a Turkish

fortune teller at the corner shop. Vidal lived his whole

life cold and ironed-hearted too all women. This included

his mother. Vidal avoided contact with women so that the

prophecy would not come true. In the end, faith caught up

with him in any ways.

Near beginning of the story, Vidal did not feel that

Casilda was attractive. He describe her as, ?This ethereal

slip of a girl in her wedding gown, eyes filled with wonder,

and fingers obviously unskilled in the art of rousing a man

to pleasure, seem to him almost ugly.? Vidal preferred his

women with dark hair. He never would have known that

Casilda would cause him to lose his life.

His mother was treated the same as any other women.

When the judge decided that he needed to capture Vidal, the

judge used Vidal?s mother as ?bait.? Locked in a cage in

the center of town without food and only a pitcher of water,

Vidal?s mother begged and suffered tremendously. Three days

without water Vidal?s mother could not begged any more. She

laid helplessly in the cage. This sight for any son would be

unbearable. Vidal did not come. Perhaps, Vidal did not

have any contact with his mother over the years. He may have

hated his mother for trying to kill him at birth. He knew if

he tried to save his mother it would be his death. Maybe

that was why Vidal did not save his mother.

Vidal wanted to kill the judge for revenge after his

mother?s suicide. His mother was ashamed that her own flesh

and blood did not even come to save her, so she committed

suicide. Vidal planned to put the judge to a grave death.

Afterwards, he would put him in a cage for all the town

people to see.

A Turkish shopkeeper informed Vidal that the judge and

his family had left for the seaside resort. This would be an

excellent time for Vidal to strike. The judge knew that

Vidal would come for him and his family, so he fled to the

next town to wait for soldiers to come. On the way, the

judge suddenly had a heart attack and crashed his car. Not

knowing what to do, and fearing for the life of her

children. Casilda, ran into a cave and hid her children

there. She ran back down to the wreck to stall Vidal and his

gang.

Casilda thought that Vidal would come with his whole

gang, but only he rode up on his horse. Vidal may have

wanted to kill the judge himself. Angered at the judge or

himself for the death of his mother. He wanted to settle

this on his own.

Casilda played a small role in the story until the end.

Where she stood without fear to Vidal. Perhaps Casilda was a

smart woman and knew that if she showed fear he would

dominate her. Maybe, her fear for the life of her children

made her stronger. Casilda had to buy time for her kids and

she was willing to do whatever it takes.

Vidal had never meet a person that was not scared of

him. When he finally realized he had met an equal opponent

he lowered his gun. When Casilda seduced him, he felt a warm

intimate love that he have never felt before. His whole life

he had lived a lonely existence. He never knew how good a

women would make him feel.

Casilda?s heart changed from being protective to being

sympathetic. However, she did not forget that she was buying

time for her children. This was shown when she told Vidal

to leave when she heard the soldiers footsteps in the

distance. Caslida?s heart may have changed because she

understood his feelings towards the judge because what he

did to Vidal?s mother. Perhaps a certain attraction was

achieved during this dangerous situation, a feeling she had

never felt while she was with the judge.

In the end, Vidal did not leave because he felt that

Casida cared about him. His whole life he lived alone and

loveless. This new feeling he had was so fullfilling that he

was willing to die for it. Knowing how he would die caused

him to avoid women and lived a secluded life. Ironically in

the end, the propehcy came true. Casilda caused his death

because he stayed with her, enabling the soldiers to find

him and kill him. Maybe if he did not know about his

future, the ending would have ended in a different way. His

self-fulfilling prophecy came true because he believed his

destiny and made it to come true.