her fears and the hatred of her husband before her emotions came to terms with the new condition. When Ewan was informed about this "his face was blithe as he turned round and ran down the stairs". We sympathise with Chris' tortured rejection of the Ewan whom army life turned into a beast. Gibbon counterposes the poetry of Chris' independence-
             'her blood ran so clear and with such fine, sweet song in her veins she must
             hold her breath and heart to it, to the prose of it' 'Then he said 'Chrissie! Tired?' and she said 'Gosh, no, my names Chris Ewan!'
             Gibbon lets us share in Chris' growing to the men around her. First there is John Guthrie's domineering patriarchy: it is only at his graveside that she comes to know the agony of his self torturing struggle-
             'the worlds fight of his own flesh grew over-bitter, and poisoned his love to
             Second, there is her love for Ewan, with his vulnerable, instinctual maleness. On the first days of marrage, Chris felt that her relationship with the rest of the world was non-existant, they were unseperatable and became a symbol of the happiness that t
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