There are two incidences in Rainbow Valley that really touched me.
In Chapter 16 Tit for Tat, we find that Faith went to ask the town bully, who was moneyed but would not darken the doorway of any church, to contribute to her father(the parson)'s salary and to return to her church. She was frightened alright but she would not back out of what she had decided to do. At first she was cowed by the bully shouting at her and run. But as she became angry, she marched back to give him a piece of her mind. Interestingly, he found it fun to have a young spunky girl telling him off. He changed his mind and apologized, promising to support Faith's father and to attend the church once a month. To throw in a bonus, he told Faith he would make sure his relative would return to church and cough out her share of the parson's pay too.
Then in Chapter 34 Una visits the Hill, Una took it upon herself to go to ask Miss West to change her mind and marry her father, even though she was dead afraid that Miss West would become a terrible step mother who would turn her father against her and her siblings. She promised Miss West that she and her brother and sister would be good and obedient, if she would only agree to become their step mother. As she could not stand seeing how unhappy her father was, after Miss West refused to marry their father(she thought the children were the reason for the refusal).
Montgomery really did a good job describing a trio of motherless children who are brave, loyal, just, well meaning, selfless and commendable. Sometimes I think the traditional Christian community is not the easiest place for any parson or pastor's children to grow up in. No wonder it is common for a pastor's sons to go wayward for years before returning to the fold. Montgomery painted a very realistic picture of the kind of hypocrisy and double standards that exist in any church group.
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