As i've gotten further and further into Francine Rivers's novel Redeeming Love, I have gotten further sucked into the story line. I feel the character's presence and actions as if I was watching it all unfold in front of me, a quality of a well-written novel. The main character, Sarah, or Angel, or Mara, or anything else that she is called by her "customers" thinks she has absolutely no purpose in the world but to give men what they want. She was introduced to prostitution early on, like when she was 8 years old, and she heard her father tell her mother that he left because he didn't want her. He doesn't understand why her mother couldn't have just gotten rid of her. And even when she is 8, her father's mind hasn't changed about her. From there, she is sold into a brothel by a "family" member and when she tries to get out, she is just forced back. No one, except people in her hometown, know what her true name is. While the whole circumstance of this book is depressing, the part that really gets to the reader, well to me at least, is the fact that she doesn't think she deserves more. She thinks that love is a joke, and her father, and all the men that have said they love her during their brief 30 minutes with her, have allowed her to make this assumption.
While I think that prostitution is wrong and demeaning to a woman's self confidence and self worth, this girl, Sarah, has never known any different. She never got a choice to choose a better life for herself. She truly believes that she was made to sell her body. And she's not living the luxurious life by any means! This lady, the Dutchess, is in charge of her and takes 100% of the money while Sarah is locked up in a tall tower. If she tries to fight back, the hunchman, Magowen, beats her near to death.
However, one man sees Sarah in a completely different light. He thinks she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen and he wants nothing more than to marry her and make her fall in love with him, for real. Sex isn't his motive, which he makes clear to her almost every single day. Lead by God in all of his ways and thoughts, this man is dedicated to helping her love and respect herself.
I know how I hope this book will end, with her changing her idea about herself, and loving this man back, and them having children together who she loves more than anything in the world. But in this book, Sarah is just so damaged and concrete in her beliefs that this truly seems impossible. Her only hope, and I strongly believe this as well, is that God will transform her heart and make her into a person she will be happy to be!
If I were this man, that feels God leading him to do this, I don't know if I would have the courage. To chase and dedicate my life for a woman who is respected by no one? Who is so broken and only knows how to please someone one way? Who tries so hard to make him like her, but can never truly be happy herself? I'm frustrated for him just reading about all of it! Why God would have anyone suffer through all of this I have no idea, I truly don't. I guess it is just a result of the free will he gave people, and unfortunately, her mother and people she has been handed off to over the years have greatly abused the privilege! Heck i'm only halfway done and so eager to finish, if only I didn't have to read the Grapes of Wrath for novels :( Its awful people, don't read it if you don't have to.
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