atonement

Michael Henchard, an unemployed farmhand, gets drunk and sells his wife and baby daughter, but his past come back to haunt him years later when he becomes of Mayor of Casterbridge.

"Margaret Murphy is a weaver of fantastic tales, growing up in a world where the truth is too much for one little girl to endure. Her first memory is of the day her friend Agnes died. No one blames Margaret. Not in so many words. Her mother insists to everyone who will listen that her daughter never even left the house that day. Left alone to make sense of tragedy, Margaret wills herself to forget these unbearable memories, replacing them with imagined stories full of faith and magic--that always end happily. Enter Poor Deer: a strange and formidable creature who winds her way uninvited into Margaret's made-up tales. Poor Deer will not rest until Margaret faces the truth about her past and atones for her role in Agnes's death." --.

Presents the annotated text of "The Mayor of Casterbridge," a novel about a man whose past misdeeds come back to haunt him after he rises to a position of wealth and power; and includes articles on backgrounds and contexts, as well as seventeen critical essays.

When recovered alcoholic Landreaux Irons accidently shoots his neighbors five-year-old son, he seeks the advice of an Ojibwe tribe and then offers his own son LaRose in atonement.

As a young ship's officer in the British Mercantile Marine, Jim is branded a coward when he deserts a passenger-crowded ship he believes is sinking. Trying to atone for his cowardice, he prowls the unmapped jungles of the Far East in search of the feudal warlord who is terrorizing the peace-loving natives. He helps the enslaved natives, is raped by a tribal chief, and finally sacrifices his life for them. A tale of both cowardice and redemption. Includes critical reviews and interpretations.

"In a drunken rage, Michael Henchard sells his wife and daughter to a visiting sailor at a local fair. When they return to Casterbridge some nineteen years later, Henchard--having gained power and success as the mayor--finds he cannot erase the past or the guilt that consumes him."--back cover.

Tim Thomas was a gifted aerospace engineer with a beautiful wife. Then, while using his cell phone while driving, his car wandered across lanes and he became responsible for the deaths of 7 others, including his wife. Unable to forgive himself, Tim sets out to give 'pounds of flesh' that will give new life to seven deserving individuals to make up for the seven lives he destroyed. Tim intends to kill himself to atone for his sins. He decides to bestow gifts to seven worthy people, which includes body organs and material possessions. He personally investigate these people to verify that they are indeed the right people he should help. He plans to have his best friend see that his wishes are carried out after he is dead. Tim's plan threatens to unravel when he begins to fall in love with one of the people he is trying to help.