Assignment 6 Internal Conflict

Chris Mallory

Archangel by Sharon Shinn On Samaria, a yearly mass, lead by the mortal wife of the Archangel, must be sung to the god Jovah. Representatives of all four tribes of people inhabiting Samaria must also sing, thereby showing the god that the people exist in harmony and peace. If the mass is not sung, the holy book states that Jovah will destroy the world. Gabriel, the new Archangel, must find and wed Rachel, the woman that the god has chosen for him, so the mass may be sung in accordance to scripture. He assumes that she will be honored to accept her destiny as his wife. She isn’t. Raphael, the old Archangel, no longer believes in the god, and neither does he want to give up his position of power. He does everything he can to destroy Rachel so the mass won’t be sung.

The external conflicts are 1) Rachel and Gabriel vs Raphael and his followers and 2) Rachel vs Gabriel; although this one is the internal conflict, too - Rachel vs distrust, anger, and fear. Throughout her life everything and everyone she ever loved has been taken away from her. When she finds herself falling in love with Gabriel (although she will never admit to herself that she is in love with him, though her friends recognize it), she goes against him whenever she can, to make him angry and to make herself seem unlovable.

Rachel’s family and farm were destroyed when she was seven. She was found and adopted by the Edori, a band of nomads that wander across the face of Samaria. When she was twenty, the Edori were attacked and enslaved by Jansai raiders. Now, five years later, she is a slave in the household of Lord Jethro. When Gabriel attends the wedding of Jethro’s son, he finds her there, tells her she is to marry him because the god ordains it and she refuses. She had already fallen in love his voice after listening to him sing and she finds him handsome, but the new bride had promised Rachel her freedom after the wedding. She feels marriage would be another form of slavery and besides, the Edori don’t believe in marriage. Lord Jethro packs off Rachel to Gabriel’s household regardless of her feelings on the matter. Once there, Rachel clashes with Gabriel every chance she gets, although she does recognize that he has many admirable qualities. When returning from the yearly Edori Gathering that she attended against Gabriel’s wishes, she is kidnapped by Raphael to prevent her from leading the mass. Gabriel saves her and the mass is finally sung.

© 1999 Chris Mallory

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