The Theme Of Forgiveness In The Novel 'A Parchment Of Leaves'

Reinhold Niebuhr once said “Forgiveness is the final form of love.” When someone wrongs a person how would they feel? In the novel A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House a Cherokee girl named Vine marries an Irish man named Saul. Saul’s brother Aaron who vine saved when he was bitten by a snake ends up liking Vine which turns into an obsession. Throughout the book Aaron becomes increasingly obsessed with Vine to the point that he asks her to run away with him and while drunk rapes her. This leads to her killing Aaron. Vine has to fight to redeem herself and also forgive herself for what she has done. Forgiving someone is one thing but letting them redeem themselves is another. Redemption allows the person to do something to earn forgiveness to themselves and others which is what many of the characters in the novel do. Vine and Saul getting married redeems cultural wounds
Saul’s brother Aaron marries another Native American girl name Aidia who looks very similar to Vine. We learn early on that Aaron likes Vine. Throughout the novel Aaron becomes increasingly obsessed with Vine. Aaron starts to abuse his wife Aida. Once Aidia gives birth to Matracia we see that Aaron is being very nice and even names Matracias middle name after the place Aidia and him met. We see a side of Aaron we have not seen, a nice guy who loves and cares for Aidia. We hope that this changes him but we soon learn that it does not. Soon after Matracia’s birth Aaron abuses Aidia and as he walks away she takes a gun and shoots it above his head to scare him even though it did not do anything. We soon learn how obsessed Aaron is with Vine when he comes to her house while Saul is working in another county and starts walking to her, he pushes her on the ground and then rapes her, Aaron walks towards Birdie Vine’s baby daughter. Vine gets scared and takes a knife and stabs Aaron in the