The Reapers
Summary
Albert Jordan's meticulously constructed world, centered on his adored wife, Rita, and cherished daughter, Edna, is irrevocably shattered by a selfless act of heroism. Crippled saving his child from certain death, Jordan finds his domestic sanctuary crumbling as Rita, burdened by newfound responsibility, succumbs to the insidious temptations of a former lover, Jim Shaw. His subsequent descent into embittered despair, reduced to a street vendor, marks a profound spiritual crisis, yet a serendipitous encounter with a woman of unwavering faith initiates his miraculous physical and spiritual reclamation. As Jordan ascends to renewed prosperity and his daughter, Edna, secures a distinguished marriage, Rita's trajectory plummets, entangled in a dissolute existence with the increasingly abusive Shaw. A twist of fate, during a municipal vice crusade, orchestrates a dramatic, emotionally charged reunion between Albert and his estranged wife in the sordid confines of a dance hall. His subsequent, heartfelt plea for her spiritual awakening, born of his own hard-won enlightenment, stirs a flicker of dormant goodness within Rita, setting the stage for a poignant, climactic reckoning where her ultimate response to his profound forgiveness will redefine their shared, tumultuous history.
Synopsis
Albert Jordan, publishing house manager, lavishes his salary on his adored wife, Rita, and little daughter Edna. She is a churchgoing woman, while his home and his family is his religion. While returning home one day, Jordan sees his little daughter in the path of an auto. He runs to snatch her from instant death. He saves her but is seriously injured himself. As a result, he becomes a half paralytic. His wife becomes the bread-winner of the family. She frets against this and is tempted by a former lover, Jim Shaw, a race-track follower, and leaves with him. Jordan becomes an embittered blasphemer. He is compelled to sell newspapers and pencils at an elevated station. Here a splendid woman with a deathless faith finds the hopeless Jordan and teaches him her creed of life. Jordan begins to pray. At last, in response to his prayers and more hopeful state, Jordan is healed and learns that God's way is not always the ways of men. The years pass. Jordan with health, new strength, new friends, becomes successful in business. His daughter, Edna, now a beautiful young woman, marries Frank Rollins, of aristocratic family, and assistant district attorney. Jordan makes his home with the young couple. On the other hand, Rita, who first lived in luxury, has gradually gone down the ladder of life and now reaps the harvest of her sin and selfishness. Shaw is drinking heavily and beats her. They return from Paris and start a flashy tango hall. A few months later, after his daughter's marriage, Jordan is asked by Rollins to accompany him on a vice crusade. While in a dance place, there is a quarrel between a man and a woman. Jordan goes to intervene and comes face to face with his wife. After a night of anguish Jordan goes to Rita, telling her of himself and of Edna. He teaches her to see the "light," as he calls it, as he has seen it. Rita is touched by Jordan's willingness to forgive and forget and the latent good in Rita's nature rises to meet the good in Jordan. How Rita repays his wish to reclaim her is unfolded in the climax.
