Whitfield 177-179

Quote:
"I knew that forgiveness was mine. The flood, the danger, behind, and as I rode on across the firm earth again and the scene of my Gethsemane drew closer and closer, I framed the words which I should use. I would enter the house; I would stop her before she had spoken; I would day to her husband: "Anse, I have sinned. Do with me as you will."
This quote includes a lot of Biblical allusions. Whitfield - a priest- is talking about riding towards "[his] Gethsemane", which is known as the place where Jesus was betrayed by his disciple. Whitfield makes it apparent many times that he wants to be the one to reveal the secret to Anse, and that he does not want Addie to tell him. The fact that he never tells Anse the truth, and that in this quote he shows that he is only concerned about himself being forgiven reveals what kind of person Whitfield truly is. Faulkner places these ideas of forgiveness and betrayal right next to each other, allowing the reader to focus on how one comes from the other. It makes us question whether Whitfield chooses not to tell Anse in order to prevent him from pain, or if he does it to protect himself. At this point, Whitfield is standing on the other side of the river after having to deal with the danger of crossing it. After reading Anse and his family’s trip across the river, we can compare these two characters and see how they are connected in more than one way.

Word Definition:
Betrayal-
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/betrayal
tr.v. beqtrayed, beqtrayqing, beqtrays
To give aid or information to an enemy of; commit treason against: betray one's country.
To deliver into the hands of an enemy in violation of a trust or allegiance: betrayed Christ to the Romans.
To be false or disloyal to: betrayed their cause; betray one's better nature.
To divulge in a breach of confidence: betray a secret.
To make known unintentionally: Her hollow laugh betrayed her contempt for the idea.
To reveal against one's desire or will.
To lead astray; deceive. See Synonyms at deceive.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth EditionCopyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

I chose to use the definition of betrayal because it shows how the word can be used for two completely different situations. Betrayal is not only the act of keeping something secret, but also the act of revealing something. This quote demonstrates many different kinds of betrayal. It shows a priest being disloyal to his calling and the promises that accompany his lifestyle. It shows a wife being disloyal to her husband. This quote sets up the betrayal of this secret that has been kept between Addie and Whitfield. The many different definitions and interpretations of this word can be connected to the idea that the actual acts which they define are always complicated. Betrayal always involves and affects the lives of many people and causes many other emotions and issues to come about as a result - which is what Whitfield’s quote demonstrates.