Author's Note- This is a Point of View analysis of Francesca in the novel The Bridges of Madison County. Technically this story is written from a third person POV so writing this was a little difficult but I wrote about how Francesca cannot see the flaws of her lover because, of course, she is in love. I tried to expose those flaws like the story would have, had it been written from the villagers point of view. The author talks a lot about how small towns have a lot of gossip, and I honestly do not in live in that small a town, therefore I don't exactly know what small town gossip is. I tried my best to write pout what I think it would be like but I could be totally wrong.
What would it be like to be in love? Many of us, myself included, are much to young to know that feeling for ourselves, all I have to go on are cheesy scenes from The Notebook, which I have been told are pretty unrealistic. Francesca Johnson is in love, she has been for the last twenty-four years, and she can honestly say that her experience was a far cry from The Notebook. Her lover, Robert Kincaid left in 1965 after four days with the woman of his dreams. He never looked back. He said he loved her. He said he remembered her. He sent her one letter. He quit his job and disconnected his phone number. He left her alone. That is an confession that she will take to the grave.
This story mostly reflects the point of view of Francesca Johnson, an elderly widow longing for her lost lover to come home. After twenty-four years she still loves him and he has all but forgotten her. I think that since Francesca is in love, she cannot see the character flaws of her boyfriend. This compromises the way that the reader interprets the story because then they just assume that Robert is perfect and Richard was a mean old man. Really, I think that this story might have been just the opposite. Richard Johnson, I think, is actually a very nice man who is talked about by his wife as a boring old cranky puss. Robert on the other hand, strikes me as very deceptive and cunning however innocent he may seem. He has almost no manners, I can tell when he expresses almost no reluctance to accept Francesca's insistence to put her own image at risk. Robert expresses an incredibly little amount of gratitude towards Francesca and not until the fourth or fifth day does he bring up that fact that she is married. What kind of man does that? The worst part, though, is that Francesca notices none of his flaws. She is completely ignorant to the fact that he might be taking advantage of her. The thought doesn’t even cross her mind. Had the story been told mostly from a different perspective, things would have turned out quite differently.
"The girl was crazy!"
"One of the only weekends that her husband goes out of town she has a fling with some traveling hippie photographer from Washington!" "What would Richard think? It would crush his heart!"
Thoughts and whispered echoed throughout the town and was gossip was so juicy you could squeeze it. Everyone who wasn't living under a rock knew about Francesca's little "thing" with the traveler. For one she goes out with him in a public setting and acts the part quite well, as the lover. She doesn't even try to hide his car when he's at her house which, with great regret the town members may admit to say, doesn't leave at night. What filthy little urchin would prey on innocent women when their husbands leave town? Who does he think he is? The villagers always knew that hippies were to be avoided, as this one certainly ought to be. Those horrendous race of "lovers" were nothing more that perverted creeps they were! Francesca knew that too! Oh Richard would hear. And he would be mad. Oh, he would be livid.
