A Wicked Woman

A Wicked Woman
A wicked woman is a story about an
unsullied, innocent, ingenuous and delicate
young woman called Loretta. She lives with
her older sister Daisy and her husband. When
Loretta breaks up with Billy, a young boy with
whom she had had a relationship, the sadness
provoked by the rupture is the reason why
Captain Kitt, her sister’s husband sends her on
a visit to Santa Clara. There, she lives with the
Hemingways, a mature couple that introduces
her to Ned Bashford, a man who does not
belive in the truth and purity of women, and
that finally falls in love with Loretta.
As the weeks pass, Loretta becomes a small
centre of things, not just a pale orb around her
sister; she receives letters from Billy though
she almost doesn’t care about him anymore,
until one morning she receives a letter that put
tragedy into her face. Now Loretta is convinced
that she is a wicked woman, and Ned Bashford
will try to find out what is wrong with her.
•
LORETTA, a sweet, innocent, ingenous and delicate young. She is
an almost naive teenager, but she is also a figure of womanhood.
•
DAISY, Loretta’s sister. Loretta described her with a brilliant and
nature personality.
•CAPTAIN KITT, Daisy’s husband, he only wants Loretta to help her
wife with the household.
•EDWARD “NED” BASHFORD, a man of the world, who has his own
philosophy built out of his experiences and who doesn’t believe in
the truth or purity of women. He confuses superficiality with
profundity.
•
BILLY MARSH, a raw boy with whom Loretta had a relationship.
He seems to try to manipulate Loretta.
•ALICE HEMINGWAY, a society woman with an imaginative mind.
JACK HEMINGWAY, Alice Hemingway’s husband. He pets Loretta
by the time she lives with them.
•
A wicked woman takes place in
the Hemingway’s house located in
the town of Santa Clara in
California. There, Loretta who was
a shy and innocent young woman
who always lived depending on her
sister Daisy and grew up in an
environment
where
she
was
inhibited and was not taken into
account, becomes a small centre of
attention; she was petted by Jack
Hemingway,
spoiled
by
Alice
Hemingway,
and
devotedly
attended by Ned Bashford. She
swiftly developed her personality
and discovered her own wishes.
•

Father: William Chaney, astrologer, never accepted
him as a son.

Mother: Flora Wellman, spiritualist

Step-father: John London, a poor farmer from
whom Jack took his last name.
●
First wife: Bess Maddern, his math tutor.
●
Second wife: Charmiand.
●
●
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Born in San Francisco on January 12,
1876
Quit school at age 15 to work full-time in
a salmon cannery.
He was an avid reader, educating himself
at public libraries, especially the Oakland
public Library.
London's extensive life experiences
included being a laborer, a factory
worker, a sailor, and a member of the
California Fish Patrol and railroad hobo.
In his teens, he joined Coxey’s Army in
its famous march on Washington.
●
During his travels, he became
acquainted with socialism. He was called
“The socialist boy of Oakland”.
●
In 1900, Jack married his math tutor
and friend, Bess Maddern. They had two
daughters.
●
In 1907, Jack married Charmian, his
second wife.
●
He died of renal failure on November
22, 1916.
●
Influence on his writings:
●
His works exemplifies traditionals American values.
London wrote from a socialist viewpoint.
●
Jack London got the materials of his books from his
own adventures.
●
His philosophy was a product of his own experiences.
This philosophy is reflected in one of the main
characters of “A Wicked Woman”, Ned Bashford.
●
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A wicked women story reflects the traditionals
standars of a century ago.
The naivety Loretta reflects may sound incredible by
modern standards; even so, while it is hard to
imagine, it may have been believable to readers in
1906.
A Wicked Woman
Enrique Molina
Julissa García
IX Semester
Foreign Languages