Sister St Agnes

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Relationship essay: St. Agnes’ Stand Describe a strong relationship between at least two character. Explain how this relationship helped you to understand the characters. Thomas Eidson’s novel “St. Agnes’ Stand” has a very strong relationship in it. The relationship is between Nat Swanson, and Sister St. Agnes. She believes that Nat has been sent by God to save her, her fellow nuns and seven children who have been trapped by a band of Apache Indians. This is a relationship which grows throughout the novel. This is a very strong relationship which is based on a strong need for each other. Sister Agnes needs Swanson in her struggle to escape the standoff between her besieged group and their attackers. Swanson connects to Sister Agnes in a deep and genuine friendship. She surprises him with her courage and determination, and he develops respect for her. She is able to remove the bullet from his leg and set his broken arm while he is able to protect and ultimately defeat the Apaches who aim to torture and kill the members of her group. This leads him to finally establish a connection with people while he saves her wavering faith in God. From this relationship we can learn a lot about the characters. We learn that Nat is a reluctant hero. At first, Nat is reluctant to help Sister St. Agnes and her struggle against the Apaches. He bypasses the overturned wagons on his way to California and kills only a few of the 20 indians, and leaves her to fight off the rest. He turns back to help her only after “he couldn’t get his mind off that face at the wagons.” This shows that Nat is a person who ordinarily looks out only for himself and that he is reluctant to help people. We also learn from this relationship that Sister St. Agnes struggles with her own faith in God. At first, she is convinced that Swanson has been sent by God, which affirms her belief
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