Chapter 9 Cont.

I am beginning to see an interesting change taking place now; where before the family moved together as a unit, they are now becoming individuals. That is to say, they are beginning to focus on their own personal needs, and that is the beginning to the end of the grieving process. While Markus is coming to terms with his mother's death, Franz is focusing on his first and only love, and Cyprian and Fidelis are hashing out their differences in a physical way. Although they think they are fighting because of their feelings about the war, it is obvious that they are taking out their manly frustrations over their "claims" to Delphine on each other. It seems that all of the pent up frustration over Delphine saying no to him and the realization that her place is more with Fidelis and his children than it is with him has caused him to lash out at his perceived "enemy." In reality, however, the enemy may very well be himself for refusing to consider that things are working out this way for a reason. He also is not accepting himself for who he is as a homosexual man. He cannot love Delphine the way that Fidelis can, but he does need her to feel complete and it is very hard for him to deal with that fact on his own. Perhaps the thought of her seemingly inevitable marriage to Fidelis and desertion of him when he has no one else is too much to bear at this point in his life. Whatever the case, it is obviously time for someone to move on, and it may as well be him.