Year I in Review: March '08 ~ TWO-PART INVENTION by Madeleine L'Engle

During the season of Lent, we read two books on the subject of grief, specifically grief for the death of a spouse: Two-Part Invention: The Story of a Marriage (The Crosswicks Journal, Book 4) by Madeleine L'Engle and A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis (see separate post). Two-Part Invention is the fourth and final book in a series of non-fiction titles that are reflective journals written mostly from Madeleine L'Engle's summer residence of Crosswicks over a period of twenty years or so. The other volumes provide some background and context for her life and ideas, but they each stand alone, so we did not have trouble reading this one by itself.

As the title indicates, this book tells the story of Madeleine L'Engle's forty year marriage to Hugh Johnson. From their whirlwind courtship on tour with a play (Hugh was a professional actor, and Madeleine played smaller parts until family and writing took precedence), to their life as country store owners in rural New England, to raising three children, and living from job to job in New York City, this couple faced a variety of trials and experiences which honed their relationship to one of steadfast, devoted love. Madeleine weaves the story of their forty years together with the events surrounding Hugh's battle with cancer, which sadly brought those years together to an end. Throughout the narrative, she offers insights into marriage and faith that are both thought-provoking and inspiring.

We had a great discussion this month! From Two-Part Invention, we discussed ideas such as blending different faiths in a marriage (Madeleine was raised Episcopal, Hugh was raised Baptist), the need for and efficacy of prayer in life/death situations, the common but misguided idea of God's "blessing" when things go well, and the mystery and majesty of God, especially as seen in the incarnation which "affirms the worth and dignity of man." Many of these themes complemented the soul-searching questions raised in A Grief Observed, and it was very interesting to compare these different responses to the death of a spouse.

We also shared some of poetry during this meeting: one of Madeleine L'Engle's poems that reflected on her marriage and a prayer by John of the Cross that was quoted in Two-Part Invention.

Our members did not record any comments or critiques about Two-Part Invention, but here are some of Page Turner's favorite quotations, several of which provided material for our discussion:

“I learned fairly early in my marriage that I did not have to confide everything on my mind to my husband; this would be putting on him burdens which I was supposed to carry myself…Some of my life was mine to be known by me alone. But our marriage was ours, belonged to the two of us, and was full of wonderful things, terrible things, joyous things, grievous things, but ours.” (73)

“…there are prayers that one is not allowed to pray, such as my ‘Please, dear God, don’t let it be cancer.’ Rabbi Kushner says I can’t pray that way, because right now either it is cancer or it is not. But I can’t live with that. I think we can pray. I think the heart overrides the intellect and insists on praying.” (94)

“I hear different people tell of some good or lucky event and then say, ‘Surely the Lord was with me.’ And my hackles rise. My husband is desperately ill, so where is the Lord? What about that place of excrement? Isn’t that where Love’s mansion is pitched? Isn’t that where God is? Doesn’t such an attitude trivialize the activities and concerns of the Maker? Doesn’t it imply that God is with us only during the good and fortuitous times and withdraws or abandons us when things go wrong? I will have nothing to do with a God who cares only occasionally. I need a God who is with us always, everywhere, in the deepest depths as well as the highest heights. It is when things go wrong, when the good things do not happen, when our prayers seem to have been lost, that God is most present.” (124)

“I do not believe that true optimism can come about except through tragedy.” (147)

“Hugh has been surrounded by literally hundreds of prayers, good prayers of light and love. What happens to all those prayers when not only are they not ‘answered’ but things get far worse than anyone ever anticipated? What about prayer? We do not know. We will not know in this lie. Some prayers are magnificently answered. More than once this has been the case in my own life, glorious miracles of prayer. But this summer the answers have all been negative…Surely the prayers have sustained me, are sustaining me. Perhaps there will be unexpected answers to these prayers, answers I may not even be aware of for years. But they are not wasted. They are not lost. I do not know where they have gone, but I believe that God holds them, hand outstretched to receive them like precious pearls.” (187)

“I loved my husband for forty years. That love has not and does not end, and that is good. I think again of that evening after I had come home from a speaking trip and said to Hugh, ‘Wherever I go, you are with me.’ Surely that is still true.” (230)

FOR FURTHER READING:
The first three titles in The Crosswicks Journal Series by Madeleine L'Engle:
A Circle of Quiet
The Summer of the Great-Grandmother (Crosswicks Journal, Book 2)
The Irrational Season (The Crosswicks Journal, Book 3)
One of Madeleine L'Engle's volumes of poetry: The Weather of the Heart (Wheaton Literary)