Deceit and decay

Will Landschulz
Am Lit. Per. 2
Mrs. LaMagdeleine.

Here we get lots of information about Buddy, who shows Esther her first cadaver, then later admits to being seduced by a waitress.  First, he's not as clean as he looks, even as a doctor surrounded by dead bodies all the time.  It is frankly impossible to maintain an impeccable image for long, so why does Esther cool towards him?  Mainly because of his deception, which, when taken with his image of purity, makes him look like a coward for not telling her earlier.  She doesn't like this, as it was a giant secret that he didn't tell her until that day.  But I think that is perfectly reasonable.  He seems embarrassed by his betrayal, and naturally covers it up to save face - both his and hers.  However, she does not show him her lowered opinion towards him.  Why not?  He has TB, and she feels it would be cruel to abandon him outwardly during his moment of sickness.  This, I think, is exactly the same crime she accuses Buddy of perpetrating, and therefore she has nowhere to stand on that matter.  What's worse is that she feels half swept off her feet by the sound of Constantin's voice, underlining for the genre savvy reader that they will end up in bed together.  (I'd call this a spoiler, but it's the topic of the next blog).  Now, she not only has no moral ground on which to challenge Buddy or even think about dumping him, he now has more ground than her.  This is even more obvious when he says that the waitress who he trysted with seduced him, and not the other way around.  He wanted to stay loyal, but couldn't, where she lost interest in him and seems to be going on a date with Mrs. Willard's interpreter.