Theme of the Story Hearts and Hands
The story is primarily based around kindness. The real marshal is a kind man who spares Mr. Easton as well as Miss Fairchild some embarrassment with no ulterior motives at all. He gains nothing from doing this. He tries to his best to convince Miss Fairchild that Mr. Easton is the marshal. He thinks that after knowing this, she will not be so horrified after.
Then he even reconfirms this point when she stares at the handcuffs later on. After sometime, when Miss Fairchild seems to be hinting at being interested in Mr. Easton, he (the real marshal) decides that the lie has gone on long enough and cuts it short. He serves Miss Fairchild from any further embarrassment and future heartbreak by making up another fib about wanting to smoke. In doing so, he removes Mr. Easton from her presence and the men don’t have to lie to her any longer. He knows that if they continue talking, the truth may come out.
Next, the author skilfully depicts in the story that appearances can misrepresent reality. Easton is not who he seems to be. Rather than being the marshal he is in fact a prisoner. He is a rather charming prisoner. Apart from the couple at the end of the story nobody else suspects that Easton is the prisoner. It suggests that Easton is good at fooling people. Mr. Easton’s outward appearance also misleads Miss Fairchild. When the real Marshal tells Miss Fairchild that he is the convict who is being taken to prison by Mr. Easton who is a marshal, it appears to be true to Miss Fairchild. She is easily fooled and misled by the real Marshal.
As she is deeply stuffed with social images and fantasies, she is soon influenced by the outward appearance and remains far from the reality. Even she does not notice that how Easton can be a marshal when his right hand is handcuffed to the left hand of the other man. Thus Miss Fairchild is badly cheated by Easton’s outward appearance. Ultimately the author observes that it is wrong to reach on the conclusion on the basis of appearances.
Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers