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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from The Lily of the Valley by Honore de Balzac: roots the hopes that were planted deepest in her bosom. She was now at
the mercy of the count; weary of the struggle, she allowed him to
regain all the ground he had lost.
"When all my strength is employed in caring for my children," she
wrote, "how is it possible to employ it against Monsieur de Mortsauf;
how can I struggle against his aggressions when I am fighting against
death? Standing here to-day, alone and much enfeebled, between these
two young images of mournful fate, I am overpowered with disgust,
invincible disgust for life. What blow can I feel, to what affection
can I answer, when I see Jacques motionless on the terrace, scarcely a
sign of life about him, except in those dear eyes, large by
 The Lily of the Valley |