Problem: What do you like about this person's comment? What is your opinion on it? Can you provide a thoughtful and interesting analysis of their comment?
"In Poor Liza, appearances can always be deceiving despite how individuals present themselves to the world. The villain in the story is Erast and the narrator sympathizes with Liza. The protagonist , Liza is a strong and independent woman who worked hard to uphold the household after her father's passing by maintaining the farm and caring for her elderly mother . She tried supporting her family by selling flowers in order to establish another source of income. Nevertheless, a rich nobleman, Erast entranced her and only wanted her to sell flowers to him . She developed strong feelings for him and complied with his wishes, refusing to sell to anyone but him.This demonstrates that Erast was mesmerized by her beauty and wanted full control over Liza despite their recent acquaintance, limiting her ability to explore different opportunities. During the relationship, Erast promised Liza the world, Erast...said her happiness was the most important thing in the world to him, that after her mother's death, he would take her and live with her inseparably in the countryside and the dense forest, as if in paradise"(112). He never lived up to his promise and being that he was in a position of dominance he stripped of her innocence. Consequently, he lost interest in her and no longer treated her with love and respect. Erast is selfish and does not think that his actions have consequences just as a typical villain does. Villains use people to their advantage and are nice to them when it is suitable for their needs. They are never willing to sacrifice their own needs for others just as Erast has been. To make the situation worse, he told Liza that he had to go to the army, officially abandoning her. Even though he left her, he forbade her from selling flowers to anyone else, still viewing her as his property. Liza accepted this but one day, she saw him in town( during the time of supposed service) exiting a carriage. He told her, " I've announced my engagement. You must leave me in peace and forget me, for your own sake. Here are a hundred rubles-take it ( 115). This proves that Erast fits the description of a villain because he is self- centered, controlling, and careless. He could have been more open with Liza about his intentions upon his return from the army rather than giving her hope of a future relationship with no true grounds. The death of Liza is the direct result of Erast's revolting actions primarily because it made her life unbearable, diminishing her will to live. "