Didn't Andrew see or feel any of the tension?

[snokkums]

I have always wondered about this. With all the ill feelings between the firls against Abby, and Abby not having anyone in the house(other than Andy), didn't Andrew see or feel any of the tension? I mean with all the ill will in the house didn't he see anything? Or did he bury his head in the sand and choose not to deal with it?

[twinsrwe]

Well, it is possible that Andrew was unaware of the tension within the family. Following is a statement which may explain why Andrew may not have known what was going on between the female members of his family (Highlighting is mine):

A woman's prime use was to bear a large family and maintain a smooth family atmosphere where a man need not bother himself about domestic matters. He assumed his house would run smoothly so he could get on with making money.

Source: http://www.fashion-era.com/a_womans_place.htm

[snokkums]

Well, it is possible that Andrew was unaware of the tension within the family. Following is a statement which may explain why Andrew may not have known what was going on between the female members of his family (Highlighting is mine):

A woman's prime use was to bear a large family and maintain a smooth family atmosphere where a man need not bother himself about domestic matters. He assumed his house would run smoothly so he could get on with making money.

Source: http://www.fashion-era.com/a_womans_place.htm

I cAN see your point. If his reponsiblity is to make the money and go into the world an abby responsiblity to maintain the house, he might not have noticed the tension.
Good point.

[shakiboo]

I think he had to notice it, especially after the girls stopped sharing their meals with them. He might have just chosen to ignore it and thought it would go away. We really have no way of knowing what the home life was like. Even Bridget didn't shed much light on it. Even people who did voice their opinion's didn't live there and only had what they had heard from one side (Abby's) or the other side's (the girls). I'm sure neither side was totally unbiased.

[snokkums]

I think that might be it too, he just chose to ignore it. Or, like I said in my last post he might not of noticed because he was out making the money and it was Abbys job to care for the house. But then again too, he might have used the working and being out of the house as an excuse. If he wasn't at home he wouldn't have to deal with the tension. It would be somewhat hard to ignore all that tension if he was home alittle more.

[Yooper]

If there had been a level of tension present since he married Abby, maybe he was used to it. He might not have been overly sensitive to an escalation if it was the rule rather than the exception.

[twinsrwe]

Good point, Jeff.

I'm thinking there was probably a lot of tension between Emma and Abby right from the beginning. As Andrew’s wife, Abby was expected to take over Sarah’s position as a mother to Emma and Lizzie. I think Emma highly resented this and didn't appreciate it one bit. After all, Emma had promised her mother that SHE would take care of baby Lizzie.

Lizzie was a bit young to cause very much tension in the within the household, at the time Abby became a part of the family. However, I think Emma had a bigger influence over Lizzie than we will ever know. Lizzie probably felt closer to, and more trusting of, Emma than she ever did Abby.

Andrew may have known the relationship between Abby and the girls was not on a loving level, and chose to let the women battle their differences out amongst themselves. I doubt Andrew knew how extensive the tension was within the household.

[Yooper]

This may say a lot about the environment Lizzie grew up in. If Emma and Abby were constantly at odds and Andrew was oblivious to it, it may have appeared that Andrew didn't care. Lizzie might have been confused about where her loyalty belonged between Emma and Abby. While it doesn't excuse murder, I could understand if Lizzie turned out half a bubble off of plumb.

[twinsrwe]

If it's true that Andrew appeared as though he didn't care, then I'm sure Emma and Lizzie would have to been beside themselves when Andrew started giving Abby’s relative property!

[Yooper]

Yes, the first sign of life in years, and the old bean bag favors the wrong family! Seriously, Andrew may have been aware of a level of tension, but maybe he didn't understand why or maybe he didn't want to understand it.

[twinsrwe]

Andrew may not have wanted to get involved in any of the female squabbles. If he had become involved, it would have most likely put an even bigger wedge between the women folk. Whose side would he take? His wife’s or his own flesh and blood daughters? Becoming involved would have put him in a lose-lose situation.

I think if Andrew knew of any level of tension in the household, he divorced himself from the female issues and decided to let the women work things out for themselves. I can’t think of any man who would put himself in the middle of three women having a domestic disagreement!!!

[snokkums]

I think you are right twinsrwe. I don't think Andrew wanted to get in the middle of three women squabbling. I now I wouldn't want to and I am a female!

[Yooper]

I guess the only conclusion is that Andrew didn't find the tension level more than he could bear. He had options, he could have bought a house on the hill and moved everyone into it, or he could have bought his daughters their own place and moved them out of 2nd Street. For that matter, Lizzie and Emma had their own place, the Ferry Street house, but they chose to remain on 2nd Street and continue the animosity. Apparently Andrew thought whatever level of tension existed wasn't enough to warrant buying another house.