Love and Betrayal in Simmie’s The Secret Lives

Love and Betrayal in Simmie’s The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson

The book The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson by Lois Simmie discusses the themes of love and betrayal in an intertwined way. The author explores the theme of love through Wilson’s life that is filled with lies, which led to the ultimate betrayal of love, trust, and relationships. Wilson lives two love lives but he betrays both women and relationships through his actions. Interestingly, one lie leads to another, and the web of lies determines the life Wilson lives and his tragic end. The story unfolds as the love Wilson has for his wives at different points leads to betrayal.

The first theme that Simmie explores is the theme of love. Wilson loves his first wife, Polly, while in Scotland and does everything to keep her happy. When his brother loses their family wealth, Wilson lies and steals only to provide for his wife and give her a comfortable life. Further, when the lie is uncovered, he leaves Scotland for Canada in search of a better life for his wife and family (Simmie 3). Every move that Wilson makes is to secure the best for Polly. Later, when he joins the Royal Northwest Mounted Police and falls sick in Saskatchewan, he falls in love with Jessie, a woman who nurses him. Wilson is attracted by Jessie’s love so that he decides to keep his love and marriage to Polly a secret. It is interesting to note that Wilson does not imply that his love for Polly has ended by falling in love with Jessie (Simmie 78). Rather, he is too selfish to risk losing Jessie’s love by disclosing his other love life. Wilson wants to keep his two love stories alive by keeping them secret from each other, which is evident when Polly comes to Saskatchewan, and Wilson welcomes her and lets her live with him in the same house. He collapses under the pressure of the two love lives, which makes his mental state deteriorate. However, Jessie’s love seems strong at the moment; thus, Wilson decides to kill Polly to be with her. Ironically, it is difficult to say that Wilson loves Jessie if his love for her is built on lies. Through these lives, Simmie presents several sides of love, such as true love and loyalty, hypocrisy, and ignorance. Polly’s love for Wilson is true and loyal because she comes to find him even after he spends years of no return in Canada. Wilson’s love for Polly and Jessie is one of hypocrisy; he only seeks his satisfaction at the expense of others. Lastly, Jessie’s ignorance of Wilson’s love and marriage to Polly is the foundation of her love. Simmie leaves the audience wondering whether Jessie could love Wilson if he disclosed his love story with Polly.

The theme of love in the novel is extensive, and different dimensions of love that Simmie explores give birth to another persistent theme, betrayal. Everything that Wilson does to his two women lacks loyalty and tends more toward betrayal. First, while leaving Scotland, Wilson promises his wife that he will return in one year. He fails to return and truthfully explain the circumstances that prevented him from coming back. Instead of being faithful to his wife, he starts an affair with Jessie and even plans to settle down with her (Simmie 159). When Polly comes, he betrays Jessie by welcoming and living with his wife. When Polly learns about his faithfulness, he further betrays her by not acknowledging that he is wrong and instead confronts her. The climax of the story is also the climax of the betrayal when Wilson contemplates and plans how he would kill Polly to be with Jessie. By killing Polly, Wilson betrays her love, trust, and loyalty as a wife. He also betrays Jessie’s love by killing Polly since he knows that this act will lead to the death penalty. When he marries Jessie, it is an act of ultimate betrayal because he does so to cover his crime and acts as if Polly went back to Scotland (Simmie 196). He also betrays Polly’s relatives who trusted him and considered him part of the family by killing Polly and lying to them about it. When Polly’s family writes from Scotland inquiring about their whereabouts and well-being, Wilson writes them back, telling them that she is fine and still with him in Canada (Simmie 210). These continuous acts of betrayal to everybody around him develop the character of Wilson, showing him as a selfish individual and one incapable of genuine love, not even in his two love lives.

Simmie explores love and betrayal concurrently. In particular, love leads to the series of acts of betrayal that Wilson commits. To develop these two themes, Simmie employs different narrators at different points. That is, she tells the story through the perspectives of different characters. For example, the novel contains a series of letters exchanged between various characters in the story (Simmie 119). These letters act as the voices of their authors concerning the occurrences. The use of different perspectives in the novel helps Simmie to develop the themes of love and betrayal effectively as seen by other characters in the plot.

In conclusion, love and betrayal are thoroughly developed in Simmie’s The Secret Lives of Sgt. John Wilson. The main character, Wilson, engages in numerous treacherous acts; he betrays the two people he loves, Polly and Jessie, and even others with whom he supposedly has close relations. Simmie uses the perspectives of the characters to explore and develop these themes effectively.