Commentary on The Ring Essay

The story begins with a recently young married couple named Lovisa and Sigismund. Lovisa and Sigismund are ages nineteen and twenty- four and they are incredibly in love despite the efforts of her family attempting to keep them apart since they were more wealthy than his family. Lovisa feels that she is more free by having gotten married and is delighted that she has never kept a secret from her husband. Sigismund was afraid that he could not provide an ideal life for his wife which she thought was nonsense. Sigismund studied sheep breeding and wanted to show his wife his sheep and so one beautiful July morning Lovisa and her husband took a stroll over to the sheep field. Lovisa left her small dog, Bijou behind as too not shock the lambs and annoy the sheep dogs with its yapping. When they finally reached the sheepfold a sheepmaster named Mathias greeted them with some terrible news. He declared that one of the lambs was found dead and two others were sick. Mathias began to mention to Sigismund about a sheep thief explaining that the thief breaks into sheepfolds, he kills the sheep and drags them away like a wolf. He then explains a shepherd and his son had caught the thief in the act, the thief then killed the man and knocked his son out in order to escape being captured and nobody has seen him since. Mathias also reveals that in the fight the thief's left arm was broken and the ground was soaked and stained with blood. The men check out the sick lambs attentively, when finally Sigismund sent Lovisa home, he ordered her to walk slowly and he would catch up with her when he was able, Lovisa did as she was told and left her straw hat with him to carry back when he decided to make his way home. On Lovisa's way home she became very happy, she had not been alone in quite awhile and was enjoying it very much.

Lovisa remembered that one day Sigismund went for a ride but she did not want to accompany him, she decided that she was going to go for a stroll with Bijou instead when Bijou suddenly ran into the forest. Lovisa went chasing after her dog and came across a clearing in the woods, she was going to attempt to find the clearing again. She was going to hide from Sigismund in order to give him a fright and make him realize how well off he is with her in his life. Lovisa examined the bush carefully and finally found the entrance to the clearing and went in. She was attempting to be as silent as possible even though she was getting stuck on branches and such. When she reached the clearing she looked up and discovered that she was face to face with an intimidating unkempt man in ripped and tattered clothing, Lovisa remained calm, she had nothing else of value that she could give up except for her wedding ring and so she removed it and held it out to the man. He did not try to take the ring, he only reached out and touched her fingers with his and she dropped the ring on the ground. The man kicked it away from him and only stared at her. He stared at her for a few seconds longer, raised his head, closed his eyes and left. Lovisa left the clearing as quietly as she had arrived, she looked outside the forest for the meadow path as soon as she had discovered it she began to walk home. As she got onto the path her husband came around the corner and greeted her, Lovisa stayed quiet which made Sigismund wonder what was wrong. She told her husband that she had lost her wedding ring but did not know whereabouts she last had it on.