I saw a really interesting post about Abigail and Arthur’s relationship and the journal entry where he talks about marrying her. While a lot of people see this as a marriage of convenience, I personally see it a little differently! (Don’t worry, I don’t think they were in love at any point!!)
I think the farthest their relationship could/would go during this is a platonic connection that borders on romantic at times, but not because they have romantic feelings for one another. Personally, I believe that with how at ease Abigail is with Arthur and better yet how at ease Jack is with him in the events of the game, Arthur has probably played a big role in Jacks life, ESPECIALLY in the time John was gone. With John gone, there wouldn’t be any guilt of being a surrogate father (the whole “I ain’t the one takin’ Jack on fishin’ trips.” conversation during that one mission, their little squabbles over it in camp interactions too).
Arthur would, in my mind, absolutely step into that role, especially with how he talks about how lucky John is. I think it would be hard to separate feelings, truthfully. Abigail is watching this man take care of her son, whose father is god knows where, seeing a male figure love and provide for her and her son for the first time, probably in her whole life, something she wished John would do for the two of them—(Arthur continues to do this in-game, fishing trip, storybooks, candy, even giving money for new clothes)— and Arthur is seeing this as a second chance of sorts, his way to protect and provide, to do what he couldn’t do for who he lost.
That’s where the issue comes in though…they don’t love each other like that—but at the same time, they feel that connection because they both are using one another to fill a void of some sort. For Abigail, she’s being taken care of, her son is being taken care of, she had a strong male presence not out to manipulate or sleep with her for the first time, and Arthur gets the family that he lost: a good, strong woman and a child.
They both see what can be: her and Arthur a couple, him a father to Jack but can’t force themselves to be that—to truly want that because they don’t, not with each other at least. I think that maybe just maybe they tried it, even toyed with the idea of something at some point in time that John was gone for that reason alone. But with John back, Abigail had to face the reality of the man she truly loved being back (even if he is a deadbeat at the time), and Arthur had to face the fact that Jack isn’t his, he’s not Isaac, and Abigail isn’t Eliza. With the main factor to separate them and give them clarity back in the picture, I think the pair would finally realize this fact and go back to being strictly platonic because any romance that did happen was out of this mutual need to fill a void, not a desire to be with one another if that makes sense. But Arthur seeing that John STILL treats them poorly, the marriage entry makes sense.
The wishing that he could’ve forced himself to marry her, to push through the conflicting emotions and the fact that he didn’t really love her like that—so that he knew that she and her son would be provided for, because at the end of the day he does love both of them, just not in the way that he wants to, and vice versa. Looking into their relationship is so interesting to me.
That’s my hot take for today. That’s all!
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