Why Does Martin Not Love Again?

[Maudie]

I seriously doubt that.

Why?

@danflorreguba That last assault has plenty of bloodshed, so we can safely assume that Martin kills plenty of creatures 'off-screen'.  Even war-loving Achilles weeps after butchering many Trojans.

-Duxwing

Who says he isn't sad after killing all those creature? Though Rose did hit him pretty hard, so maybe he didn't really think about it much after, but I expect that he would have been sad about it if he wasn't so shocked about Rose's death.

[Free Thought]

To be completely honest, love works in mysterious ways that scholars, philosophers, psychologists and even the average joe have not been able to figure out.  It has caused wars, driven people to insanity and yet we still hold on to it, strive for it, covet it.  We all want to feel loved at some point in our lives.  Some find it early, some never find it at all.  Some don't know love until it's too late or until they have to say goodbye, and who is to say which scenario is more fair or less just: To love and lose, or never to love at all.

We find out in MTW that Martin had a love interest.  Jacques gives us the pleasure of meeting Rose.  Rose gave everything she had for Martin and though she did not die defending him directly, she died aiding his cause.  Martin never forgot that.

After a time of mourning, Martin journeys to Mossflower and we know of his adventures there.  Then Jacques stops.  Oh, sure he writes TLOL and we see snippets of the construction of the Abbey and the end where Martin vows the rest of his life for peace, but then we do not get another glimpse of Redwall until OOR, approximately 2-3 generations later.  A convenient end to a influential character, the "rock" of Redwall, is it not?

I think Jacques chose to omit the ending days of Martin's life because to write about them would be beyond the capacity of his target readership.  As an elder, Martin would be a sage beast and to write him at that stage in his life would lead to a lot of debate and issues the audience would not be necessarily ready to understand; such as, if there was a war, would Martin join, and so forth.

But I digress.  Back to why exactly he doesn't love- well, that's simple.  He does.  Like Rose did for him and his cause, Martin laid down his life for his friends and their quest for freedom.  Unlike Rose, he did not die.  Martin survived.  He continued to love others in Rose's memory while they founded Redwall, quietly enjoying the peace he would have had with her if she had lived.  In this aspect, Martin continues to love.

As far as him not loving another female, Jacques takes the easy way out and writes Martin into taking the vows of Redwall and becoming a brother, a not voiced, but assumed celibate role.  In this, he eliminates the idea of marriage and love from Martin's later years.  This connects to my previous argument that the readership would not be ready to handle the 'gray character' Martin would become if he did find another to love.  The questions would arise then, should he or should he not fall in love again?  Would it be traitorous to Rose?  What if he had children?  The list goes on and on.

I think Martin did not love another female again; that for him, there was only one Rose, but that is not to say he did not love others.  Many have their opinions, but that is mine.   

[Tam and Martin]

I think there are many reasons that Martin does not marry again, some being like what Leatho said - that he didn't want to lose another lover like he lost her. I mean, when I lost my rabbit to surgery several years ago, I was concerned to get another one because I was afraid it would also die like that (which, I know that dying eventually happens, but I hope you get what I am saying). I felt all that for my pet rabbit but this was Martin's lover and he had way more deeper feelings for her!!!!
- Martin

[phoenixfoden]

Cant really blame martin,if i was in that posistion i dont know if i could be romantic towards anyone let alone fall in love,id feel like i was cheating on rose and id feel like id not want to go though loosing my love again,id really do what martin did and live at redwall single.

[Duxwing]

To be completely honest, love works in mysterious ways that scholars, philosophers, psychologists and even the average joe have not been able to figure out.  It has caused wars, driven people to insanity and yet we still hold on to it, strive for it, covet it.  We all want to feel loved at some point in our lives.  Some find it early, some never find it at all.  Some don't know love until it's too late or until they have to say goodbye, and who is to say which scenario is more fair or less just: To love and lose, or never to love at all.

We find out in MTW that Martin had a love interest.  Jacques gives us the pleasure of meeting Rose.  Rose gave everything she had for Martin and though she did not die defending him directly, she died aiding his cause.  Martin never forgot that.

After a time of mourning, Martin journeys to Mossflower and we know of his adventures there.  Then Jacques stops.  Oh, sure he writes TLOL and we see snippets of the construction of the Abbey and the end where Martin vows the rest of his life for peace, but then we do not get another glimpse of Redwall until OOR, approximately 2-3 generations later.  A convenient end to a influential character, the "rock" of Redwall, is it not?

I think Jacques chose to omit the ending days of Martin's life because to write about them would be beyond the capacity of his target readership.  As an elder, Martin would be a sage beast and to write him at that stage in his life would lead to a lot of debate and issues the audience would not be necessarily ready to understand; such as, if there was a war, would Martin join, and so forth.

But I digress.  Back to why exactly he doesn't love- well, that's simple.  He does.  Like Rose did for him and his cause, Martin laid down his life for his friends and their quest for freedom.  Unlike Rose, he did not die.  Martin survived.  He continued to love others in Rose's memory while they founded Redwall, quietly enjoying the peace he would have had with her if she had lived.  In this aspect, Martin continues to love.

As far as him not loving another female, Jacques takes the easy way out and writes Martin into taking the vows of Redwall and becoming a brother, a not voiced, but assumed celibate role.  In this, he eliminates the idea of marriage and love from Martin's later years.  This connects to my previous argument that the readership would not be ready to handle the 'gray character' Martin would become if he did find another to love.  The questions would arise then, should he or should he not fall in love again?  Would it be traitorous to Rose?  What if he had children?  The list goes on and on.

I think Martin did not love another female again; that for him, there was only one Rose, but that is not to say he did not love others.  Many have their opinions, but that is mine.   

To the contrary, complex, difficult issues are the cornerstones of great literature.  They generate discussion and force readers not just to feel, but to think, to raise questions and ponder them, arriving at conclusions and debating them at length.  And the book needn't contain any hidden messages: consider the Iliad, wherein Homer describes scenes of horrid carnage with serenity and neutrality--it equally sympathizes with thrill of the victor and the agony of the vanquished.  Such books give us not what the author intended, but what we bring to them, ideally identifying emotional patterns found throughout human life.

-Duxwing

[HeadInAnotherGalaxy]

To the contrary, complex, difficult issues are the cornerstones of great literature.  They generate discussion and force readers not just to feel, but to think, to raise questions and ponder them, arriving at conclusions and debating them at length.  And the book needn't contain any hidden messages: consider the Iliad, wherein Homer describes scenes of horrid carnage with serenity and neutrality--it equally sympathizes with thrill of the victor and the agony of the vanquished.  Such books give us not what the author intended, but what we bring to them, ideally identifying emotional patterns found throughout human life.

-Duxwing

Zorta like ve're doin' nov, eh?

[Duxwing]

Zorta like ve're doin' nov, eh?

Ideally, we'd know the answer to every question that the author didn't originally intend to pose; for example, the details of Martin's later years are essential to understanding his character, and not knowing them therefore simply limits our understanding without adding any value to our ideas.  For example, Felldoh's death in Martin the Warrior raises the question of how to handle the impulse for revenge, though I would also say that it poses the question, "Why did Martin try to stop Felldoh instead of ensuring that Felldoh survived to kill as many vermin as possible?".

-Duxwing

[Free Thought]

To the contrary, complex, difficult issues are the cornerstones of great literature.  They generate discussion and force readers not just to feel, but to think, to raise questions and ponder them, arriving at conclusions and debating them at length.  And the book needn't contain any hidden messages: consider the Iliad, wherein Homer describes scenes of horrid carnage with serenity and neutrality--it equally sympathizes with thrill of the victor and the agony of the vanquished.  Such books give us not what the author intended, but what we bring to them, ideally identifying emotional patterns found throughout human life.

-Duxwing

Oh, Duxwing, here you go reading too much into things again and missing the point. *sigh*

There is nothing wrong with complex, difficult issues in literature- like you said, it makes good literary works because it challenges the reader.  However, these must be done within the limits of comprehension for the reader.  Let's not forget that though many of us of different ages all enjoy the Redwall series- the target readership is 10-13 years old.  At this stage, characters/circumstances must still be black and white.

Also, The Iliad does not work as a reference here.  It's like apples and oranges in this case.  And The Iliad is not a book; it's an epic.

[Duxwing]

Oh, Duxwing, here you go reading too much into things again and missing the point. *sigh*

I knew exactly what I was saying.   

There is nothing wrong with complex, difficult issues in literature- like you said, it makes good literary works because it challenges the reader.  However, these must be done within the limits of comprehension for the reader.  Let's not forget that though many of us of different ages all enjoy the Redwall series- the target readership is 10-13 years old.  At this stage, characters/circumstances must still be black and white.

Dibbuns are smarter than you think.  For example, my first year English class (I was eleven) covered The Giver, a very, very gray book, and we all understood it.

Also, The Iliad does not work as a reference here.  It's like apples and oranges in this case.  And The Iliad is not a book; it's an epic.

The Iliad is actually a great reference: Jacques loved it and drew much of his inspiration from its pages.

-Duxwing

[Kitsune]

He could have not wanted to love again so that he wouldn't have to feel the pain again if the relationship didn't last.

[WarriorOfMossflower]

My theory is that Martin simply couldn't risk loving again. I mean, after what happened to his one beloved, he could have been very paranoid for the safety of a new love should he ever find one. Even at a peaceful place like Redwall, he wouldn't want to take a chance of losing her.
Personally I support Martin and Rose together, and I wish she hadn't died, if only for the sake of Martin's happiness (because I honestly wasn't extremely fond of Rose). I'd like to think that Martin was a very devoted mouse in all the aspects of his life, and that he would have preferred to stay faithful to Rose (dead as she was) rather than seeking another mousemaid. Not that he was bound by oath to her or anything, but I just think his heart and hers were too closely tied for even death to sever them. I don't think he ever forgot her, and her memory could have prevented him from finding a new love.
Sorry I think I'm rambling here. Did either of those theories make any sense?

[Kitsune]

That's kind of what I said but in one sentence.

[Shadowed One]

I think he was just heartbroken over Rose's death, so he never loved again.