In her short story “The Touch of Fate,” L.M. Montgomery illustrates a situation in which life and love’s unpredictable nature thwart the matchmaking schemes of a well-meaning friend. Montgomery demonstrates that we may attempt to control our lives, but life often thwart those attempts, proving that it’s impossible to control fate.
Fateful Arrival
Mrs. Major Hill lives with her husband Major Hill in Dufferin Bluff, a Northwest prairie town in Canada. There, he’s stationed as the commander of the Northwest Mounted Police. However, the station is proving too desolate for Mrs. Hill, who loves playing matchmaker.Luckily (or perhaps fatefully), Mrs. Hill’s young and single friend, Violet Thayer, decides to visit the station. Upon hearing this wonderful news, Mrs. Hill quickly chooses the M.P. Ned Madison as a match for Violet: “He and Violet are simply made for each other. ... They can’t help falling in love, I’m sure; it’s fate!”
