The Survivor

"The Survivor" by E. Phillips Oppenheim is a story from the early 1900s that follows Douglas Guest, a young man trapped by his uncle's control. He starts as a pastor in a small village, feeling trapped and forced to marry his cousin, Joan Strong. He's unhappy with his life and dreams of something more than the boring routine that's been chosen for him. Meeting a lively woman and other people in the village makes him want to escape the pressures of his family and find freedom for himself, leading him to leave for London to create his own destiny.