These moments in the text draw the reader in by asking the reader questions and including the reader in the discussion of the narrative. The first is that…it would kill your uncle to see me in a criminal dock” (399). For example, Harcourt Talboys appearance matches his character, which also matches the appearance and character of his home (205). Without these gothic elements in this message, it wouldn’t instill emotion at all. With many of the novels we have read this semester for class, I think we must recognize that as modern readers we were not the intended audience. I’m not certain what Braddon was attempting to do in this last passage. In the Victorian period, heredity was an important concept because a broad range of character and personality traits were believed to be attributable to it. If Luke was not involved in this way, the novel would probably have a completely different outcome. Things are worse in Lady Audley’s Secret, however. Braddon’s narrator often breaks action of the novel to provide an observation or create perspective for the reader. They wretched feminist side of me wishes to believe that she was able to write herself a new identity while at Villebrumeuse; that she again faked her own death so that she may “seek another home and another fortune.” Her last narrative act would have been of individual construction and would reinforce the more progressive sentiments present throughout the novel. While the description of the outside of the home is not characteristically noble or beautiful, the interior beauty and history cover its outer flaws to make it “noble.” Through this image, the author sets up the idea that appearance does not equal character. She therefore comes to serve as a major motivation and model for him. Our, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in. Lucy Graham was simply the picture of innocence and sweet to boot. Both of these kinds of mobility create disorder and instability in the novel. She took the frail, simpering woman-child ideal and used it as a tool for her own betterment: “she looked upon her beauty as a weapon” (337). While all signs point to Lady Audley as being the antagonist, there are some positive qualities that I cannot ignore. Lady Audley's Secret handles the issue of the role and rights of women in Victorian England very well. George and Helen Talboys do sincerely care for one another, but Helen is largely attracted to expectations of George's wealth and becomes frustrated when he cannot meet those expectations. Lady Audley believed she had killed George when she accidentally pushed him into the well. Gerogey himself never knows this woman as his mother, or at least does not remember it, and therefore is neglected by her. Robert repeatedly offers to the reader accounts of his vile views of women. This abandonment illustrates the complete lack of power that Georgey holds over his life trajectory, which serves to indicate the extent of Braddon’s sympathy rhetoric. Lady Audley herself admits to not having a connection with her son. In this blog post I will identify several methods and examples employed by Braddon. 258). Georgey’s purpose in the novel may be to strengthen the readers’ emotional response to George and to Lady Audley. This unsettled Victorian readers because it indicated that the concepts of "the perfect lady/mother" and "domestic bliss" were more idealistic than realistic. When she returns, she is rejected by most of society, including her brother. His peaceful nature and generous heart allows the reader to judge Sir Michael as one of the “good guys” in the novel, as he seems to not have any deceit or malicious motives, much like Lady Audley. However, George did the same, leaving his wife and son to live with Mr. Maldon. Whether or not the reader knows Lady Audley is indeed George’s killer—or at least tried to kill him—she seems to have more power in the beginning. For this reason, Georgey remains a minor character, with long-reaching effects on how the readers view the surrounding George, Lady Audley, Robert, and Maldon. To be fair, George did abandon them first. In other cases, the reader might notice more concrete forms of power such as physical evidence, gender, money, or social status. I liked that he was not like the other men in the novel who are blinded by Lady Audley. At the beginning of Lady Audley’s Secret, Elizabeth Braddon’s 19th century novel of romance, bigamy, and murder, Lady Audley appears to fit into this model perfectly. George leaves his wife and their weeks old infant, and in turn, she leaves as well. In the end, Maggie is dead, and Stephen has moved on to be with Lucy. Georgey, as a relatively minor character, garners much sympathy from readers and characters alike as he plays the innocent bystander and byproduct of his parents’ troubled relationship. From her reducing the hope of Sir Michael to a mere corpse in the very first chapter to her distasteful treatment of Phoebe to her very character (!) The painting hints at Lady Audley’s secret within the materialistic context of the house. XLI). I have no money; my jewels are not worth a couple of hundred pounds, now that I have got rid of the best part of them. Braddon brings to light no fewer than four female characters in her novel who suffer to varying degrees at the hands of the men in their lives. As Robert gets closer to exposing her secrets to Sir Michael, Lady Audley’s choices begin to narrow. By marrying Sir Michael, Lady Audley inherits more choice. She thinks, “If I were to run away and disappear…what would become of me? However, in the novel, the seemingly perfect domestic lady turns out to be a violent criminal who has not only tried to commit murder but who has also committed bigamy and abandoned her child. When Pamela’s letters and journal are discovered by Mr. B, this results in her rise from servant girl to lady of the house (though an argument could be made that, since these writings are what continued to intrigue Mr. B, they could have as easily lead to her disgrace).