Notes for Critical Analysis

These student papers are excellent though they are by no means perfect; they do have
flaws. The most common are awkward or unclear phrasing, faulty syntax, a contradiction
or a lapse in logic, faulty punctuation, and inconsistent use of verb tense. At the same
time, all the writers show intelligence, critical acumen, and an understanding of the novel
being analyzed. All the essays are persuasively argued, clearly written, and logically
organized. None merely paraphrases or summarizes the action; rather, they interpret the
action.
This said, would also like to point out that there are differences among them, for
instance, in the kind of topic chosen, the development of the idea, and the tone. Also,
some writers show greater intellectual sophistication, and some have greater mastery over
their prose.
!hen read student papers, am looking for
depth of insight into the novel,
independent thinking,
a well"organized, well reasoned, clearly written essay with almost no serious
errors.
am not looking for a particular interpretation#or my interpretation. $%ually successful
papers can be written to prove that &'( )rusoe*s conversion was heartfelt and profoundly
changed him and his life, &+( his conversion was superficial and he fell away once he left
the island, or &,( no definitive decision about the sincerity and depth of )rusoe*s
conversion is possible because -efoe is ambiguous about it.
have made three kinds of changes in transcribing the essays. corrected misspellings,
added missing words, and added punctuation if meaning was confusing. /therwise, the
text of the essays is reproduced exactly as written.

Technical Notes: have added illustrations, where appropriate.

Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe
0obinson )rusoe""1True1 or 1)onvenient1 )onvert2
The writer defines his terms and thoroughly analyzes the topic.
1 )all 3im 4riday1. The $pitome of the 1Noble 5avage1 in Robinson Crusoe
The thesis that )rusoe6s relationship with 4riday is condescending,
$urocentric, and abusive is persuasively argued.

Clarissa, Samuel Richardson
The )haracter of 0obert 7ovelace
n exploring the nature and conse%uences of 7ovelace6s pride and drive to
power, this essay also analyzes his relationship with )larissa.
)larissa
The discussion of how 0ichardson handles )larissa6s private life in a public
way provides a sympathetic interpretation of )larissa and insight into
0ichardson6s moral values.
8en and nk
!riting letters is not merely a narrative techni%ue but reveals an essential
part of )larissa6s nature.
A Sicilian Romance, Ann Radcliffe
-eception and -isguise in A Sicilian Romance
The accumulation of detail makes, finally, the device of deception and
disguise the heart of the novel.
Non-Eighteenth-Century Novels
3uck6s 3ero 9ourney &:ark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn(
The writer applies 9oseph )ampbell6s definition of the hero to 3uck 4inn to
determine whether 3uck is a hero. 3er critical approach differs from that of the
preceding essays, which focus ;ust on the text of the novel.
The <erlocs at Their 4inal $ncounter &9oseph )onrad, The Secret Agent(
The writer focuses on a key scene, !innie <erloc6s murder of her husband,
as a way into the novel. =sing this scene, she is able to discuss the <erlocs6
characterization, their relationship, theme, symbolism, and mood.

Robinson Crusoe--True or Convenient Convert!
/ften, one finds oneself in a difficult situation. :any times, the situation ia entirely
caused by the individual, and therefore, easily understood. 3owever, situations often
arise that are not easily explainable. t is in these situations that many turn to religion for
answers. =sing religion to solve, or help solve problems, though, does not necessarily
entail a 1true conversion.1 /ftentimes, the individual becomes a transient or 1convenient
convert,1 whose faith lasts for the duration of the problem, and no longer. n -aniel
-efoe6s eighteenth century novel, Robinson Crusoe, )rusoe is faced with many problems.
These problems force )rusoe to look to >od for help. The reader is left to decide, though,
as to whether )rusoe undergoes a 1true1 religious conversioin or whether he simply
becomes 1conveniently religious.1
)rusoe makes his religious 1conversion1 while shipwrecked on a desolate island and
mired in the throes of an ague. =pon awakening from a sleep, )rusoe recollects and
reflects upon his past wicked life. )rusoe decides his detainment on the island is >od6s
punishment for his past foolish life in which he had 1not... the least sense ... of the fear
of >od in danger or of thankfulness to >od in deliverances.1 )rusoe then remembers his
father6s warning that if he embarked on his 1seaward ;ourneys1 >od would not bless
him. 0ealizing that he had re;ected >od6s counsel in his father6s advice, )rusoe says his
first prayer,17ord be my help, for am in great distress.1 This marks the beginning of
)rusoe6s religious life, in which he draws hope for, his deliverance from the island.
)rusoe6s faith in >od has a positive function in his life on the deserted island. 3e 4ound
hope in the words of >od, manifested in his ?ible. 1)all on me in the day of trouble, and
will deliver, and thou shalt glorify me,1 are the words of )rusoe1s inspiration. 3ope of
deliverance gives )rusoe a reason to live. nstead of despairing about his situation,
)rusoe, with the hope of eventual deliverance in the back of his mind, is able to make the
best of his situation on the island. 3e puts his energy to use, instead of gloating about his
situation, and he is able to 1furnish himself with many things1 by using raw materials an
the island. /n a deeper level, )rusoe6s faith in >od provided him with something even
more urgently needed than hope.
4aith in >od gave )rusoe a means through which to communicate his thoughts. >ranted,
>od is an abstract entity, but >od is an abstraction that re%uires belief or imagination, in
order to exist as an abstraction. Through the communication of ideas and hopes, coupled
with the mind power that was needed in order to conceptualize >od, )rusoe6s mind was
therefore kept active. >od kept )rusoe from insanity. !ithout >od, )rusoe6s loneliness
probably would have 1driven him over the edge.1 )rusoe6s faith in >od then, not only
provided him with hope for deliverance, but >od also functioned as an intangible
1something1 that functioned as a replacement for a tangible 1)ommunicator1 &person(.
)rusoe6s faith is dealt a severe blow, however, when 0obinson discovers a man6s
footprint on the beach of 1his1 island. 4ear raged through )rusoe6s mind at the sight of
the footprint. 3e wondered if the devil had contrived the image of a human6s foot in order
to scare him. Then, when reason sets in, )rusoe decides that the footprint must be the
remnant of a cannibal tribe6s visit to the island. 3e was terrified of the cannibals@ n wake
of this new found fear, )rusoe says.
..4ear banished all my religious hope, all that former confidence in >od, which was
founded upon such wonderful experience as had of 3is goodness, now vanished.
)rusoe6s faith seems to be 1paper thin1 here, and one must wonder about the validity of
his conversion. Then, however, )rusoe accepts the 1invasion1 of his island as ;ust
punishment from >od. )rusoe decides that 16twas my un%uestioned duty to resign
myself ...to 3is will; ... and my duty to hope...pray...and attend to the dictates...of 3is
providence.1
)rusoe6s resignation to the will of >od does not necessarily mean that he has truly
converted. 3is resignation could be interpreted as a final desperate effort to placate >od.
)rusoe certainly didn6t want to anger >od any more than he had already. :aybe )rusoe
saw the foot"print as a temptation to abandon his faith &he already intimated the workings
of the devil in creating the footprint(. Therefore,when he resigns himself to >od6s will,
)rusoe might be simply saying, 1>od, don6t want to anger you anymore, if you6re even
listening, and 6ll accept this as part of my fate.1 Also, by accepting the footprint, and the
possibility of 1foreign cannibalistic invasion,1 as a work of >od, and part of his fate,
)rusoe frees himself from having to take any action. /nce )rusoe resigns himself to
>od, he is happy, signifying a great load &worry, fear( having been lifted off his
shoulders.
The next time that )rusoe uses his moral reasoning is not long after he sights the
footprint on the beach. /ne day, )rusoe finds the beach littered with human bones,
obviously the remnants of a cannibal feast. )rusoe abhors this sight, forgets about the
cannibal6s presence as being >od6s punishment for him, and decides to put an end to the
cannibalistic feasting. 3e sets about making elaborate plans to murder some of the
cannibals, all of them if necessary. Then however, )rusoe decides that he has no
1authority ... to be ;udge and executioner1 of the savages. )rusoe reasons that the
cannibals had committed what he decided were crimes for so long and had gone
unpunished by >od so that 3$ the sinner(1 had no right to harm them. This may signify
the birth of )rusoe6s morality, for the remainder of his detainment on the island. Through
4riday, )rusoe fulfills an unwritten obligation to >od. The words upon which )rusoe
made his initial conversion, 1)all upon me in the day of trouble, and will deliver, and
thou shalt glorify me,1 function as an agreement between >od and )rusoe. )rusoe
needed a companion and >od furnished 4riday. )rusoe responded to this by glorifying
>od6s name to 4riday; he converted 4riday to )hristianity.
This 1contract1 is merely a symbolic interpretation. )rusoe never explicitly mentions the
already mentioned words of >od as the motive for 4riday6s conversion, nor does he cite a
contractual obligation to >od. :aybe the fact that )rusoe -/$5N6T mention an
obligation or contract signifies that )rusoe actually -- undergo a very strong religious
conversion while he was detained on the island. Now, perhaps )rusoe considers
glorifying >od 1matter"of"fact.1 At any rate, )rusoe did convert 4riday to )hristianity
and this conversion seems to have rested favorably with >od. Not too long after, 4riday
is converted. >od 1delivers1 )rusoe home, after 0obinson had spent thirty"five years
detained on the island.
)rusoe6s behavior when he returns home is a testament of his religious ambivalence. t is
evident that )rusoe is a changed man. 3owever, he doesn6t really attribute his change to
>od. As a matter of fact, >od seems to have become a secondary factor in his life.
)rusoe affirms his belief in >od, and won6t be shaken from his belief. This is evident in
his selling of his plantation in ?razil. 3e sold it because he feared religious persecution.
?razil was in the midst of the 5panish n%uisition, and )rusoe had no intentions of
converting from 8rotestant to 0oman )atholicism in order to escape the n%uisition.
3ere, one sees )rusoe6s belief in >od, but what does this belief mean2
-oes his belief mean faith and devotion to >od2 t appears not. !hen )rusoe arrives in
$ngland, he doesn6t go to )hurch to thank >od for his safe homecoming. 3e rather
in%uires about his financial situation. )rusoe is generous when he returns to $ngland&he
supports the widow(, but how much of this generosity does )rusoe attribute to >od6s
workings2 None. )rusoe6s 1generosity motives1 are clearly secular. 3e responds to
kindness. )rusoe6s actions aren6t controlled by spiritual obligations. n short, it seems that
)rusoe has gained a true, underlying belief in >od through his experiences on the island,
but that this belief becomes secondary to his own life once his detainment on the island is
over.
Now, can one term )rusoe a 1true convert12 ?efore he was detained on the island, )rusoe
had no belief or fear of >od. -uring his detainment on the island however, )rusoe
1finds1 >od, and returns to $ngland with a belief in >od. n this sense, one can say that
)rusoe has converted. !hereas he had no belief in >od before he was detained on the
island, )rusoe returns with a very strong belief, a belief that even caused him to sell his
rich plantation. 3ow far does this belief take )rusoe though2 /n the island, )rusoe set
aside parts of every day in order to pray to >od. ?ack in $ngland however, )rusoe hardly
communicates with >od at all. ?y the end of the novel, the reader sees )rusoe returning
to his old self. 3e ignores the warnings of the old widow and sets out to find 1his1 island.
$ven with a belief in >od, then, )rusoe is ruled by impulse.
/ne can conclude then that )rusoe experienced a 1partial1 conversion. 3e is a convert in
the sense that he at least gained a belief in >od while detained on the island, but this is
where the conversion ends. The remainder of the faith that )rusoe displayed while on the
island evaporated once he returned back home. 3is faith on the island was convenient.
)rusoe, in this case, is the epitome of the 1convenient convert.1 3is great faith and
devotion to >od expired once his problematic situation was alleviated. The combination
of )rusoe6s belief, but shallow faith in >od, then, makes him a 18artial convert.1

" Call #im $riday: The E%itome of the Noble Savage in Robinson
Crusoe
/ne of the most important relationships that exist in -aniel -efoe6s 0obinson )rusoe is
that between )rusoe and 4riday, the 1savage1 who becomes )rusoe6s companion during
his last few years on the island. Aet, notice that although have termed 4riday as being
)rusoe6s 1companion,6 am using it in the strictest sense of the word. The use of the
broader definition would imply the presence of comradery or the )hristian idea of
1?rotherly 7ove.1 To use this definition is impossible. /ne cannot truly love another as a
brother when that other person is one6s slave, which 4riday apparently is. After all, 4riday
is not even worthy enough to call )rusoe by any other name but 1:aster.1 Not only is
4riday a slave, but he fits into the category of the 1Noble 5avage,1 the cannibal that can
be taught and trained how to be acceptable in )rusoe6s world. )rusoe even presents
4riday6s physical appearance in a manner acceptable to his readers. he makes him seem
$uropean. )rusoe states that.
3e had a very good countenance, not a fierce and surly aspect, but seemed to have
something very manly in his face, and yet he had all the sweetness and softness of an
$uropean in his countenance too, especially when he smiled. 3is hair was long and black,
not curled like wool; his forehead very high and large; ... The color of his skin was not
%uite black, but very tawny; and yet not of an ugly yellow, nauseous tawny, as the
?razilians and <irginians ... but of a bright kind of a dun olive colour that had in it
something very agreeable, though not very easy to describe. 3is face was round and
plump; his nose small, not flat like the Negroes6, a very good mouth, thin lips, and his
fine teeth well set, and white as ivory &-efoe, +B,(.
)rusoe 1alters1 4riday6s appearance. Aes, his hair is black, but it is not curled like
wool. 3ave no fear, no low brow here@ 3e6s 1not %uite1 black "" he6s TA!NA""
tanned by the sun, and his facial features do not represent those of the Negroes either.
Now that we have proven how physically acceptable 4riday is, let us look at some of the
even more 1pleasing1 aspects of his attitude.
4riday &if that6s what your name really is( is a very complying man. 3e is given 1truths1
by )rusoe which he readily accepts. A perfect example can be found in the title of the
nineteenth chapter""1 )all 3im 4riday.1 Aes, and that is ;ust how it is. t is not 13is
Name is 4riday1 or 1The )losest That )an )ome to 8ronouncing 3is Tribal Name is
4riday.1 )rusoe gives the name to the man, and the man does not ob;ect &at least as far as
we know from what )rusoe tells us(.
?ut, is this not how )rusoe deals with every barrier in their relationship2 The way that
things are to be done is )rusoe6s way, not anyone else6s. )rusoe teaches 4riday $nglish,
but does learn any of 4riday6s language. )rusoe does not point to a goat and say 1This is a
goat1 and then signal to 4riday to say what it is called in his language. )rusoe points to a
goat and says 1This is a goat"" end of discussion.1 )rusoe even clothes 4riday in his way.
)rusoe6s reason for the donning of clothes was that the sun shone too brightly on his
unprotected white skin. Aet, )rusoe cannot let go of the social convention that one cannot
go running around half naked""only 5A<A>$5 do that. 4riday is obviously comfortable
and 1protected1 by his 1tawny1 skin in this environment, but )rusoe dresses him anyway
in accordance with $uropean convention.
An important aspect that )rusoe replaces of 4riday6s is his religion. 3e converts 4riday to
)hristianity with the same explanation that are used by missionaries""that of 8rovidence.
... had not only been moved myself to look up to 3eaven and to seek to the 3and that
had brought me there, but was now to be made an instrument under 8rovidence to save
the life of, for aught knew, the soul of a poor savage, and bring him to the true
knowledge of religion, and of the )hristian doctrine, that he might know )hrist 9esus, to
know who is life eternal ... &-efoe, +'C(
As expected, 4riday is only too willing to embrace his master6s beliefs. 3e does so well
that )rusoe even remarks on how 1The savage was now a good )hristian, a much better
than ...1 &-efoe, +'C(. ?ut, perhaps the most important thing that )rusoe does &and the
thing that find the most terrible( is that he does not even see 4riday6s needs as relevant
enough to mention. The best example of this is when they leave the island before 4riday6s
father and the other shipwrecked $uropean sailors return from 4riday6s island &-efoe,
)hs.+,,+D(. )rusoe never even stops to think of how this will affect 4riday, and we never
hear of 4riday6s opinion on the sub;ect. find it very hard to believe that he would forget
about his father out of his 1love1 for his master, especially when we are shown how
emotional he becomes upon finding his father on the island &-efoe, )h.+'(.
Thus, have a problem believing that all of 4riday6s compliancy to )rusoe is done out of
love. believe that there is an aspect of fear working as well. 7et us go back to the scene
in which )rusoe saves 4riday from his captors. )rusoe states that.
The poor savage who fled, but had stopped, though he saw both his enemies fallen and
killed, as he thought, yet was so frightened with the fire and noise of my piece, that he
stood stock still and neither came forward or went backward, though he seemed rather
inclined to fly still than to come on; holloed again to him, and made signs to come
forward, which he easily understood, and came a little way, then stopped again, ..and
could then perceive that he stood trembling, as if he had been taken prisoner, and had ;ust
been to be killed, as his two enemies were &-efoe, +BB(.
n a book entitled Marvelous Possessions: The onder of the !e" orld, the author,
5tephen >reenblatt, discusses how '' ... the experience of the marvelous, central to both
art and philosophy, was manipulated by )olumbus and others to the service of colonial
appropriation1 &>reenblatt(. /ne of >reenblatt6s central themes and concerns is that of
1wonder1 and its effect. 3e states that.
A moderate measure of wonder is useful in that it calls attention to that which is 1new or
very different from what we formerly knew, or from what we supposed that it ought to
be1 and fixes it in the memory, but an excess of wonder is harmful, -escartes thought, for
it freezes the individual in the face of ob;ects whose moral character, whose capacity to
do good or evil, has not yet been determined. That is, wonder precedes, even escapes,
moral categories. !hen we wonder, we do not yet know if we love or hate the ob;ect at
which we are marveling; we do not know if we should embrace it or flee from
it&>reenblatt, +B(.
The above citation expresses the predicament that 4riday is in when he is saved by
)rusoe. 3e is left in awe by the power of )rusoe6s gun. $ven )rusoe himself states that
1... that which astonished him most was to know how had killed the other ndian so far
off ...1 &-efoe, +B'(. To 4riday, this is something that cannot be believed without going
over to the man and seeing the bullet hole for himself. 3e stands like 1 ... one amazed,
looking at him, turned him first on one side, then on t6other...1 &-efoe, +B'(.
This reaction of 4riday6s parallels once again with >reenblatt when he states that.
!onder""thrilling, potentially dangerous, momentarily immobilizing, charged at once
with desire, ignorance, and fear""is the %uintessential human response to what -escartes
calls a 1first encounter1 &p.,EF(. 5uch terms, which recur in philosophy from Aristotle
through the seventeenth century, made wonder an almost inevitable component of the
discourse of discovery, for by definition wonder is an instinctive recognition of
difference, the sign of a heightened attention, 1a sudden surprise of the soul,1 as
-escartes puts it &p. ,G+(, in the face of the new. The expression of wonder stands for all
that cannot be understood, that can scarcely be believed. t calls attention to the problem
of credibility and at the same time insists upon the undeniability, the exigency of the
experience &>reenblatt, +B(.
feel that )rusoe6s 1power1 cannot be believed by 4riday because he has no explanation
for it. 4or all he knows, )rusoe could be a god. feel that 4riday bows to )rusoe not only
out of love for saving his life, but out of the fear that )rusoe can take it away as
mysteriously as he did the lives of his captors.
5o could it, be possible that )rusoe has misinterpreted the 1signs1 that 4riday has given
him2 or, at least, misinterpreted the motives behind them2 )rusoe states that.
... smiled at him and looked pleasantly and beckoned to him to come still nearer; at
length he came close to me, and then he kneeled down again, kissed the ground, and laid
his head upon the ground, and taking me by the foot, set my foot upon his head. this, it
seems, was in token of swearing to be my slave forever &-efoe, +BB(.
According to >reenblatt, 1... charades or pantomimes depend upon a shared gestural
language that can take the place of speech1 &>reenblatt, FH( . $ven though too saw
4riday6s bowing as an act of subservience, thought of a couple of different meanings
that it could have. t could have meant 1 am indebted to you forever1 or 1 will love you
forever.1 /wing someone your life does not necessarily mean that you are to be their
1slave forever,1 as )rusoe seems to believe. )rusoe never once considers that 4riday
could be his 1friend forever.1 3e cannot even think of a non"$uropean in those terms.
Thus, apply the term of 1Noble 5avage1 to 4riday, as represented by )rusoe. s that not
the perfect way of presenting 4riday to his readers without causing their dismay2 s not
the 1)hristianizing1 of 4riday also one of )rusoe6s crowning achievements on the island2
Another one of his pro;ects to keep his mind off of things2 This may be so, but we will
never know for sure because we have never seen anything from 4riday6s point of view.
After all, everything else is done )rusoe6s way or it is not done at all""so why should the
telling of this story be any different2
!orks )ited
-efoe, -aniel. Robinson Crusoe# 5ignet )lassic. New Aork, 'HGB.
>reenblatt, 5tephen. Marvelous Possessions: The onder of the !e" orld# =niversity
of )hicago, 'HH'.

T#E C#ARACTER &$ R&'ERT (&)E(ACE
0obert 7ovelace is a man who is used to getting what he wants. 3e has been brought
up 1not to know what contradiction or disappointment is1 and he has managed to avoid
them throughout much of his life. 7ovelace was a very strong ego and a need for power
and domination. 3e needs to know he can control anything or anyone in any situation he
finds himself in. The only thing he can not control is himself. The desire to always have
his own way occasionally drives him to recklessness. 3e cannot stop himself when
pursuing something he wants. 3e usually gets it.
7ovelace is a charming, attractive man of wealth and status. 3e is well respected in
society, despite his reputation as a libertine. 3e behaves honorably in his dealings with
men and is trustworthy in money matters. $ven his enemy, 9ames 3arlowe, admits that
7ovelace is 1a generous landlord1 who looks after his own estate. t is only when it
comes to women that he is dishonorable, and many people are willing to overlook this.
7ovelace comes from a very highly regarded family, and they do not denounce him
because of his behavior. n fact they are often amused by his escapades. 7ovelace
entertains his ailing uncle with his tales of seduction, and his female cousins who are in
attendance also en;oy them. $ven after the tragedy of )larissa, when 7ovelace is
preparing to go abroad, his uncle says affectionately, 1!e shall miss the wild fellow.1
5eduction is 7ovelace6s greatest pleasure in life and his main goal is to sleep with as
many women as he can. 3e does it not for sensual pleasure, but for the challenge, the
excitement, the power he feels in being able to break down a woman6s defenses. 7ovelace
believes that all human beings have an animal, sexual nature. 3e views female modesty
and decorum as something superficial, a false persona that society forces on a woman in
opposition to her true nature. 7ovelace6s aim is to break down the barrier of virtue and
prove his theory that 1once subdued, always subdued.1 3e does not believe any woman
possesses genuine virtue, 1for what woman can be said to be virtuous till she has been
tried21 All the women that 7ovelace has tried he has con%uered.
The way 7ovelace speaks of his affairs and of women reveals his contempt for 1the
sex,1 as he calls them. 3e thinks he has women completely figured out, and he sees 1such
a perverseness in the sex.1 3e says 1they lay a man under a necessity to deal double with
them.1 7ovelace distrusts women. 3e feels he must play games and plot because they are
doing the same thing, and he can never be outwitted. !hen 7ovelace speaks of his affairs
with women, his language is often that of hunting, or even warfare. 1 love, when dig in
a pit, to have my prey tumble in with secure feet and open eyes, then look down upon
her.1 3e compares the capture of a woman6s virtue to the capture of a bird, saying, 1both
perhaps experience our sportive cruelty.1 And once the chase is over and the con%uest has
been made, 7ovelace feels the need to go on to the next challenge, bored with the woman
he ruined. 3e exclaims to ?elford, 1/ 9ack@ !hat devils are women when all tests are
over, and we have completely ruined them@1
7ovelace sees )larissa as the ultimate challenge because of her ex%uisite beauty and
excellent virtue. 5he is considered by many to be the perfect woman, held out as an
exemplar to her sex. 4or him to reveal to her, and to himself, that underneath all her
goodness and decorum she is merely a woman like any other, would be to him the
greatest victory of all. 7ovelace asks, 1!ill it not be to my glory to succeed2 And to hers,
and to the honor of her sex, if cannot2 !here will be the hurt to make the trial21 A self"
proclaimed marriage"hater, 7ovelace nevertheless says he will marry if he cannot sleep
with her without benefit of marriage. ?ut he intends to try everything possible before he
will consider this step.
!hat 7ovelace wants is to possess )larissa body and soul, to make her wholly his,
1for she can be no one else6s.1 3owever, he underestimates )larissa6s will to belong to no
one but herself. )larissa is the exception to his rules. 3er strength, her will, and her sense
of self match his. !hat starts out as a game soon escalates into a fierce power struggle.
7ovelace insists that she must admit her love for him, say that she wants to marry him, let
down her guard with him. This violates )larissa6s nature, she can never do what he asks.
4or her, decorum is not a mask, it is a basic part of her, and she cannot do something so
much against her nature. 7ovelace vows 1her haughtiness shall be brought down to own
both love and obligation to me.1
)larissa knows she cannot trust 7ovelace, that she cannot give in to him on anything.
The inflexibility of her punctilio is her protection. ?ut this inflexibility infuriates
7ovelace and causes him to become more ruthless and determined in his schemes. 3e
takes a drug that makes him sick in order to gain her sympathy. 3e uses the occasion of a
fire in the middle of the night to frighten and disconcert her, and to gain the opportunity
to get close to her while she is not fully dressed. The failure of these tricks only makes
7ovelace more obstinate, and he demands, 13ow, having proceeded thus far, could
stop21 Adding fuel to the fire are the whores at the brothel where he is keeping )larissa.
They taunt him and goad him, and ego will not let him stand it. 3e does not want to seem
weak or foolish in anyone6s eyes.
)larissa6s first escape pushes 7ovelace over the edge. 3is true obsessions and lack of
self" control are revealed. 3e will do anything to get )larissa back under his control. 3e
hunts her down frantically, and he tells ?elford that it has now come down to 1!ho shall
most deceive the other21 7ovelace will stop at absolutely nothing now, and his schemes
become more elaborate and diabolical. 3e disguises himself, forges letters, and produces
phony relatives in an effort to imprison her again. Through it all, 7ovelace blames
)larissa for 1contriving to rob me of the dearest property had ever purchased.1 3e
vows, 1my sworn revenge &adore her as will( is uppermost in my heart.1
7ovelace6s revenge is to drug and rape )larissa. 3e admits 1there6s no triumph over
the will in force, but have not tried every other method21 3e has tried her virtue and
found it to be sincere and pure, but he is in such a frenzy, he has driven the stakes so
high, that he cannot possibly allow himself to admit defeat. That would mean that his
whole belief system is wrong, that his life is based on a lie, and he cannot face that. 17et
me perish if she escape me now.1 7ovelace still clings to the belief that )larissa will be
subdued, and is convinced that he can make everything right by marrying her.
3owever, though )larissa is physically defeated, her will and her spirit cannot be
broken. 5he would never consent to marry someone who abused her and robbed her of
her dignity. 7ovelace cannot understand this, and he is too self"centered to try. 3e says
1she has but met the fate of a thousand others,1 and cries, 1 suffer a thousand times more
than ever made her suffer.1
)larissa6s final escape is death, which she chooses as her only alternative after all she
has been through. ?ut even this tragedy cannot truly change 7ovelace. 3is pride, his will,
and his obsession to possess )larissa persist up to and after her death, and even cause his
own. 3e wants to marry her on her death bed, although she was in agony.1 And after her
death he insists 1nobody will dispute my right to her.1 7ovelace6s wish to keep her heart
in a ;ar 1preserved in spirits1 shows ;ust how perverse and obsessed he can be.
7ovelace does express regret and sorrow for what he has done, but it is doubtful he
ever realizes the true evilness of it, or the real horror he put )larissa through. ?ut the full
knowledge of what he has lost and why he has lost it make life too much for 7ovelace to
bear, and he says, 1 have been lost to myself and to all the ;oys of life.1 3owever, his
pride has not been lost, and this is what leads him to the fatal duel with )larissa6s cousin
:orden. !hen 7ovelace hears that :orden has been talking of revenge for )larissa6s
death, his reaction is 1 am as much convinced that have done wrong as he can be, and
regret as much. ?ut will not bear to be threatened by any man, however conscious may
be of deserving blame.1 7ovelace dies with )larissa6s name on his lips. 3is death is
inevitable because he could not have lived without )larissa. believe he might have
loved her, if his nature would have allowed it.
C(AR"SSA
)larissa is a personal story about a young woman who is in conflict with her family
because of her opposing their insistence upon her marrying 5olmes, a man whom she
detests. As a direct conse%uence of her failure to yield to their increasing pressure and
urgency, poor )larissa gives in to the temptation of running off with 7ovelace as her only
viable means of escape from a life of unhappiness. =nfortunately, this action leads her
not to freedom from oppression, but to yet another battle of wills, which has dire
conse%uences for her. 5he falls victim to his greedy, selfish passion to con%uer her
through his vile rape and suffers a subse%uent decline in health, ending in her untimely
death. This utterly personal story is made public due to the elevated regard for )larissa by
all who knew her personally and even those who only knew her by reputation, as a model
of the perfect, dutiful daughter, the epitome of goodness, purity and punctilio,
representing the ideal young woman. n creating this work, 0ichardson used the element
of publicity to help convey his own ideas that morality is not ;ust a personal issue, but a
public one as well.
n the very first letter, the reader becomes aware through Anna 3owe6s letter to
)larissa thata dispute between )larissa6s brother and )larissa6s prospective suitor, which
should be a privatefamily matter, has become a topic of public discussion. Anna says, 1
know how it must hurtyou to become the sub;ect of the public talk ... but that whatever
relates to a young lady, whosedistinguished merits have made her the public care, should
engage everybody6s attention.1
8ublic figures become well known because they are extraordinary in some way. :ost
of the characters in )larissa represent extremes, displaying characteristics through which
they create reputations for themselves. )larissa is renowned for her virtue and goodness;
everyone regards her as the perfect young daughter, a model for her sex. 7ovelace is
infamous for his dalliances with women; he is a known rake. 8eople6s images are
important to them. $veryone tries to keep up his image because images help define a
person6s conceptions of himself as a human being; a tainted reputation would damage
one6s sense of pride.
?oth )larissa and 7ovelace are proud, opposing beliefs about what constitutes the
ideal maleIfemale relationship. ?oth adhere to their own personal views of the social
code; )larissa represents the puritanical, conventional mode of social conduct, while
7ovelace represents the more liberal attitude of the aristocracy. Though they are attracted
to each other, they have opposite philosophies about sex. 7ovelace feels that once he
possesses her physically, she will be forever under his spell, happy to be with him; all he
has to do is free her animal nature, which he believes existent in all women underneath
the polished facades created by society. )larissa sees her virtue as tantamount to her
honour, the core of her spiritual identity. !hen 7ovelace fails to win her over to his way
of thinking through his charm, he resorts to villainous force and rapes her, totally
disregarding her pitiful pleas to leave her alone. 4rom that point on, )larissa despises him
with a passion, refusing to listen to advice from Anna or anyone else to marry him. After
his heinous betrayal of her honor and her trust, she never wants him near her again.
!hen )larissa tells Anna, 1 could have loved him,1 have the impression that at
least part of her anguish stems from her bitterness in that she did actually love him at one
point. ?ecause she had loved him, this made his offense even more horrific and
unacceptable to her mentally, so that she loathed him with a venom and could never
forgive him, despite anything she says to the contrary. Also, think that part of her anger
has to be self"directed due to her own mis;udgment of his character. 3er sense of having
been physically and psychologically violated so cruelly to the core of her being by the
man she loved, her subse%uent loathing of him and her anger at herself for ever loving
such a man prove to be very detrimental to her health. 5he may even continue to feel love
for him in spite of her deep anger, resentment and loathing of his odious behavior,
creating an anguished, divided mind.
t is no wonder that she goes into such a physical decline after the trauma of being
raped. 5he had already been feeling extreme unhappiness and a sense of betrayal due to
her family6s unreasonable demands that she marry a man she abhors. 5he is very young,
only eighteen going on nineteen years old, and has been used to being treated well by her
family in the past. 5he always went along with her parents6 wishes before, but never
before were the stakes so high. To go along with their wishes on this issue would mean
sacrificing any chance for her own future happiness. To )larissa, this would be a fate
worse than death.
5everal times in the book, she mentions that she would rather die than be married to a
man she despises. 5he tells her family that she would rather never marry at all, but would
choose to remain single instead of marrying 5olmes. 5he promises to give the family the
dairy which was be%ueathed to her by her grandfather, all to no avail. They are resolute in
their insistence that she comply to their wishes. 3er mother, who used to tell )larissa that
she was 1all her ;oy,1 does not come to her defense, but gives in to her husband6s
unreasonableness. !hen on p. ,' )larissa says to her mother, 1Thus are my good
%ualities to be made my punishment; and am to be wedded to a monster,1 :rs. 3arlowe
answers, 1Astonishing@)an this, )larissa, be from you21 )larissa responds, 1The man,
madam, person and mind, is a monster in my eye.1 Any sensible, normal, loving parents
would not submit their young daughter to such a dismal fate as to force her into such a
hateful life. ?ut her mother is in an unhappy marriage herself, where she has sacrificed
her own individuality because it is easier to ;ust go along with her husband and keep the
peace. 3er mother fails to come to her aid. Also, :rs. 3arlowe feels that she must
present a united front with her husband to maintain the impression that all is well within
the family for the sake of public scrutiny.
)larissa is the only member of her family who does not appear to be afflicted with
greed. :aterial things are unimportant to her; she is more spiritually oriented. The rest of
the 3arlowes consider wealth and prestige so important that they have devised a plan to
raise their family6s social and economic status. The two uncles have agreed never to
marry, so that they could leave the bulk of their wealth to their nephew when they die,
thus giving him an opportunity to marry up into the aristocracy. 5ince they would be dead
anyway, how could it matter to them if the family becomes upwardly mobile2 The
answer is that 1the family1 is important to them, and how they are seen in the public eye
is crucial.
Although they are already a solid, wealthy, upper middle class family, they are not
content with this position. The public social climate of the time seems to foster an
upward"mobility mentality which the 3arlowes swallow hook, line, and sinker with little
regard for personal happiness, especially concerning )larissa. They are ready to 1sell1
)larissa off to 5olmes, the highest bidder, who in turn is willing to pay lots of money to
her family for the privilege of marrying up in social status himself. The fact that )larissa
finds him totally revolting is irrelevant to them. !ere it not for this generally accepted
practice to seek higher social status, there would be no reason to inflict this marriage on
)larissa.
?ut there is more to it than this. )larissa6s brother and sister are ;ealous of her since
she is the one who received the grandfather6s estate. )larissa has always been the one of
the children who has been loved and admired by everyone in the community, who see her
as a pure and precious pearl of a child, the ideal young woman and daughter. They talk
about her already having 1out"grandfathered us1 &p.+D( and worry that maybe other
relatives will also be%ueath their fortunes to her rather than themselves. Their family
1plan1 could be in danger. 9ames puts pressure on his father to marry )larissa off for a
large sum of money to help the family ac%uire wealth. 5ince 7ovelace is in a higher
social class as the 3arlowes, it would not be economically in their favor to approve
)larissa6s marriage to him; he would not pay them exorbitant fees for the 18rivilege.1
-ue to their concern for what amounts to their seeking public approval through
higher family status, )larissa6s parents fail in their duties to their youngest child by
abusing their authority to the point of trying to force her into a hateful marriage. )larissa,
heretofore an exceedingly dutiful daughter, does not even insist that she choose her own
husband, only that she be allowed veto power. ?ut this is denied her. 4or )larissa, this
creates an irreconcilable inner conflict, as she is very uncomfortable with defying her
parents, but at the same time refuses to sacrifice herself to a life of unhappiness. !hen
she runs off with 7ovelace, it is in pursuit of self" preservation; she is running for her life.
?ut she is absolutely mortified and devastated when she receives the curse from her
father.
t is this horrendous treatment she receives through the hands of her family and by the
cruel 7ovelace that cause her to become ill. Aet, though she becomes physically weak,
spiritually, she seems to be getting stronger. t is as though as her body deteriorates, her
spirit becomes elevated. 0ichardson manages to enhance this effect by making her illness
and her death very public. Through ?elford, she is able to orchestrate the details
concerning her will and last re%uests in preparation of her death. Jnowing that she is
dying and welcoming it, one of her chief concerns is setting the record straight about her
experience with 7ovelace. 5he is determined to clear and preserve her reputation and
goes to great lengths to do this, even so far as to have ?elford obtain copies of 7ovelace6s
letters alluding to her innocence.
$ven in thinking about her own death, her image is paramount to her, her passion for
decorum apparent in her wearing pure white garments as if she were an expectant happy
bride, but also symbolic of a sacrificial lamb, awaiting death with open arms, longing to
be laid in her waiting coffin. 4riends and family visit her at her deathbed, observing her
as being not ;ust good and pure, but as a manifestation of a heavenly angel, a saint here
on earth. 5ervants come forward for a last blessing by her. )larissa is still worried about
her father6s curse and wishes him to retract it. !hen she talks to her doctor, she expresses
concern that her coming death not implicate suicidal desire. 5he asks the doctor if she has
taken everything she should to combat death. 3er image is everything to her; it must
remain unblemished. t is important to her what people will think of her, even after her
death.
Approaching death, )larissa seems to become ever more peaceful, as she realizes that
this is the best, perhaps the only, acceptable solution to her agonizing ordeal of the last
eleven months. 5he must realize that everyone sees her as an innocent victim to her
family6s obsession for the ac%uisition of wealth, and 7ovelace6s obsession to possess her.
3er innocence apparent, she comes out smelling like roses , but her death gives her
power, power to achieve passive revenge on the perpetrators of her acute unhappiness. t
is poetic ;ustice that 7ovelace also undergoes a rapid decline in health and dies a
miserable death after having defiled )larissa, a paradigm of virtue. t is also poetic ;ustice
that as )larissa6s family abused her through want of public approval through their %uest
for wealth and status, they would henceforth suffer severe public disapproval for their ill
treatment of such an extraordinary virtuous daughter, paying for their crimes with the
shame of never again being able to hold their heads up, scorned for the rest of their
earthly days.
Although morality involves personal choices, one6s actions can have public
ramifications of great magnitude, not ;ust personal ones. 8eople do not live in a vacuum.
t seems that 0ichardson wanted to present a message that actions have conse%uences and
affect others, sometimes precipitating unpredictable, dire, irreconcilable outcomes.
believe that he felt that everyone has a personal as well as a social obligation to act in
morally responsible ways, and that a breach of moral conduct and abusing one6s position
by inflicting pain on others is deserving of public condemnation.
*EN AND "N+
/f all the attachments set forth in 5amuel 0ichardson6s Clarissa, perhaps none is
stronger than that of the heroine to her writing implements. 5he takes great care to
possess these, partly because she has to""she knows her parents may at any time seek to
obstruct her by taking them away""and part@y because she is ;ust that kind of person; she
will always have pen and ink with her because she is always writing.
Near the beginning of the story she describes the measures she takes to persist in this,
her vocation; on April E she relates to :iss 3owe.
must write as have opportunity; making use of my concealed stores. for my pens and
ink &all of each that they could find( are taken from me; as shall tell you more
particularly by and by &'(.
4urther in the same letter she reports ?etty, the maid, as saying, 1 must carry down your
pen and ink1; this is followed by her cousin -olly6s regretfully insisting, 1...Aou must""
indeed you must""deliver to ?etty""or to me""your pen and ink1 &+(. Thus it is established
early on that )larissa6s writing tools are not only, in her parents6 eyes, instruments of her
insubordination, but, in the eyes of the reader, they become symbols of her dedication to
writing. Nothing can separate her from them, nor will she ever allow herself, except in
moments of utmost duress, to be without the means, and the will, to use them.
4or )larissa6s captors &first her parents, and later 7ovelace(, her writing becomes a
focus of their inability to control her completely. 5hortly after her pens and ink are
confiscated, her aunt tells her that the family is convinced that 1you still find means to
write out of the house.1&,( 7ater, 7ovelace determines that she will not be fully in his
power without his being able to monitor her correspondence; of the letters between
)larissa and Anna 3owe he writes &on :ay F, to ?elford(.
must, must come at them. This difficulty augments my curiosity. 5trange, so much
as she writes, and at all hours, that not one sleepy or forgetful moment has offered in our
favour &D(.
)larissa, ever vigilant of her most prized activity, of course suspects and even anticipates
7ovelace6s designs. /n April +G she warns :iss 3owe.
:r. 7ovelace is so full of his contrivances and expedients, that think it may not be
amiss to desire you to look carefully to the seals of my letters, as shall to those of yours
&E(.
3er wariness here does not prevent 7ovelace from successfully interfering, but it does
demonstrate her determination to protect her writing.
3er primary determination, to be engaged in the act of writing itself, is manifest in
numerous passages. /n April +B, she observes to :iss 3owe, 1ndeed, my dear, know
not how to forbear writing. have now no other employment or diversion1 &G(. To :rs.
9udith Norton she avers, 1 will write. ?ut to whom is my doubt1 &C(. !hen it is
suggested that she should share a bed with :iss 8artington, who will wait up with -orcas
until )larissa is done writing, she replies that 1...:iss 8artington should be welcome to
my whole bed, and would retire into the dining"room, and there, locking myself in,
write all the night1 &F(.
This last statement reminds us that essential to the writer6s vocation is the condition of
solitude, for which )larissa displays a like determination. 1The single life,1 she observes
on 9uly +, to :iss 3owe, 1...has offered to me, as the life, the only life, to be chosen1 &H(.
The next day 7ovelace reports to ?elford.
The lady shut herself up at six o6clock yesterday afternoon, and intends not to see
company till seven or eight this; not even her nurse""imposing upon herself a severe fast.
And why2 $t is her %$RTH&A'( &'B(.
Thus there is no greater present that )larissa can give to herself than solitude""and the
opportunity to write.
!hen :rs. 3owe forbids her daughter to receive further letters, :iss 3owe over"
rules her mother, saying, 1?ut be assured that will not dispense with your writing to me.
:y heart, my conscience, my honour, will not permit it1 &''(. )larissa, in response,
declares.
forego every other engagement, suspend every wish, banish every other fear, to take
up my pen, to beg of you that you will not think of being guilty of such an act of 7ove as
can never thank you for; but must for ever regret. f must continue to write to you,
must &'+(.
t appears that the regret expressed here is simply for defying the parental authority of
:rs. 3owe; )larissa regrets not at all :iss 3owe6s insistence on continuing to receive
her letters. And, incidentally, :rs. 3owe seems to have ambivalent feelings about cutting
off )larissa6s correspondence. Near the end Anna writes.
Aou are, it seems &and that too much for your health(, employed in writing. hope it is in
penning down the particulars of your tragical story. And my mother has put me in mind
to press you to it, with a view that one day, if it might be published under feigned names,
it would be of as much use as honour to the sex. :y mother says K...L she would be
extremely glad to have her advice of penning your sad story complied with &',(.
$vidently, whatever apprehensions :rs. 3owe has about the corrupting influence of
)larissa upon her daughter are overcome by an eagerness not to miss out on what
)larissa will write. )larissa6s reputation as a writer is widespread. 7ord :. comments to
7ovelace, 1... for am told that she writes well, and that all her letters are full of
sentence1 &'D(. After she escapes 7ovelace, he complains to ?elford, 1 have no doubt,
wherever she has refuged, but her first work was to write to her vixen friend1 &'E(. $ven
Arabella ;ealously admits the power of her sister6s prose, beginning a letter &;ust a month
before )larissa6s death( as follows.
5ister )lary,"" wish you would not trouble me within any more of your letters. Aou had
always a knack at writing; and depended upon making every one do what you would
when you wrote &'G(.
)larissa maintains her output until the very end, despite the difficulty it gives her.
?elford reports on August +F to 7ovelace, 1:rs. 7ovick told me that she had fainted
away on 5aturday, while she was writing, as she had done likewise the day before1 &'C(.
The day before she dies, )larissa is too weak to hold a pen, but she dictates to :rs.
7ovick what will be her last letter, for :iss 3owe. 1Although cannot obey you, and
write with my pen, yet my heart writes by hers1 &'F(.
t is tempting if not entirely ;ustifiable to see )larissa as representing somewhat the
writer6s condition. ?esieged by the interfering forces of family, suitors, and society,
hailed as a paragon and regarded as an oddity, abused, exploited, and made to suffer
numerous hardships, she nevertheless manages to demonstrate stamina and perseverance
in her chosen form of expression, her art.
t is doubtful, however, that this was 0ichardson6s intention. 3e wanted )larissa to
represent moral, not literary, virtue. 3er prolific letter"writing is simply a by"product of
circumstance""what the situation demands""as well as an expedient for telling the story in
epistolary form.
This is too bad, for otherwise her writing might have saved her. 0ichardson must
have had a grudge with the world, and decided to show that )larissa was too good for it.
3e let death stop her; he had her, in effect, choose to die. ?ut if )larissa was what she
seems, if she was as attached to her vocation as she shows herself to be, would she have
done this2 )ould her troubles have killed her2 No matter how ill and dispirited she was,
might she not have endured simply to avoid relin%uishing her pen and ink2
$&&TN&TES

&'( 8age ''B. This and the following page references are from 5amuel 0ichardson,
Clarissa) or The History of a 'oung *ady, abridged and edited by >eorge 5herburn,
&?oston. 3oughton :ifflin, 0iverside $ditions, 'HG+(.
&+( 8age '''.
&,( 8age '+D.
&D( 8age +'E.
&E( 8age 'HC.
&G( 8age 'F'.
&C( 8age ,DE, from letter of 9uly G.
&F( 8age +BG, from letter or :ay '.
&H( 8age ,H,.
&'B( 8age ,HC.
&''( 8age +BC, from letter of :ay ,.
&'+( 8age +BF, :ay D.
&',( 8age DBC, letter of 9uly +F.
&'D( 8age +DC, letter of :ay +,.
&'E( 8age +CC, letter of 9une F.
&'G( 8age D+B, August ,.
&'C( 8age DDB.
&'F( 8age DGC, 5eptember G.
DECE*T"&N AND D"S,-"SE "N A SICILIAN ROMANCE
by Ann":arie 3enry"5tephens
n naming her novel A Sicilian Romance, Ann 0adcliffe may have attempted to
deliberately deceive her readers by disguising the artistic complexities of this novel with
its simple title. This novel is full of intrigue, suspense, tyranny, drama and villainy. t
allows the reader to experience emotions ranging from fear and disgust to love and
sympathy. 7ike the many characters who get lost in the recesses of the castle, the forests,
the monastery, the ruined buildings, and the 5icilian landscape, so too do the readers get
lost to the outside world when engaged in the plots and sub"plots of this novel. The
>othic elements& the haunted castle, the possible supernatural presence, the decay, and
the dark gloomy environs( used in the novel help to enhance its richness and
mysteriousness. The characters themselves are the most intriguing, for they embody the
deceitfulness and the disguises which force the readers to want to discover all that lies
behind the walls of the :azzini castle.
4erdinand, fifth mar%uis of :azzini, a ruthless, tyrannical leader, heartless father, and
cruel husband &to his first wife 7ouisa ?ernini( was the personification of deceit. 3e had
power, and he used it mercilessly and arrogantly. 3e ruled by overpowering, threatening,
lying to, and manipulating others. !hen he met and fell in love with :aria de <ellerno,
he sought to get rid of the woman he was already married to, without care for her or for
her children. 3e imprisoned the ailing 7ouisa in the southern wing of the castle and then
told everyone that she was dead. The mar%uis further compounded his deception by
holding a funeral for 7ouisa 1with all the pomp1 due to her rank. 3e enlisted the help of a
servant, <incent, who was totally dependent on and in awe of him, to carry out his plans.
n relating the story of her imprisonment 7ouisa said of him, 1:y prayers, my
supplications, were ineffectual; the hardness of his heart repelled my sorrows back upon
myself; and as no entreaties could prevail upon him to inform me where was, or his
reasons for placing me here, remained for many years ignorant of my vicinity to the
castle, and of the motive of my confinement1 &'CC(. n fact, the mar%uis never told the
marchioness why she was being held, and she only gained this information through the
6softening6 of <incent6s heart.
The mar%uis6 deceitfulness knew no boundaries, for he went on to commit further acts
that would allow him to go undetected. 3e shut up the southern section of the castle, left
his daughters in the care of :adame de :enon, a dear friend of his first wife, and went to
live in Naples with his son and new wife for many years. After the death of <incent and
his subse%uent return to the castle, he still tried to cover his tracks. !hen :adame, the
girls and the servants saw lights appear in and heard sounds emitting from the southern
section of the castle, he dismissed their claims as, 1the weak and ridiculous fancies of
women and servants...1&'D(. 7ater on, when his son 4erdinand went to him with similar
claims, he chose to attack his mind and manhood. !hen 4erdinand persisted in his
claims, his father added to the mountain of lies, by telling him that the building was
haunted by the ghost of 3enry della )ampo, a rival of his &the mar%uis6( grandfather, who
had been killed there many years ago. 4erdinand was deceived, for he believed his
father6s story, especially since the mar%uis claimed that he himself had witnessed the
horror of seeing the ghost. The mar%uis also sought to deceive his superstitious and
fearful servants, by taking them to the southern section and showing them fallen stones,
which he claimed to be the cause of the sounds coming from that part of the castle. 3e
made sure to stop short of where his wife was hidden. They, however, were not placated
by his explanation.
The mar%uis was an ambitious man and did not hesitate to use whatever or whoever
he could to achieve his ambitions. !hen the -uke de 7uovo asked for his daughter
9ulia6s hand in marriage, the mar%uis saw an opportunity for himself there and consented
to the marriage solely on selfish grounds. 3e saw this marriage as a chance to gain more
1wealth, honor and distinction1 &EG(. 3e also saw a chance, at 9ulia6s expense and through
the duke6s means, to 1involve himself in the interests of the state1 &'FF(. The mar%uis
sought to deceive the -uke also, for after 9ulia succeeded in running away from the castle
and her nuptials, the mar%uis 1carefully concealed from him her prior attempt at
elopement, and her conse%uent confinement,1 thereby enraging the duke whose pride was
wounded by the insult. They %uarreled, but subse%uently made up, allowing the mar%uis
to gain a strong ally in his endeavors.
The -uke de 7uovo was very much like the mar%uis in character. 3e loved power,
and he exercised it at the expense of everyone. 3e had a violent temper and a very high
opinion of himself and his authority. 3e pretended to care deeply for 9ulia, when he was
really only interested in ac%uiring her because of her beauty. /nce she revealed her true
feelings to him, he was humiliated and inflamed so, with her father6s consent, sought to
have her anyway. After her flight he pursued her mercilessly, simply because his passion
for her 1was heightened by the difficulty which opposed it.1 9ulia was ;ust an ob;ect of
his desire and his pride.
The duke had another thing in common with the mar%uis; he too had a child who had
run away from him. 3is son, 0iccardo, had run away from him many years before, and he
had never been able to find him. !hen he finally did encounter him, he was surprised to
find him disguised as a banditti. 0icardo, after running away from his father, 1had placed
himself at the head of a party of banditti, and, pleased with the liberty which till then he
had never tasted, and with the power which his new situation afforded him,1 was a
contented young man &FF(. 3e knew that as a member of the nobility, if at any time he
chose to shed this disguise and resume his rank, it could be accomplished with minimal
explanations and scrutiny. 3is father6s pride was devastated, and so he wished his son
dead.
The true characters of 1the men of the cloth1 in this novel were curiously hidden from
the world outside their monasteries. /n his ;ourney to find 9ulia, the duke encountered a
monastery full of rowdy friars and a drunken 5uperior, whom he was initially told were
1engaged in prayer,1 when he sought refuge at their gate. The Abate, at the abbey of 5t.
Augustin, was another disguised individual. 3e used his position and authority to control
those around him, and to seek revenge on those who opposed him. 3e was not the
benevolent character that one would expect to find in his position. 3e used his power to
defy 9ulia6s father and he reveled in it. 3e accused 9ulia of using 1the disguise of virtue1
to gain his protection, but he instead tried to use her fear, her naivete, and her desperate
situation to force her to become a nun.
The 1fairer sex1 was e%ually deceptive, but their reasons, for the most part, were
based on love and self"preservation. 9ulia deceived her father not out of malice, but
because of fear for the life she would have to live and because of her love for 3ippolitus.
5he also deceived her sister $milia, because of her love for her and her need to protect
her from the mar%uis. 9ulia6s deceptiveness was not only in her actions, but in her
character, for she appeared to be a fragile girl who fainted or cried at every unbearable
thought or deed, but she was in fact a very strong woman. 5he openly defied her father,
fully aware of the conse%uences of her actions. 5he spent a very long time on the run,
never really giving up hope, and never returning to her father. 5he was determined never
to give in. A weaker woman might have returned home or committed suicide, rather than
live through her experiences, but 9ulia never entertained those thoughts. 5he, however,
found a woman like herself, who had made certain choices in her life, but this woman
was not able to live with her choices.
)ordelia, 3ippolitus6 sister, was in many ways disguising herself as a nun. 5he had
decided to 1take the veil,1 but her heart was not in her vows. 5he was still very much in
love with an earthly presence, Angelo. 5he may have succeeded in deceiving those
around her, but she could not deceive herself, hence her early demise.
The supreme mask was worn by :aria de :azzini, the wife of the mar%uis. This
woman was able to blind her shrewd and devoted husband. 5he was a beautiful woman,
with an explosive temper, a mean, ;ealous spirit, and the capacity to manipulate. 3er
strong desire to have 3ippolitus, and her intense ;ealousy of 9ulia, drove her to encourage
the marriage of 9ulia and the -uke de 7uovo. 5he also succeeded in having :adame de
:enon leave in order to save her reputation with her husband. 5he wrongfully assumed
that the :adame possessed the same spiteful %uality that she had. f anything, the
marchioness was the mar%uis6 one weakness. 5he did not really love him, for a woman
like that could only truly love herself. 5he was able to convince him of her devotion to
him, even though she had had numerous affairs while being married to him. 5he carried
on these affairs right under his very nose, but was never suspected by him. !hen he
finally discovered her treachery, via a servant, being so blinded by his feelings for her, he
was not able to carry out his initial plan of killing her. 3e, instead, chose to reprimand her
and this she used against him. 5he committed suicide, left a note blaming him for her act,
and informed him of his own impending death by her hand. 5he had been able to deceive
him one last time, when she poisoned his drink during their dinner the evening before.
The author6s biggest deceptive device though was the :azzini castle, the focal point
of the mystery. This building served as perfect cover for the characters, their actions, and
the secrets within it. The walls were able to hide much of what went on within them. The
castle hid information from the characters and from the readers. :adame de :enon,
9ulia, $milia, 4erdinand, and the servants did not know what was responsible for the
noises and lights in the southern section. The children did not know that their mother was
alive and living so close to them. 4erdinand was not aware that as he was languishing in
the dungeon, his mother was within a stone6s throw. :aria de :azzini did not know
about the first marchioness. The mar%uis did not know that :aria was having affairs right
there in the castle. 3e was not aware of her deceptiveness and her true character, which
enabled him to be killed by her. 3e was not able to prevent 9ulia6s escape from the castle
and he was not aware of her return to it. This castle was the ultimate mask, for the readers
never really see all of it and so cannot fully perceive all of its secrets, and so it retains its
air of mystery till the very end of the story.
.or/ Cited
0adcliffe, Ann. A Sicilian Romance. New Aork. /xford, 'HH,.
#uc/ $inn0s #ero 1ourney
by 9anet 3ouse
n his book The Hero ith a Thousand Faces, 9oseph )ampbell sets forth his theory
that there is a monomyth which underlies all folk tales, myths, legends and even dreams.M
0eflected in the tales of all cultures, including )hinese, 3indu, American ndian, rish
and $skimo, this monomyth takes the form of a physical ;ourney which the protagonist
&or hero( must undergo in order to get to a new emotional, spiritual and psychological
place. The monomyth is a guide which integrates all of the forces of life and provides a
map for living.
)ampbell breaks down the cycle into three main stages. departure, initiation and
return. !ithin these three stages are five to six steps through which the hero moves. 4irst,
the hero must leave his world and undertake a ;ourney into an unknown world, in effect
losing himself and descending into death. Next, he undergoes a series of tests, assisted by
various helpers, which can be very dangerous and threatening. These tests serve as
guideposts in his ;ourney, and from each the hero learns something which helps to move
him along. 4inally, the hero reaches the apex of his ;ourney, where thereMis an apotheosis
or transcendence. The hero, having evolved and emerged into his best possible self, must
return home carrying with him his new found knowledge or boon to restore the world.
4irst, 3uck as the hero is not of noble birth whereas most of )ampbell6s protagonists
are princes, princesses or divinely chosen in some way. !hile 3uck 4inn is special, he is,
nevertheless, an ordinary American boy which other American boys can identify with.
5econdly, magic and the supernatural play an important role in the tales )ampbell uses to
illustrate the hero cycle. n The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, however, there is no
magic. There is luck, coincidence &at times highly unlikely coincidence(, but there is no
magic or supernatural. This again brings the story to a level that Americans can identify
with. 4inally, 3uck6s return is of a different nature than the traditional ;ourney which
reflects a particularly American ideal.
3uck 4inn6s adventure begins when he sees his father6s footprint in the snow. =p to
this point, 3uck describes his daily, routine life, but the footprint signals a change.
3uck6s father functions, therefore, as the herald signaling the call to adventure by 1the
crisis of his appearance1 &)ampbell, E'(. As )ampbell states.
The herald or announcer of the adventure is often dark, loathly, or terrifying, ;udged evil
by the world; yet if one could follow, the way would be opened through the walls of day
into the dark where the ;ewels glow &)ampbell, E,(.
3uck6s father is portrayed as dark &morally, not physically(, loathly, terrifying and he is
indeed ;udged evil by the world, but it also he who precipitates 3uck6s ;ourney.
!hen 3uck6s father moves him into the woods, 3uck is in the first stages of his
;ourney. 3e is away from all that is familiar to him and the longer 3uck remains in the
woods, the more he ad;usts to the ways of life there. 3e cannot imagine going back to
civilization, wearing stiff clothes, minding his manners and all the other ways he has
ac%uired living with the !idow -ouglas. According to )ampbell, this alienation from his
previous life is part of the cycle.
The familiar life horizon has been outgrown; the old concepts, ideals, and emotional
patterns no longer fit; the time for the passing of a threshold is at hand &)ampbell, E'(.
3uck6s next step in his ;ourney is what )ampbell calls 1The ?elly of the !hale1.
1The hero . . . is swallowed into the unknown, and would appear to have died1
&)ampbell, HB (. n order to proceed, the hero must leave his world totally and die into
himself in order to be reborn again. 3e must relin%uish his ties with this world in order to
attain a higher level of existence, which is the purpose of his ;ourney.
?ecause 3uck fears for his safety, he realizes that he must leave the woods. Aet he
does not want to return to his previous life. Therefore, he elaborately stages his own
death, planning every detail carefully so that everyone will think he is dead and will not,
therefore, look for him and bring him back to the existence he has outgrown. This 1self"
annihilation1 is absolutely crucial for the ;ourney.
After his 1death,1 3uck floats down to 9ackson6s sland and spends three days and
three nights by himself &reinforcing the theme of death and rebirth( before the next stage
of his ;ourney. 3ere, 3uck meets up with 9im who is what )ampbell refers to as
15upernatural Aid1.
The first encounter of the hero";ourney is with a protective figure &often a little old crone
or old man( who provides the adventurer with amulets against the dragon forces he is
about to pass &)ampbell, GH(.
The fact that the aid often comes from a little old crone or an old man suggests that it
comes from someone whom society does not value. To have someone whom society does
not value provide essential elements to the ;ourney is ironic. As the provider of
1supernatural aid1 to 3uck, 9im, a 'Hth century black man, is not valued in human terms
by his society. ndeed, he is not even thought of as human, which further heightens this
irony.
!hile 9im does not literally provide 3uck with amulets against the dragon forces,
figuratively, he does. As )ampbell states. 1what such a figure represents is the benign,
protecting power of destiny1 &)ampbell, C'(. 9im cares for and protects 3uck, nurtures
him and loves him, both mothers and fathers him, calling him 1honey1 and watching out
for his safety. :ost importantly, however, 9im provides 3uck with a belief in humanity,
where all along the river 3uck sees evidence of man6s corruption and cruelty. This belief
is the amulet with which with 3uck will fight off the 1dragon forces,1 those forces being
man6s inhumanity to man.
The )rossing of the 4irst Threshold comes after 3uck has learned that two men are
on their way to the island. =p to this point, 9im and 3uck exist in a kind of limbo, both
having escaped their previous lives, but not going forward. At this point, they must move.
9im risks being captured and sold; 3uck risks a return to the life he has outgrown. They
must cross the threshold into the region of the unknown. Although this crossing is
dangerous, the hero must move beyond it in order to enter a 1new zone of experience1
&)ampbell, F+(.
At this point 3uck, as the hero, moves into the second stage of his ;ourneyNinitiation.
t is here where he encounters the 0oad of Trials.
/nce having traversed the threshold, the hero moves in a dream landscape of curiously
fluid, ambiguous forms, where he must survive a succession of trials . . . . The hero is
covertly aided by the advice, amulets, and secret agents of the supernatural helper whom
he met before his entrance into this region+illustrate &)ampbell, HC(.
These trials are tests for the hero which he must overcome in order to move forward in
his ;ourney. They serve as guideposts along the way, reflecting his progress and growth.
?y surviving these trials, the hero moves to a point of transcendence. The purpose of the
trials is to gain some kind of knowledge or insight which the hero needs in order to
complete his ;ourney. This leads to the %uestion. what is the purpose of 3uck6s ;ourney2
$very episode along the river in some way illustrates man6s inhumanity to man. :eeting
every walk of life, 3uck6s confrontation with this world illustrates cruelty and corruption
of some kind. !hile some characters are obviously corrupt &the king and the duke, for
example(, all characters are tainted somehow. $ven the most charitable characters""the
woman 3uck meets while dressed as a girl, the >rangerfords, the 8helps, :ary 9ane""are
tainted by their attitudes toward blacks or towards other people in general. 3owever,
3uck6s exposure to society6s corruption is balanced by the kindness he receives from
certain people and by the humanity he learns from 9im.
As a product of his society, 3uck believes in slavery and also believes he is doing
wrong by protecting 9im. ?ut 3uck comes to see 9im6s own humanity through their
friendship. 9im tells 3uck that he is the best and only friend he has, the only white man
who has kept his promise to him. 9im6s belief in 3uck6s goodness is essential to 3uck6s
physical as well as psychological ;ourney. This relationship teaches 3uck about caring
for another human being in the face of ubi%uitous cruelty. This is the more elevated
purpose of 3uck6s ;ourney. 3uck learns the techni%ues for humane survival""how to exist
in the cruel world and not be corrupted by it.
3uck6s trials finally come to a crisis when the king and the duke are attempting to
swindle the !ilks girls out of their inheritance. =p until this point, 3uck has remained
rather passive with regard to their antics. -isgusted by their behavior, however, 3uck
exclaims. 1t was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race1 &Twain, +FE(. 3e
decides that he must take some action and his dilemma is over how to help the girls.
8reviously, 3uck has lied to survive but here he realizes that his best option may be to
tell the truth. This is a moment of transcendence for 3uck as he rises above his
experience of the past and takes a chance in telling the truth. 1here6s a case where 6m
blest if it don6t look to me like the truth is better, and actually safer, than a lie1 &Twain,
+HH(.
This test also melds with what )ampbell calls 1The meeting !ith the >oddess.1
?ecause 3uck is only a boy, there will be no 1mystical marriage1 with the 1=niversal
:other,1 the 1incarnation of the promise of perfection.1 This is not to be a part of 3uck6s
;ourney. Aet :ary 9ane does inspire 3uck. 3e finds her beautiful and it is because of her
that he risks telling the truth and, conse%uently, he reaches a new level. t is obvious that
she has a positive effect on him which propels him in his ;ourney. 3uck6s description as
he flees the cemetery and passes her house reveals this.
K:Ly heart swelled up sudden, like to bust; and the same second the house and all was
behind me in the dark, and wasn6t ever going to be before me no more in this world. 5he
was the best girl ever see and had the most sand &Twain, ,BH(.
4or )ampbell, the Apotheosis occurs when the hero is raised to the level of the gods.
t is a divine state which the hero attains after proving himself through his trials. ?ecause
this story is not about gods or mythic figures, 3uck6s apotheosis is reflected through his
transcendence over his dilemma about 9im. 3uck really believes he is doing wrong by
helping 9im because of what he has learned in society. 3e even writes a letter to :iss
!atson, revealing 9im6s location. ?ut 3uck begins to think about 9im and his kindness,
loyalty and friendship. 3e must choose between listening to the voice of society or his
inner voice, which values 9im. 3e cannot violate the connection he has with 9im.
3owever, because 3uck really believes he is doing wrong by society6s standards, it is a
true moment of transcendence for him when he declares. 1All right, then, 6ll go to hell1
&Twain, ,BH(. 0ising above the conventions and the level of society around him, 3uck
has attained a higher moral consciousness.
The next stage in 3uck6s ;ourney is The 0eturn. After deciding to help 9im, 3uck
finds himself at the 8helps6 farm, where they mistake him for their nephew, Tom 5awyer.
This is the beginning of the 1)rossing of the 0eturn Threshold1 because 3uck is now
back in a world which directly connects to the world he left behind.
Tom and 3uck6s attempt to rescue 9im is 1The :agic 4light.1 This is the last test, one
of the purposes of 3uck6s ;ourney being to free 9im. )ampbell states that the :agic
4light can often become a 1lively, often comical, pursuit . . . complicated by marvels of
magical obstruction and evasion1 &)ampbell, 'HC(. Again, the story does not involve
magic, but the attempt to rescue 9im otherwise fits )ampbell6s description &even if the
obstructions are for the most part created by Tom(.
5omething interesting happens with the appearance of Tom. 3uck has always looked
up to Tom as the standard by which he measures himself. Aet 3uck has been on a
;ourney which has raised him above that standard. )uriously, when Tom reappears, 3uck
recedes, becoming passive. /n the first reading, this section comes across as digressive
from the normal hero cycle &and somewhat dis;ointed(. t seems out of place with 3uck6s
progression. ?ut it can be reevaluated as a part of 3uck6s ;ourney in that it serves to
heighten the disparity between the two boys and, in doing so, we see 3uck6s growth.
3uck still looks up to Tom, but he is not like Tom and does not use Tom as his
model. 3e even calls Tom ridiculous and foolish, which is very different from his attitude
towards Tom in the opening pages of the book where Tom is someone admired and
respected. n this section, we see by comparison to 3uck how conventional, ordinary,
unimaginative and even cruel Tom is. All of Tom6s ideas come from books; 3uck
develops his ideas himself. Tom6s idea of style is to make his plans as complicated as
possible and take as long as possible; 3uck6s solutions are always straight forward,
simple and reveal his common sense. Tom even plays a trick on the slave who serves 9im
which is reminiscent of the trick that 3uck plays on 9im after the fog episode. 3owever,
at this point in his ;ourney, 3uck would never do this.
5ometimes the hero is unable to return on his own. At this point, the 10escue 4rom
!ithout1 occurs.
The hero may have to be brought back from his supernatural adventure by assistance
from without. That is to say, the world may have to come and get him &)ampbell, +BC(.
3uck is indeed rescued from without by the 8helps, Tom and Aunt 8olly. n an unlikely
coincidence, they all appear as a deus ex machina whose appearance isn6t logical but
serves to bring 3uck back.
3uck6s return is complete when the 8helps discover his identity and 3uck learns that
9im is free. 3uck also learns that his father is dead &releasing him from that legacy( and
he still has his OG,BBB. There is a resurrection of his old self. 3ere, however, 3uck6s
return digresses from the normal cycle. )ampbell states. 1the returning hero, to complete
his adventure, must survive the impact of the world1 &)ampbell, ++G(. t is hard to say
whether 3uck accomplishes this.
The monomythic hero, after attaining the =ltimate ?oon, returns to his community
and bestows his wisdom and knowledge for the good the 1kingdom of humanity.1 3uck
will not return to the !idow -ouglas and he will not stay with the 8helps. 3e re;ects
their world and he doesn6t want to be civilized. t seems as if he can6t survive the impact
of the world.
?ut rather than a failed hero ;ourney, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn reflects a
particularly American hero %uest, the individualistic man going west, with all the inherent
dangers involved, a pioneer taming and settling the land. 0ather than returning for his old
world, 3uck6s %uest is to explore new territories.
$ootnotes
M 9oseph )ampbell, The Hero ith a Thousand Faces &8rinceton. 8rinceton =niversity
8ress, 'HC,(. All further references to this work appear in parentheses in the text.
MM :ark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in The American Tradition in
*iterature, ed. >eorge 8erkins, et al. &New Aork. :c>raw"3ill 8ublishing )ompany,
'HHB(. All further references to this work appear in parentheses in the text.
The )erlocs at Their $inal Encounter
The <erloc murder scene depicts the reactions of two people to a crisis situation. t is
a significant scene in terms of revealing basic personality traits and in terms of
highlighting the fragmentation that exists in the <erloc marriage. )onrad makes obvious
that the <erlocs perceive their marital roles in fundamentally different ways and that they
are really strangers to each other. The black veil covering !innie6s face is merely the
outward symbol of the secrecy and mystery pervading the <erloc household.
5ignificantly, when <erloc pulls the veil away, he doesn6t succeed in 1unmasking a still
unreadable face1 &p. +''(.
As this scene of betrayal and retribution unfolds, we see a husband and wife who are
totally out of tune with each other6s emotions and thoughts. <erloc is thoroughly
enveloped in domestic considerations at precisely the time that !innie psychologically
disengages herself from any commitment to him. n progressive stages, !innie perceives
herself as being 1a free woman1 &p. +BH(, fears that <erloc will 1want to keep her for
nothing1 &p. +''(, and finally resolves that 1the bargain1 is 1at an end1 &p. +'E(. <erloc,
on the other hand, strives to 1make it up with her1 &p. +'E( and can6t begin to imagine
1that his wife could give him up1 &p. +''(. The height of irony is achieved when <erloc
seeks to 1woo1 !innie as she moves toward him with the carving knife.
t becomes clear that !innie has looked upon the marriage as a transaction, and that
5tevie6s welfare has been the basis for that transaction. n return for <erloc6s support of
5tevie, !innie has been a dutiful wife. <erloc, however, genuinely believes that he is and
has been 1loved for himself1 &p. +'D(. >iven his superficial notion of marriage, he ;ust
assumes that any woman who married him must love him and that nothing could change
that fact. Therefore, although the 1bargain1 has been brutally terminated for !innie,
<erloc has no conception of this and his main concern remains the maintenance of his
domestic tran%uility.
ndeed, <erloc6s thorough domesticity is prevalent throughout this scene. 3is
response to what he considers to be !innie6s 1sulking in that dreadful overcharged
silence1 &p. +',( is that she6s 1a master in that domestic art1 &p. +',(. )onrad describes
<erloc as being 1tired1 and 1resigned in a truly marital spirit1 &p. +',( and even refers to
his voice as a 1domestic voice1 &p. +'+(. Also, it is implicit that <erloc perceives his
situation as being comparable to that of 1peaceful men in domestic tiffs1 &p. +'+(. 3is
total domesticity leads him to draw simplistic, familiar conclusions and colors his reading
of !innie6s response. ?eyond that, however, his preoccupation with his domestic self"
image is so strongly stressed here, that we have to assume that it has colored much of his
activity in general and that it is very central to his personality structure. &Thus, it is a final
irony that he should be murdered by his wife and with a domestic knife.(
<erloc is so totally preoccupied with his own concerns and is so shallow and
insensitive, that he doesn6t begin to comprehend the horror of his action or the shattering
effect it has had on !innie. <erloc is portrayed as being emotionally flat in this scene.
3e undergoes no inner or outer turmoil and there6s no sense of vitality about him. 3ere is
a man who faces his wife after causing her brother to be blown to bits, and we get no
sense of any intensity of feeling from him. 3e manifests no remorse"";ust regret that
things didn6t work out according to plan""and instead concentrates on self";ustifications.
3is main sensation seems to be fatigue and we get a sense of his indolence as his lies
sprawled across the couch. )onrad adds his usual ironic touch by having <erloc meet his
death lying motionlessly. he dies, as he has lived, in a state of inertia.
!innie, on the other hand, is described as one 1whose moral nature had been
sub;ected to a shock of which, in the physical order, the most violent earth%uake of
history could only be a faint and languid rendering1 &p. +'B(. That analogy describes the
magnitude of her emotional upheaval, and lies in sharp contrast to <erloc6s unfeeling and
inert state. A dichotomy exists, however, between !innie6s internal turmoil and her %uiet
exterior. The two are fragmented and out of tune with each other. 5he doesn6t scream or
get hysterical. All the activity is internal. /utwardly she remains inscrutable and
uncommunicative and she retains tight control on any show of emotion. !e get a picture
here of a woman who has a very intense emotional capacity, but who, characteristically,
keeps her feelings locked tightly within her.
4or a short while, !innie does attain a harmonious state. A change comes over her
appearance as she moves toward <erloc with the carving knife in her hand. 5he takes on
5tevie6s facial expressions and )onrad writes that 1the resemblance of her face with that
of her brother grew at every step, even to the droop of the lower lip, even to the slight
divergence of the eyes1 &p. +'E(. This may reflect the strong hold that 5tevie still has over
his sister. ?ut more significantly, think, it unmasks the cold, dispassionate facade that
!innie has learned to present. As she commits the murder, !innie becomes a total
creature of passion and the fragmentation between her interior and exterior states
disappears. 5he becomes like 5tevie who has an instinctive emotional reaction to an
in;ustice and who must move to correct it. 4or a few moments, her veil of restraint falls
away.
)onrad describes !innie as being 1capable of a bargain the mere suspicion of which
would have been infinitely shocking to :r. <erloc6s idea of love1 &p. +',(. This
description reflects the different expectations the <erlocs have from marriage and how
little they know about each other. They live in their separate worlds, are guided by
different and unspoken motivations, and seek to have their own needs fulfilled through
their marriage. Neither seems concerned or even aware that the other has needs and
priorities too. $ach seems to view marriage through a tunnel vision""only aware of his or
her own perspective.
The <erlocs remain isolated from each other and unable to communicate until the
very end. $ven when the truth stares them in the face, the <erlocs remain oblivious to it.
!innie gives no sign of comprehension when <erloc tells her that she shares
responsibility for what6s happened. <erloc never shows the slightest understanding of
!innie or the reason for her violent response. $ven when the knife is upon him, the only
explanation this man can con;ure up is that his wife has 1gone raving mad1 &p. +'G(. The
<erloc marriage is enveloped in secrecy and misunderstandings. =sing progressive
strokes of irony, )onrad depicts the destructive nature and tragic conse%uences of a
relationship based on hidden motives and cross"purposes