8/14/2019 Short Exploration of Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (May 2002; Scanned)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/short-exploration-of-anne-brontes-the-tenant-of-wildfell-hall-may-2002 1/2

8/14/2019 Short Exploration of Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (May 2002; Scanned)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/short-exploration-of-anne-brontes-the-tenant-of-wildfell-hall-may-2002 2/2

Considering

e know hat sheexpresses

bravely)

her concern

hat

f sheenjoys

gossip" she

isks

"becoming

ike

someof

the adies

she]

. . mostheartilydespises"

133),

think

we

have eason o

suspect

he later

possibility

s at least

as

probable

as he

former.

Am

I suggesting

hat

Arthur kept telling

Yet, unless,

ike Helen,we

ureourselves

masters

t self-<leception,

er echnique

ometimes

alls

attention

o

itself. Do we really believe

Helerg

or

example,

whenshe

ells

us of

her humiliation

rom

having o

wearsomething ther

han

a

"plain,

darlq

sober

tyleof dress"

217),

orced

God

orbid )

to

wear'ocostlyewels" (217)and o bedressed

'like

apainted utterfly''(217)atArthrn's bequest?This

",

&,r*Ar^:

from a woman

whoseonly

acknowledgmentf

pleasure

fter

leeing

Helen

s in

painting

bejeweled"

nature.

Even

here,however,we hopefully

noteo

he

hasa'tough

time delivering

herselfup to

the full

$

enjoyment

of

nature]

asothe(l

do"

(86).

pF

Helen

has

a tough

ime

grving

herself

o happiness

n

marriage,too.

We

note hat Arthur's

character

worsens

ust

as Helen hinls

herself

her

lot too

huppy,and

[her]

. . . husband

ctually oo

good

for [her] (204) He sn't of course--butot because rthurreveals imself o beduplicitousandevil, but

...,

because

Helen

{esenred

to be

married to someonewho has a'Joyous,

playful

spirit"

(204).

But Arthur

embodies he

Devil's

pleasures,

and

to admit

enjoyrng

them

means o be

of His

parly,not

God's.

r'/

Someone

who

fears

the

judgment

of

an all

knowing, all seeing

God

writes the account

we should expect

h€r owrite.To

write

therwis"

.tu

*"*

o*#r#;ot,

;*#,,{.

-/4/

drl

'

^/"^'1:)

Y

,

..-zo<.</.4/2

,

Z^,1

ctt

If only Arthur

eft

a diary

perhaps

hen

we'd know

he iuth. Helen

ellsus hat *tlwrsnot,

&,e)

unfortunately,goodwrit€r,bu maybe,his s exactlywhy tisword s to be rusted.

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