“He rested his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands. The one purpose which had slowly grown up in his careless nature until it had become powerful enough to work a change in that very nature, made him what he had never been before – a Christian; conscious of his own weakness; anxious to keep to the strict line of duty; fearful to swerve from the conscientious discharge of the strange task that had been forced upon him; and reliant on a stronger hand than his own to point the way which he was to go.” pg. 159
Prior to Volume II, it is difficult to recall a mention of religion that was carefully written so as to foreshadow future events other than the priests robes hidden in the crawlspace beneath Lady Audley’s quarters. Braddon has been reserved in her use of religious symbolism until this moment. Without being literally in prayer, Robert Audley occupies his hands and sits in contemplation. The deliberate mention of Christianity suddenly harkens back to the mention of the priest robes earlier, and whether there is a divine influence on the proceeding story.
George Talboys disappearance reminds Robert Audley of “his own weakness” aka mortality and how quickly a man can be erased from history. Later Mr. Audley laments how George’s father doesn’t even consider him a son, nor does he have a wife to leave a widow to miss him. Robert assumes the detective role and repeatedly comments on the “stronger hand” that now guides his conscience.
This passage strongly emphasizes both the responsibility and powerlessness Robert Audley feels as he searches for the truth. It now involves the notion of a divine reckoning that is inevitable for those who have committed a crime. Considering our recent discussion in class about the historical context of the story, I imagine these themes arose from appealing to the likely dominant Christian ethos of the time.
The relationship between religion—Christianity in this case—and life in general in Lady Audley’s secret seems to be very telling of the Victorian era in general. It comes as no surprise that Robert Audley’s re-introduction to religion after reading very little about it in Volume 1 is related to his frustration with his job as detective in George Talboys’ disappearance. The Longman Anthology of British Literature tells us to expect it, stating “[Victorians’] literature conveys an uneasy sense that their obsession with work was in part a deliberate distraction, as if Victorians were discharging public responsibilities in order to decrease nagging doubts about their religious faith” (1051). A sense of religious faith seems to be lacking in the Victorian era, which Braddon seems to point out through Robert’s as of yet unsuccessful investigation, by having him try out a new tactic to discover Geroge’s fate—religious faith.
Robert is lead by something unknown both seemly God-like and supernatural. He says, “God knows I was prepared for the worst, and the worst has come,” emphasizing he has a reason to continue, though the worst may come of it (Page 161). Beckerda also brings up the hand that Robert mentions, and I wonder if it is God, the ghost of George, or something else entirely. The lines “For a stronger hand than my own is pointing the way to my lost friend’s unknown grave,” seems to imply that the ‘hand’ knowns more than Robert does and is leading him to the answers (page 169). As Giuliapagano said in their post, Robert could be hiding something from us. This mysterious hand could be one of his own making.
To me, it seems that this is reflective of a predominant theme throughout human history. Often, when faced with crisis, people will turn to religion, as Robert Audley has done in this scene. This comes around the point when the characters first begin to suspect foul play, especially by Lady Audley. Robert Audley suspects that he may be in danger from Lady Audley. Therefore, it is only natural that he may try to find solace in religion, as at this point, his life may or may not be in severe danger.