This Passage is from page 22/23 of the text, where we find George Talboys talking to Miss Morley on the ship back to London and we see George’s bubble burst. Miss Morley’s own doubts about coming back to London, slowly at first, starts to affect the mood of George. He asks her “why do you come and try to put such fancies into my head” (22), because he is realizing that he has been naive to believe that after 3 and ½ years of being gone without explanation – his wife could be ill, spiteful, or even worse dead. These are dark and dangerous thoughts for George because as his bubble pops, he has 3 years of anxiety and bad thoughts rushed into his head all at once.
This passage changes the tone of the novel quickly. Before this passage, or this chapter, the author describes the beauty of Audley court and shows us a pretty romantic engagement speech. But this passage acts as a tone shift to the novel and contrasts against the light of the first chapter, with a dark and looming realization and thought pattern in this passage. George’s new doubts of his marriage affects him greatly, as well as adds conflict for the reader. “My pretty little wife! My gentle, innocent, loving, little wife! …. why her faithful husband had deserted her?” (23). Continues to add new information for us, and give us more about why his bubble popping shakes George up so much. This passage seems to be pretty important because in our first meeting of George he changes drastically. From a happy go lucky lover, to very sad and distraught. I believe this passage will create more problems than the mental distress George is under.
I agree with your sentiment that the passage marks an important shift in tone. George seems almost childlike in his innocence while speaking with Miss Morley. He acts rather naively as he fervently protests her reasonable worries, wishing he never spoke with her to begin with. The worries plague his mind for the rest of the voyage. This behavior mirrors how Robert acts during his investigation of George’s death. Robert does not want to believe his suspicions are correct. He wishes he hadn’t connected the two, sparing him the emotional anguish. These are prime examples of “ignorance is bliss.”
This is an interesting detail that signifies the transition of George’s character in the story, and thus, an important detail to the story plot that leads to the revealing of Lady Audley’s secret. The sudden transition in emotions points to readers how strongly Geroge’s attitude switches from one extremity to another, This gives us a deeper insight into his character of a sensitive and emotional man, and the explanation for his extreme action later in the story when he goes out to meet Lady Audley on his own.
The change in George is dramatic from the beginning of the book through the middle. We notice in the beginning he is happy and content with his life, but as soon as we find out his wife is dead, everything changes. The mood of the novel also changes because as they said in the beginning everything was beautiful and romantic. The novel is becoming dark and secretive. At the point where we are in the book, George has run away. We do see his mental state is unstable and we are not sure what he holds as his secret.
I really like this passage also and feel it is providing some foreshadowing. Before speaking with Miss. Morley, George is under the delusion that his wife would be waiting for him quietly at home. While we, the rational readers we are, recognize that is unlikely considering George left in the middle of the night and hasn’t been seen again in 3 and a half years, George does not seem to realize the impracticality until Miss. Morley. It also turns out that in fact, Georges wife is NOT waiting for him as he would have thought, which is why this passage is offering some foreshadowing and insight to the rest of the novel.
I feel this passage also emphasizes the importance of marriage in this society. Even being away from home for multiple years, George is still in full belief that his loving wife is waiting at home for him. Also, the woman that George is talking with has been engaged for countless years and while anxious that her fiancé is no longer waiting for her, she still is traveling back to him in hopes of finally getting married. While in our time these actions and beliefs seem bizarre, in their society marriage seems almost absolute and able to last through anything.