Author: djungelskog

“Vanora herself was simply radiant. She had a mass of glistening, golden hair, a colour full, varying, emotional, eyes like the sea (I lose my temper when people ask me to describe their colour). In figure she was robust, erect, pliant, firmly knit (Caird 104).

In this passage, the male narrator introduces Verona as the subject of his affections. The emphasis placed on her appearance through a continuous list of description and the interjection of narrator’s thoughts mid-sentence demonstrates how the narrator views Verona as something to project his opinion onto despite her strong sense of self and personality. His description’s alignment with the stereotypical victorian portrayal of the femme fatale allows the poem to display how insistent and overbearing the narrator’s sense of importance is along with how he undercuts himself in his actions.

First, his continuous use of commas through the list of “glistening, golden hair, a colour full,varying, emotional, eyes like the sea” gives the sentence many dramatic pauses. These pauses draw the reader’s attention and signal his perceived importance of what he is saying. Secondly, the emphasis on the words used give an abstract sense of her appearance through vague ideas signaling that Verona’s importance is defined by how she can serve the narrator. Through the images of “glistening, golden hair” and “eyes like the sea”, Verona becomes a beautiful object or sensation to chase after and there is little description of her as a person. 

The narrator’s interjection of “(I lose my temper when people ask me to describe their colour)”  despite later in the passage describing Verona as a yellow compared to the purple colour of other women signifies how much she stands out to him and “how she is not like other women” . It also gives the reader a sense that he believes he is bestowing a gift upon her that he does not do for many. The Verona from being defined as different from other women aligns with the femme fatale concept as she is placed into competition with other women on the basis of appearance against her will. This distinction is apparent in the line “In figure she was robust, erect, pliant, firmly knit” as the commas emphasize the importance of each word. The “strength” of her body differs from the conventional ideal woman as they are often described as dainty. Even though other women are adhering to the beauty standards set by the men, it is still not enough for the narrator as her lack of adherence becomes an alluring trait. This demonstrates the double standards as even if women match up to the standards forced upon them, this adherence can be used against them. They become “plain and boring” in the eyes of men even though they placed those impossible standards onto them.

The breakage in flow shows how destructive and hypocritical the contradiction is as the sentence itself can not mask the illogical claim in a seamless flow. The narrator claims to hate being asked to describe someone’s colour, but yet has no reservations doing it for someone who never asked him to. The construction of the passage shows how exactly the nameless male narrator’s claims contradict and interrupt themselves. With unnatural abrupt flow and excessive use of abstract adjectives, Caird demonstrates the contradiction of gender expectations enforced by men. By using a nameless male narrator, Caird demonstrates the impossible nature of these expectations and how prevalent they are. The narrator could be anybody and therefore present themselves in any area of daily life.

“I had taken Anne to the north with me; having my whims and fancies, occasionally, about my child, and getting, at times, jealous of Mrs. Clements’s influence over her. I never liked Mrs. Clements…and I was, now and then, not averse to plaguing her by taking Anne away. Not knowing what else to do with my girl… I put her to school in Limmerridge. The Lady of the manor, Mrs. Fairlie… amused me wonderfully, by taking a violent fancy to my girl. The consequence was, she learnt nothing at school, and was petted and spoilt at Limmeridge House. …They put some nonsense into her head about always wearing white. Hating white and liking colors myself, I was determined to take that nonsense out of her head as soon as we got home again.” (Collins 535)

This passage from Mrs. Catherick’s letter to Walter emphasizes the unequal and superficial nature of her relationship with Anne as well as establishing the self interest that drives her character. This is presented through the excessive use of commas and denigrating terms that she uses to describe other’s affection for Anne.

First, the excessive use of commas in the first sentence of the passage disrupt the sentence’s flow and implies that for Mrs. Catherick, admitting jealousy over someone she dislikes and considers beneath her, deeply hurts her pride to admit. The pauses of the commas in turn are read as empathic pauses or slow and careful formulation of thoughts. Both imply a truth that she is not willing to admit. In contrast, if the admittance of jealousy had a continuous uninterrupted flow, it would signify it as a comfortable truth that has no underlying negative association through how easy and smooth the formulation of phrasing for the sentence would be. 

Mrs. Catherick continues the depiction of her lack of affection for Anne by describing Mrs. Farlie’s affection and care for her as “violent fancy”. This phrase undermines and downplays the sincerity and depth of their connection through “violent” and “fancy”’s shared association with a sense of uncontrolled irrational judgement. Through this, she implies affection for her daughter as irrational. She cannot understand why Mrs. Fairlie would hold such affection for Anne and is only interested in maintaining and having “influence” over her daughter. In fact, she blames Mrs. Fairlie for causing Anne’s “horrible” attachment to only wearing white. She dismisses something that brings Anne comfort for her own preference for colors and indicates through this that she is not interested in knowing Anne, but rather in controlling her. 

Lastly, Mrs. Catherick’s negative portrayal of the pseudo maternal figures’s care indicates that she views her daughter as beneath her, similar to the way that she would view an animal or a pet. Her pointed use of “petted and spoilt” to describe Anne’s treatment at Limmeridge along with her attempts to control the focus of Anne’s affections and the way she dresses is reminiscent of the way that one would talk about and treat a pet. Specifically, petted is a term that one would very rarely use to describe another human being as the action can be a demeaning way of showing affection for an equal. While wanting control over the education and treatment of her daughter can fit into expectations of parenthood, the desire for control over appearance and affection, along with the usage of “petted” indicates that her interest is on a more superficial level. The jealousy she feels isn’t due to desire for familial love but rather stems from her desire for control, respect and attention. The repeated use of “My girl” and “my child” also supports this claim through the emphasis on possession and control created by repetition of the phrases. She claims possession in response to the care of Mrs. Fairlie and Mrs. Clements, and uses it as a reminder of her parental control over Anne. 

Through sentence flow, usage of phrasing that diminishes Anne and implies affection for her daughter as irrational, Mrs. Catherick repeatedly emphasizes that her only concern is her power and influence. This understanding of character shows how the intensity of her commitment to reputation drive her actions and character in the plot and brings her to callously disregard the harm caused to others .

“…she was fond of white in her lifetime; and here is white stone about her grave- and I am making it whiter for her sake. She often wore white herself and always dressed her daughter in white. Is Miss Fairlie well and happy? Does she wear white now, as she used to when she was a girl?” (Collins 102). 

In this conversation between Anne and Walter at the graveyard, the repetition of white works in conjunction with the flow of the passage emphasizes the emotional weight of the basis for Anne’s focus on warning Laura of the betrothal’s reality. First, repetition of “white” along with the color being connected to markers of Mrs. Fairlie’s life and death (the color of her grave) shows the emotional significance that color had for her. It was a constant throughout much of her life to the end of it, showing the depth of her fondness for it. By dressing both Anne and Laura in the color, she marks her deep affection for the girls. It connects something she loves to the people she loves. This establishes why Anne cares so much about warning Laura of the true nature of her betrothed. Mrs. Fairlie’s monumental impact on Anne’s life leads her to protecting her daughter as repayment for the love and understanding that she showed Anne. Furthermore, the use of assertive sentences adds to this sense of strong will and attachment to her ambition as the flow of them gives the feeling of leaving no space for pushing against her in this. 

The flow of sentences and repetition of white in the passage is broken by Anne asking if Laura is “well and happy” (Collins 102). The phrasing of the question gives a sense of child-like hope and care through the use of simplistic adjectives and phrasing. The question is short and only asks about Laura’s sense of “happiness” which is often a concern of and similar to questions that children ask. Of course, adults can have similar inquiries but their phrasing of them is complicated by the focus on status and the constant awareness of the harsh nature of reality that comes with adulthood. 

Anne also further emphasizes the connection between happiness and white in her mind with the second question. After asking about Laura’s wellbeing, she asks if she continues wearing white in the present, a color that represents the innocence and joy of childhood. The back-to-back questions along with the continued mention of white brings a sense of slight frantic energy from Anne as it shows the significance of white as the emotional basis for her actions and questions. 

The flow of the passage’s phrasing and structure along with the recurrence of white’s significance provides greater understanding of the history and values of that direct Anne and her great focus on preventing Laura’s marriage. With this, the emotional basis and dramatic tone of the novel is heightened.