Isabel In The Portrait Of A Lady : Independent Or Conformist

Fay Weldon’s ‘Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen’ (1984) through the form of an epistolic novel, serves to enrich a heightened understanding of the contemporary issues of Jane Austen’s cultural context. In doing so, the responder is inspired to adopt a more holistic appreciation of the roles of women inherent in Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (1813). Due to the examination of the shift of attitudes and values between the Regency era and the 1980s, the reader comes to better understanding of the conventions of marriage for a women and the role education had in increasing one’s marriage prospects. Weldon’s critical discussion of these issues transforms a modern responder’s understanding of the role of a woman during the 19th century.

In the book Ashes, by Laurie Halse Anderson, there is an African American girl named Isabel. Isabel is NOT the normal respectful young lady people would think she might be. Instead, I think of her as being quite opposite of that. She is nice, but I like to think of her as a tomboy. Something to remember though is they are in a war with the British. She doesn’t know who she wants to fight for at first, but then learns what either side has to offer to her.

His image was formerly of the utmost importance to him: he arrived late to the Opera because it was “the thing” to do (Wharton 4) and “few things [seemed to him] more awful than an offense against ‘Taste’” (Wharton 12). When Ellen, the black sheep of the Mingott family, made an appearance at the Opera, Archer at first becomes annoyed that this “strange foreign woman” was attracting negative attention to the box of his betrothed, May Welland, and agrees with fellow high society onlooker, Sillerton Jackson, that the Mingotts should not have “tried it on” (Wharton 10). But, upon spending time with Ellen, Archer’s pretentiousness begins to dull and his self-alienation from the rules of society begins. During a dinner with Sillerton Jackson, Archer defends Ellen and even goes so far as to say that “Women ought to be free – as free as we are,” though he was painfully aware of the “terrific consequences” his words could bring (Wharton 34).

As the novel begins we are shown Edna’s life before her escape from society’s standards. At the beginning we are shown that Edna is valued by society because of her physical appearance and is portrayed as a housewife married to a wealthy husband. On only the seventh page of the novel we are shown the lack of individuality women had during this time period. We are first introduced to Edna and Edna’s husband, Leonce. Leonce creates the income for the family as well as viewing his wife more of a possession rather than a partner. Leonce notices Edna is sunburned when she has come back from swimming and views her as “a valuable piece of property which has suffered some damage” (7).

Fitting with the common theme between the two novels of the judgment of others, each heroine falls victim to a horrible misjudgment of the character of another. After discovering that the engagement between her brother and her friend Isabella has been broken, Catherine finds she has grossly misjudged her friend’s character, and thinks, “She was ashamed of Isabella, ashamed of ever having loved her” (Northanger 150). Elizabeth, on the other hand, finds her attachment the Wickham wholly inappropriate after receiving her letter from Mr. Darcy. After digesting the shocking contents of the letter, Elizabeth “grew absolutely ashamed of herself.—Of neither Darcy nor Wickham could she think, without feeling that she had been blind, partial, prejudiced, absurd” (Pride 156). And indeed, as suggested by Elizabeth’s mention of Darcy, this misjudgment goes on to affect each girl’s attachment to her future husband.

In the book Chains there is a girl named Isabel who is a slave fighting for her freedom. Isabel’s story of fighting for freedom is parallel with the nation's story because they both are running away from something, they both have many obstacles to overcome, and they both are on the losing side of the battle.

Her problems could be interpreted as chains trapping and drowning her in her River Jordan. “He [Captain Campbell] couldn’t take me. He would not. I was chained between two nations… I was a ghost tied to the ground not a living soul.” (182) This quote shows Isabel is stuck, not knowing what side to favor. They used a simile comparing Isabel and the two nations to a ghost trapped in the ground, with Isabel depicted as the ghost. It explained that Isabel is a like ghost trapped in the ground, not with the British nor the Americans. “The glowing iron streaked in front of my face like a comet… The man pushed the hot metal against my cheek. It hissed and bubbled. Smoke curled under my nose. They cooked me.”(148) This passage clarifies when Isabel gets branded. This part of the story almost broke Isabel’s spirit to fight forward and for freedom. Not like her usual self, she followed orders received from Madame and rarely thought about Ruth and her parents. “I took a step up. ‘Answer me, you miserable cow. Did you sell my sister?’...‘She is only 5 years old.’ I rose another step. ‘She is a baby and you sold her away from me.’(135) During this section of the story, this would be the first time Isabel ever truly got mad at Madame, even enough to yell at her with a rude name. This is one of the larger complications that add more water to Isabel’s River Jordan. Ruth was Isabel’s only family left, and she sincerely did care for Ruth, but when Ruth got sold it put Isabel into despair. It was also the cause of Isabel being branded. “But Ruth did. She giggled, a sound like a small silver bell. A bell tolling disaster. Madam Lockton… pointed her finger at us. ‘Which one of you made that noise?’ Her face flushed with rage her eyes darting back and forth between us. ‘I did, ma’am,’ I quickly lied… Craaack!  Lightning struck from a blue sky; Madame near threw me to the ground.  This was Isabel’s and

"Too late to keep the change," the chorus of "Country Girl" says, reflecting a idea common to all three works. In Grendel, bitterness consumes Grendel because he loses faith in the idea of love. Nothing is ever going to change, he tells himself, "talking, talking, spinning a spell, a pale skin of words that closes me in like a coffin" (Gardner 15). His "pale walls of dreams" are stronger and crueler than the walls erected by Hrothgar. In The Portrait of a Lady, Isabel endures her husband's irrational behavior until just before the death of her cousin. His death awakens her to the reality of true love and fulfillment, and she realizes how cruel Osmond was to deprive her of it. Madame Merle knows how depraved Osmond is, but she is beyond help. It is "too late to pay" for her crimes, but as a last effort to redeem herself, she shares her wisdom with Isabel (Young).

Freedom and liberty in the mind of Isabel are something

When she was with the Locktons and Lady Seymour, she had to get cabbage off the farm for them. Plantations were bigger places where slaves work outside or with nature. They mainly lift things, plant things, or even get things for their owners. For example, in Chains on page 42, it states, “It was near a mile from the Tea Water Pump back down to the island to the Lockton house, a long journey carrying heavy buckets that stretched my arms into sore ribbons.” Isabel had to constantly be outside getting things for her owners. Owners of slaves are more aggressive to their slaves because they want them to finish the work for them so they won’t have to do it for themselves. Slaves who work in the city mainly work for wealthier people and business men. Isabel mainly worked in New York City for the Locktons. She would run all the errands, do the chores, and get anything that they wanted. On pages 173 to 174, Madam, or Mrs. Lockton, drank her tea and commanded, “I am preparing a list of items for you to purchase. You may leave as soon as the dishes are washed.” Slaves who worked in the city weren’t

Lockton and Isabel are the same is that they both have very strong spirits, and are very brave. Mrs. Lockton is strong in the way that she stands up to her husband at times and will take the risk of being beaten to state her opinion. Mrs. Lockton is not like most women and does not just sit back and comply to her husband's commands. To do this and be rebellious Mrs. Lockton has to have spirit and be strong and brave. If she was not brave she would never rebel against him or question his power over her. If Mrs. Lockton was not brave or did not have any drive she would be a lonely house wife and would do nothing but bake all day. Isabel is very similar in this way as she has drive, bravery and spirit as well. Like Mrs. Lockton, if Isabel did not have any spirit she would not care about her enslavement and would not be trying so hard to escape it. For Isabel to rebel she had to have even more bravery and be even stronger. “I walked up two steps. ‘Did you sell Ruth?’... I took another step. ‘Answer me, you miserable cow, Did you sell my sister?’ ‘Stay away from me.’ she said. I rose another step… ‘One more step and I can have you hung.’ Madam whispered… Madam grabbed a painting from the wall and throw it down on my head… I ran out the door for the first time.” This cite shows how dangerous it was for Isabel to be disobeying madam, yet she did anyways and would do anything for Ruth and her freedom. Isabel had to be brave for Ruth as well, and had to

Madam Lockton was the victim of domestic abuse by her husband. She had no way to fight back and she couldn’t leave or free herself from the abuse as she had no way to support herself as women in that era were almost totally financially dependent upon their husbands. She coped with this abuse by becoming an abuser herself. She, who lacked power in her relationship with her husband, had power over Isabel and she took her anger and helplessness out on her. Not only did she take her pain out on Isabel she also tried to blame all her pain on

Catherine is so wrapped up in her fictional world of reading that she becomes ignorant of her real life issues with Henry Tilney, for whom she has been love-struck since their introduction. She entertains herself with wild imaginings about his life and family. Catherine's imaginings foreshadow her eager desire for mischief as Austen's story develops. Catherine is endowed with a vivid imagination, but she has not yet learned to use it in concert with her perception, especially in understanding the interactions between people.

Isabella is immediately established as a rare female character when her brother describes her with the statement,

Comparing the characters of Angelo and Isabella, one could argue that Isabella is ‘the symbol of goodness and mercy set against a background of moral decay’. Alternatively, one could see her character as self-righteous and hypocritical, as we later discover when she values her chastity higher than her brother’s life.