The Tenant of Wild Fell Hall by Anne Brontë is a novel in which the fate of the female protagonist overlaps with the problems faced by the majority of women in the Victorian era. from England. The book raises questions about the Brontë sisters' experience with infidelity, alcoholism, and general debauchery regarding the men in their lives. The sisters shared the two men closest to them, Branwell and their father Patrick, and the escapades that accompanied these family members, especially Branwell. Branwell was well known for his inability to hold down a job, but he more closely resembles Arthur Huntingdon, the novel's abusive antagonist, in their shared love of drinking, gambling, and adultery, whether in their own relationships respective or in the relationships of others. prestigious members of the community. Huntingdon's wife Helen is the female protagonist of the novel, although she faces criticism throughout the novel for her inability to detach herself from her physically and emotionally abusive husband. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is an introduction to a more shocking variety of Brontë literature; the novel covers topics that were not considered acceptable for social conversation, but was aimed more at Victorian women who felt that gossip was just as acceptable as intellectual conversations. However, it is not just about adultery, but also about the unfair repercussions that women of this period faced compared to their male relatives, and the fact that those of a certain social class could not legally separate because of the literally high cost of divorce. Therein lies Helen Huntingdon's motivation to remain somewhat attached to the man she married; As a woman, at this time, Helene's rights were already diminished; In divorcing her husband, Helen found herself facing the very real possibility of losing her son, all the money she had brought into the marriage, and her entire place in the social world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is based on the obsession surrounding the new occupant of a long-forgotten vacant building. Even though she doesn't make it easy by hiding, the people nearby are instantly overcome by the need to know and understand the beautiful woman who has just moved in. Helen Graham is her name and she lives a quiet life with her young son Arthur, both of whom are purposefully removed from the hustle and bustle of the local town. This reluctance to enter the social scene causes a frenzy in itself; local men are interested in the prospect of a new woman to woo, while local women are instantly jealous of the flash this young woman isn't trying to make. Soon our main protagonist, Gilbert Markham, finds himself unable to ignore the gossip and slander of locals who don't know her and vows to make it his mission to uncover the whole truth about her spontaneous arrival and the questions surrounding it . He learns that the woman's name is actually Helen Huntingdon, and over time it is revealed that she is running from the alcoholic and abusive father of her only child who shares his father's name. She took a different name and adopted this quiet persona to try to stop him from coming and taking not only their child, but any chance that child had of becoming a young man of exceptional character. However, it becomes clear that Helenis unable to completely break off her relationship with Arthur Huntingdon; his hold over her is both legal and emotional and Helen cannot help but be drawn to him in times of need. As Arthur prepares to die, Helen returns to his side to make him as comfortable as possible, although it is only after his death that she herself can truly be free and at home. easy. All this time, Gilbert didn't hear from her until there was news of her marriage. Quickly, he rushes to her, only to discover that the marriage is taking place between Mr. Lawrence, Helen's brother, and Helen's friend, Esther Hargrave. Although he fears that Helen is far above him in status and wealth, the two find themselves lovers and marry. Victorian England is a context in which women were most often considered inferior to their male counterparts; whether in the world of transactions or commercial relationships, even if these two elements were often synonymous. Marriage, especially among the nobility, was more about social, political, and economic ramifications than the desires of the two young adults involved. (Nicolaou 8) Feelings were often considered unnecessary in a new relationship. Instead, couples learned to live with each other and eventually had children to continue the family legacy and, more importantly, the family name. A natural consequence of these relationships was the abuse of loved ones through adulterous behavior; Often, these secret relationships were established between the male head of the family and a young woman who attracted his attention, if only for her forbidden character. From the time of King Henry VIII, an aura of cynicism surrounded marriage as his own divorce shattered the already fragile relationship between subject and king. From there, secularization took hold of England “…the most common term in the 18th century to indicate a change in attitude toward religion was the spread of “infidelity.” » (Patricia Corfield 1) Defined in the dictionary as the transfer of power from the Church to a civil or secular Power, marriage is no longer a sacred bond between man and woman; instead, families sought to merge their bloodlines in hopes of saving money and keeping the nobility in their safe little bubble. The desire to marry outside of one's social class was either considered incredibly rebellious and foolish, or incredibly optimistic, depending on which direction one wished to move in the class pyramid. These are the constituent elements on which marriages of a purely financial or social type were based. Growing up with an older brother such as Branwell, Anne Brontë was exposed to a life of heavy drinking, opium addiction, and blatant favoritism based on gender; even if this life was not his. As Patricia Ingham notes, Branwell was “talented, vain, ambitious, but prone to dissipation and depression. (Ingham 9) Anne was just a spectator observing the life of her brother, her superior of three years, as he drank away his business opportunities, any formal training he had received, and any sort of creative outlet that had occurred to him. His career as a painter was going nowhere and his inability to write forced the remaining Brontë sisters to literally write for their lives. They would now become the breadwinners of the household as they all quickly realized that the men in their lives could not provide them with such comfort. Branwell is important to the idea of ​​infidelity and the Tenant of Wildfell Hall because of his own brush with infidelity, or more specifically with a womanbride. (Spark 17) Additionally, his dangerous lifestyle is a perfect inspiration for the novel's antagonist, Mr. Huntingdon; as previously mentioned, Arthur and Branwell seem to happily enjoy a bottle of the nearest alcohol, accompanied by some rather inappropriate and shameful behavior. Lisa Surridge writes about the comparison between animals who were abused by their owners and women who were abused by their husbands, although she admits that this comparison was first made by Anne Brontë. Anne found the “female passivity” and “closed home doctrine” in novels prior to hers disgusting; the attempt to normalize domestic violence in these novels was at odds with the ideals of The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. (Surridge 73) There is also a discussion about the meaning of masculinity in this novel, Helen faces drunkenness, marital infidelity, gambling and swearing from Arthur, but her friends do not see it .as abuse. On the contrary, in upper-class circles, Mr. Huntingdon was part of that behavior considered manly, as noted by Juliet McMaster. It is a statement not only on the divergent views on marriage and the treatment of women, but also on the way members of different social classes approach married life. The "male domestic behavior" noted by Surridge was deliberately chosen by Anne Brontë as a means of describing the unacceptable treatment of women in the Victorian Regency. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was a novel that revealed a dark secret among many upper-class Victorian families. . The discussion that this novel started was one that many husbands and even some wives did not want to have; Anne Brontë brought the very real issue of abuse and adultery into the private home and created a dialogue on a subject that previously remained in the shadows. This was not, however, Anne's first encounter with adultery; her brother, Branwell, as previously mentioned, had aided his mistress and boss in committing adultery against her husband. Branwell therefore provided obvious inspiration for TWH's antagonist, although Anne had hoped that he would grow from his experiences and leave a life of blasphemous behavior, such a day never came. It seems that Anne was not the only one who wanted her brother to feel remorse for his life of sin and worldly pleasures; Charlotte also hoped that Branwell would ask for forgiveness and repentance, especially during his final days on this earth. (Thormählen 119) This is a further parallel between Arthur Huntingdon and Branwell Brontë, both of whom found themselves on their deathbeds with loved ones wishing to seek God and the forgiveness he so openly offers. However, Branwell eventually moves away from his alter ego, he repents and asks God to accept him and forgive him for the life he has led. The accumulation of deceptive behavior at her first position comes to a head when Anne so kindly gives up that he works in the same field as her. While this gives Anne a front row seat to the drama that is about to unfold, it also casts a shadow over Brontë's name in the world of tutoring and governesses. Perhaps Anne had become too frustrated with Branwell's selfish actions and his disregard for how those actions would affect the very sister who helped him win his job, but his creation of the Arthur Huntingdon character is easily a direct comparison to his brother. His choice to pursue an affair with Mrs. Robinson, the wife of the man who was not only Branwell's boss but also Anne's. (Spark 18) For almost three years, this affair took place under the nose of the employer of.