The Tenant of Wild Fell Hall by Anne Bronte is a novel in which the sufferings of the female protagonist overlap with the problems faced by most women in the Victorian era of England. The book raises questions about the Brontë family sisters' experience with infidelity, alcoholism, and general debauchery relating to the men in their lives. The sisters shared the two men closest to them, Branwell and their father Patrick, as well as the escapades that came with these family members, particularly Branwell. Branwell was well known for his inability to hold down a job, however he is more similar to Arthur Huntingdon, the novel's violent antagonist, in their shared love of alcohol, gambling and adultery, than to within their respective relationships and in those of others. prestigious members of the community. Huntingdon's wife Helen is the novel's female protagonist, although she faces criticism 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 appealed more to Victorian women who felt that gossip was as acceptable as intellectual conversation. However, it is not simply about adultery, but also about the unfair repercussions that women in this time period faced towards their significant other men, and how those below a certain social class could not separate legally due to the literally high cost of divorce. Herein lies Helen Huntingdon's motivation to remain somewhat attached to the man she married; as a woman in this period Elena's rights had already been diminished; In divorcing her husband, Helen faced the real possibility of losing her son, all the money she had brought into the marriage, and all her standing in the social world. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is based on the obsession surrounding the new occupant of a long-forgotten empty building. Even if you don't make things easier by hiding, the surrounding people are quickly overcome by the need to know and understand the beautiful woman who has just moved here. Helen Graham is her name and she leads a quiet life with her young son Arthur, both of whom are purposely removed from the hustle and bustle of the local town. This reluctance to throw oneself onto the social scene causes a frenzy in itself; local males are interested in the prospect of a new woman to woo, while local females are immediately jealous of the success this young woman is not attempting to make. Soon our main protagonist, Gilbert Markham, finds himself unable to ignore the gossip and slander of townspeople 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 discovers that the woman's name is actually Helen Huntingdon and, in time, she is revealed to be on the run from the alcoholic and abusive father of her only child who shares his father's name. She took on a different name and took on this quiet personality in an attempt to stop him from coming and taking not only their child, but any chance the child had of growing up to be a young man of exceptional character. However, it becomes quite clear that Helen is unable to completely stop herrelationship with Arthur Huntingdon; his hold on her is legal as well as emotional and Helen can't help but be drawn to him in her time 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 ease. All this time Gilbert had no news from her until there was an announcement of her marriage. He quickly runs to her, only to find that the wedding is between Mr. Lawrence, Helen's brother, and Helen's friend Esther Hargrave. Although he fears that Helen is far above him in terms of status and wealth, the two get back together as lovers and get married. Victorian England is an environment where women were often seen as inferior to their male counterparts; both in the world of business transactions and relationships, although these two were often synonymous. Marriage, especially among nobles, was more about the social, political and economic ramifications than the desires of the two young adults involved. (Nicolaou 8) Feelings were often considered unnecessary for a new relationship, instead couples learned to live together and eventually produced children to carry on the family legacy and, more importantly, the family name. A natural consequence of these relationships was the mistreatment of significant others through adulterous behavior; often these secret relationships were between the male head of the household and a young woman who had attracted his attention, if only because of her forbidden nature. Beginning in the era of King Henry VIII, an aura of cynicism surrounded marriage as his own divorce fractured the already fragile relationship between subject and king. From there secularization took hold of England “…the most common 18th century term for the change in attitude towards religion was the spread of 'infidelity'”. (Patricia Corfield 1) Defined in the dictionary as the transfer from the power of the church to a civil or secular power, marriage was no longer a sacred bond between man and woman; instead, families sought to merge their bloodlines in the hopes of saving money and keeping the nobility in its small, safe, bubble. The desire to marry outside one's class was seen as either incredibly rebellious and idiotic or insanely optimistic, depending on which direction one would like to move in the class pyramid. These are the building blocks on which purely financial or social marriages were based. Growing up with an older brother like Branwell, Anne Brontë was exposed to a life of alcoholism, opium addiction, and blatant gender-based favoritism; although this life was not his. As Patricia Ingham observes, Branwell was “talented, vain, ambitious, but prone to dissipation and depression. (Ingham 9) Anne was simply a spectator who observed the life of her brother, her superior for three years, as he drank in his business opportunities, any formal training he had received, and any type of creative outlet that had come his way. Her painting career was going nowhere and her inability to write left the remaining Brontë sisters literally writing for their lives. Now they would become the breadwinners of the family as everyone would soon realize that the men in their lives could not provide such comfort. Branwell is important to the idea of ​​infidelity and to The Tenant of Wildfell Hall because of his own contact with infidelity, or more specifically with a married woman. (Spark 17) Furthermore, his dangerous lifestyle is a perfect inspiration for the novel's antagonist, Mr. Huntingdon; as mentioned above, both Arthur and Branwell appearcheerfully accepting a bottle of whatever alcohol is closest, accompanied by rather inappropriate and shameful behavior. Lisa Surridge writes about the comparison between animals who have been abused by their owners and women who have been abused by their husbands, although she admits that this comparison was first made by Anne Brontë. Anne found the “female passivity” and “locked house doctrine” in novels preceding hers disgusting; the attempt to normalize spousal abuse 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 within this novel, Helen faces drunkenness, marital infidelity, gambling, and swearing from Arthur, but her friends do not they see it as abuse. Rather, in upper-class circles Mr. Huntingdon was part of this behavior was seen as virile, as noted by Juliet McMaster. This is a statement not only about different views on marriage and the treatment of women, but also about how members of different social classes approach married life. The "male domestic behavior" noted by Surridge was deliberately chosen by Anne Brontë as a way to portray 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 this novel started was one that many husbands and even some wives did not want to have; Anne Brontë brought the real issue of abuse and adultery into the home and created a dialogue on a topic that previously remained in the shadows. However this was not Anne's first encounter with adultery; his brother Branwell, as previously mentioned, had been responsible for assisting his mistress and boss in committing adultery against her husband. Branwell thus provided an obvious inspiration for TWH's antagonist, although Anne had hoped he would grow from his experiences and move on from 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 seek forgiveness and repent, especially in 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 who longed to seek God and the forgiveness He so openly offers. However, Branwell eventually turns away from his alter-ego, repents, and asks God to accept him and forgive him for the life he has led. The accumulation of deceitful behavior on his first assignment comes to a head when Anne so kindly gives him work on his own estate. While this gives Anne a front row seat to the drama that will unfold, it also casts a shadow over the Brontë name throughout the world of tutoring and governess. Perhaps Anne had simply become too frustrated with Branwell's selfish actions and his disdain for how these actions would affect the very sister who helped him earn the job, but her creation of the character Arthur Huntingdon is easily a direct comparison with his brother. His choice to pursue an affair with Mrs. Robinson, the wife of the man who was not only Branwell's but also Anne's boss. (Spark 18) For almost three years this relationship went on under the nose of these two Brontës' employers, although by the time it ended Branwell was so deeply involved in it that he believed it was truly love, a claim supported by.