Madness in Lady Audley's Secret Anonymous College

Madness is central to the plot of Lady Audley’s Secret. It remains in the forefront of both Lucy and Robert’s minds as the plot progresses, with Lucy believing she is mad and Robert fearing that he may become so. But Lucy Audley’s madness, the “great secret of my life” (321), upon closer examination, seems less of a motivation and more of a reaction. Lucy is able to maintain a well-loved public persona and seems to be quite in control of her own actions. It is only when she feels powerless that she lashes out. Importantly, Lucy begins claiming feelings of madness after events that she has no control over, events that are initiated by outside players, such as George Talboys abandoning her, Robert Audley confronting her, and Luke Marks threatening her. When Lucy is put on the defensive, she reacts accordingly. Without the appearance of George Talboys to Audley Court, she in all likelihood would have lived out her days without harming anybody. By the novel’s conclusion, the characters and the narrator all seem to be in agreement that Lucy is mad and willing to live with that explanation. Even Dr. Mosgrave, who first stated Lucy’s actions were “of a perfectly rational mind” (374), changes his mind after meeting her and agrees she...