Duty Above All: Helen's Moral Priorities in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Anonymous College

Of the six children that Patrick and Maria Bronte brought into the world, three of their daughters rose to become well-known and respected names in the literary world: Anne, Charlotte, and Emily. Anne, the youngest of both the three authors as well as the youngest of all her siblings, turned her passion and talent for writing into a career later in her life. She published her second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, in 1848 under the pseudonym Acton Bell. The novel focuses on a young married woman named Helen Huntingdon and her mysterious past that has brought her into the life of the narrator, Gilbert Markham. In The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Helen’s relationships with both her husband and her son are characterized by her incessant duty, however, she is willing to risk actions deemed socially improper because in Helen’s mind her duty to care for and protect her son supersedes all, even her marriage vows.

From the earliest moments of her marriage to Arthur Huntingdon, Helen makes it a point to know her duty and fulfill it, even to her own detriment. She is well aware of the fact that part of the expectations placed on her as a married woman include supporting her husband. For Helen, this means that part of her duty includes...