Essay Questions

How does the novel follow the structural outline of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale?

“Bluebeard” is a fairy tale—sometimes referred to as a folk tale because it seems to have a fairly definite historical inspiration—about a wealthy man who has already been married several times, but have notoriously gone missing. The story itself focuses on his latest bride and the terrifying outcome of what happens the night she is finally able to do the one thing he’s forbidden: entering through a secretive door kept locked at all times. Although the comparison is clearly not perfect, from a metaphorical perspective following a certain line of cause of effect, it would be worthwhile to fashion a writing assignment on the concept that Bronte’s novel may have been inspired at least in part by the story. It is about a woman who is aware that the wealth man she is marrying has a less than spotless reputation, though like Bluebeard’s wife she doesn’t know the extent of his character flaws. As she does come to a greater realization of the extent of trouble she may be in by having married, she looks to her family for rescue. Once the wife discovers the corpses of her husband’s previous wives locked behind the door, her betrayal of rule against entering the forbidden room is discovered and eventually she faces the imminent threat of joining the unfortunates who came before only to be saved at the last second by the arrival of her brothers. In the end, of course, Bronte also has her protagonist survive the wickedness of the beastly husband.

Why exactly does Helen go into hiding after leaving Arthur?

Helen choose to leave her husband because she has by then fully discovered the depths of his depravity and is terrified that eventually her son will be corrupted by exposure to it. She cannot simply take her son and go off and live happily ever after as a single mom, however. Every choice she could make following the decision to abandon Arthur is ruled by the dictates of law. As a wife, she essentially has no rights at all and that even extends to the custody of her own child. In order to preserve the child from the corruption influence of the father she must not just physically separate them, but do whatever it takes to become “invisible” to Arthur. The novel is also set during that period which was a nightmare for women, but a boon to novelists wanting to deal with the mad wife in the attic. Without much standing in the way legally, Arthur could at any time have his wife declared insane in a court of law and her leaving him would only facilitate his case.

Mrs. Markham warns Helen that spoiling her son “will make a mere Miss Nancy of him.” What is so profoundly ironic about this particular caution?

The implication is that by spoiling him, Helen’s son will grow up to be homosexual and not just homosexual but especially effeminate. Mrs. Markham has made it clear that she belongs to the school that a woman’s only job is to please her husband which carries within it the expectations that females are inherent the inferior sex. Thus, should Helen’s son act effeminate—even were he not actually homosexual—it would be an outward expression of his own inadequacy and inferiority to women. The irony is Mrs. Markham spoils her own son Gilbert to the detriment of her daughter. Gilbert is given first choice of everything and the afforded the opportunity to enjoy the finer aspects of life denied to his sister. The result being that her daughter has actually grown up to be of superior character to her son.