Meredith Lambert – QASMT English – Unseen Commentary – Semester 2, 2008
The extract from Trollope’s The Way We Live Now shows the change in dynamics in family power brought on by marriage. The patriarchal society of the Victorian era in the extract is portrayed by the characters Marie, and her parents Melmotte and Madame Melmotte. In the extract Marie is given illusory power over her father. This power is only valid because she is not under the power of her betrothed. Marie is juxtaposed against her mother Madame Melmotte, with the elder representing the stereotypical, and subservient, woman of the era.
The historical setting is established early in the extract through both language, and the prominent theme of gender stereotypes. The vocabulary used by Trollope, such as ‘ought,’ and names such as ‘Lord Nidderdale’ suggest that the prose was set in the Victorian era. Old fashioned notions of marriage are introduced into the extract, further accentuating the medieval views on women.
The central theme in the extract is the change in the dynamics of family power brought on by Marie’s marriage. The extract follows the transition from one figure dominance in Marie’s life to another. Melmotte no longer has absolute power of his daughter; however this can mislead the reader to interpret this loss of power as a gain on Marie’s part. Marie’s power is illusory because it is only a result of her change in allegiances, as she is now under the power of her betrothed. If Marie had not been engaged, she would have capitulated to her father’s demands. The extract opens with a strong statement by Marie that was atypical for a woman in the Victorian time period – ‘I don’t think I will sign them.’ By stating this, Marie is defying her father, the man who supposedly has absolute authority over her. Melmotte is a character that often resorts to violence and Trollope suggests that he has previously physically abused Marie – ‘Marie began to prepare herself to be ‘cut to pieces.’’ Therefore, for Marie to defy her father, knowing the possible repercussions for herself, shows that she is already under the control of her fiancé.
