Evelina Volume II

This volume began with the deception of Madame Duval and ended with the deception of Evelina. It seems to be a constant theme throughout this novel.
It bothered me greatly that one of the cousins blamed Evelina for not staying while the men were exerting their power over the ladies. This was around page 162, the Branghton ladies convince Evelina to walk down one of the dark corridors of the garden that they were at without any supervision and is accosted by groups of men. Evelina runs and is surrounded and who should be in this despicable crowd but Willoghby! He walks with her pursuing his interests over hers and says, “But you have flung me into amazement unspeakable, and you will not condescend to listen to my request of giving me some explanation” (165). What does it matter that she is in the alley and why would she owe him an explanation? Evelina should have inquired why he was amongst the men in the alley! This just adds to the distrustfulness of his character. There is a theme throughout this novel of trust and mistrust. For example, Madame Duval vs. Rev Villars, Captain Mirvan, Willoughby, even Du Bois. Evelina notices that Madame Duval has a problem with being unobservant of the characters around her. Then admits to herself after the letter from Lord Orville in a letter to Miss Mirvan the following, “Yet I cannot but lament to find myself in a world so deceitful, where we must suspect what we see, distrust what we hear, and doubt even what we feel!” (216). She appears to blame herself for putting so high esteem in a person that she barely knew but can this be her fault alone? Can it be that it is the person’s fault that took advantage of the good opinion she held of them? Before this can be answered Evelina becomes sick soon after returning to the country and we are left wondering where this sickness has derived from. Is it ambiguous? A great possibility is that the traveling and the climate change is the cause of it. When she leaves with Mrs. Selwyn, Evelina says she does not feel “so much fatigued as I expected” (224). This introduces the possibility that she is love sick over the loss of Lord Orville. Plus, she constantly says she will not write of him anymore and persists in doing so. After a month stay with Madame Duval, I believe I would be sick to my stomach as well. Evelina was constantly referred to as uneducated and a country bumpkin by the Branghton’s. With the proposal that she should marry that pompous young Branghton, then the admission of love from Du Bois and all of her grand-mama’s violent passions, then Willoughby constantly by her side-- my patience would have been spent as well and I would expect health problems.
What effectual role did Mr. Macartney play in this novel? Evelina prevented him from completing an act of suicide. Considering the stool scene, when they are all standing around trying to decide which ‘diversion’ to attend that evening Evelina extends an invitation to Mr. Macartney in the corner. She shows him respect when everyone else laughs at her intention of kindness. The Branghton’s all call him derogatory names because of his nationality. Evelina gives him money because she know he is in a desperate state. He ends up sending her a letter explaining his situation and thanking her for the kindness she has bestowed upon him. But what does this all amount to? Is it just to show how great of a person she is compared to others? Could it be that there is a suggestion that people can raise above their status in society by having ideal conduct towards others?