Anna of the Five Towns · Chapter
II: The Miser’s Daughter explained
This chapter provides a detailed backstory of Ephraim Tellwright, his rise to wealth through frugality and shrewd investments, his two marriages, and his eventual retirement from business and religious work.
What happens
This chapter provides a detailed backstory of Ephraim Tellwright, his rise to wealth through frugality and shrewd investments, his two marriages, and his eventual retirement from business and religious work. It also depicts Anna's quiet Sunday evening at Bleakridge, reflecting on her father's enigmatic character and her own constrained life.
Themes in this chapter
Money and Moral Corruption
Ephraim Tellwright's accumulation of wealth through miserly living and property investment, contrasted with his lack of public generosity, illustrates the corrupting influence of money on personal and religious life.
Religious Hypocrisy and Methodism
Ephraim's involvement in Methodism is shown as a means of social and financial control rather than genuine piety, culminating in his withdrawal from religious duties when they no longer served his interests.
Patriarchal Oppression and Domestic Tyranny
Ephraim's harsh temper and secretive control over his household, along with the tragic fates of his two wives, exemplify the oppressive power of the patriarch within the domestic sphere.
Characters to notice
- Anna Tellwright
Anna is the central consciousness of the chapter, reflecting on her father's past and her own domestic role as she watches him and Agnes leave for chapel.
- Ephraim Tellwright
Ephraim is portrayed as a miserly, wealthy, and enigmatic figure whose life story—from his early accumulation of wealth to his withdrawal from Methodism—is recounted in detail.
- Agnes Tellwright
Agnes is briefly mentioned as accompanying her father to chapel, highlighting her role as the younger sister under Anna's care.
- Henry Mynors
Mynors is referenced indirectly through the mention of the Mynors family's former home, now a school, establishing his family's historical presence in the area.
Key passages
“When he was thirty-five he suddenly married, without any perceptible public wooing, the daughter of a wood merchant at Oldcastle , and shortly after the marriage his wife inherited from her father a sum of eighteen thousand pounds.”
At age 35, Ephraim unexpectedly married the daughter of an Oldcastle wood merchant, and soon after, she inherited £18,000 from her father.
This passage highlights Ephraim's strategic marriage and the financial gain that followed, underscoring his focus on wealth accumulation.
“He was not, in fact, much smitten with either the doctrinal or the spiritual side of Methodism. His chief interest lay in those fiscal schemes of organisation without whose aid no religious propaganda can possibly succeed.”
Ephraim was not genuinely interested in Methodist doctrine or spirituality; his real passion was the financial and organizational machinery that supported religious activities.
This reveals the theme of religious hypocrisy, as Ephraim uses Methodism for social and financial ends rather than faith.
“The crude contrast between the things of Hillport House and the things of the six-roomed abode in Manor Terrace gave food for reflection, silent but profound.”
The stark difference between the luxurious Hillport House and the modest six-room Manor Terrace prompted deep, quiet contemplation in Anna.
This illustrates Anna's growing awareness of her father's wealth and the disparity between his means and their lifestyle, touching on themes of class and social mobility.