John Mellish explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Social Class and Marriage

  The chapter explores social expectations through the hiring of a governess to 'train and prune' Aurora, and Talbot's concerns about introducing her to his family at Bulstrode.

• Gender and Independence

  Aurora's desire to escape England and become a female missionary contrasts with the societal pressure to conform, symbolized by Mrs. Powell's role as a 'ballast' to steady her.

• Jealousy and Betrayal

  Talbot's jealousy upon John Mellish's arrival hints at future romantic rivalry and emotional turmoil.

Characters to notice

• Aurora Floyd

  Aurora reluctantly accepts Mrs. Powell as her governess and companion, expressing her discontent to Lucy. She meets Talbot Bulstrode in Brighton and later encounters John Mellish.

• John Mellish

  John Mellish, a big Yorkshireman and old schoolfellow of Talbot, arrives in Brighton and is introduced to Aurora and Lucy, becoming a potential rival for Aurora's affections.

• Talbot Bulstrode

  Talbot has sold out of the army and visits the Floyds in Brighton. He struggles with his growing love for Aurora, feeling jealous upon the arrival of John Mellish.

• Lucy Floyd

  Lucy stays with Aurora in Brighton, observing Talbot's feelings for her cousin while concealing her own emotions.

• Archibald Floyd

  Archibald Floyd hires Mrs. Powell as a governess for Aurora and takes the family to Brighton for the month of October.

• Mrs. Walter Powell

  Mrs. Powell is hired as a finishing governess and companion for Aurora, described as a disappointed woman with a mechanical proficiency in accomplishments but lacking in true refinement.

• Eliza Floyd

  Mrs. Alexander Floyd selects the applicants for the governess position and interviews them, ultimately choosing Mrs. Powell.

Key passages

• “The beautiful shrub was no longer to trail its wild stems along the ground, or shoot upward to the blue skies at its own sweet will; it was to be trimmed and clipped and fastened primly to the stony wall of society with cruel nails and galling strips of cloth.”

  Aurora's free spirit was to be suppressed and forced to conform to societal norms through the strict guidance of a governess.

  This metaphor illustrates the theme of gender and independence, highlighting the pressure on Aurora to abandon her natural wildness.

• “I should like to turn female missionary, and go to the centre of Africa with Dr. Livingstone and his family; and I would go if it wasn't for papa.”

  Aurora expresses a desire to escape England and its constraints by becoming a missionary in Africa, but feels bound by her duty to her father.

  This quote reveals Aurora's restless spirit and her struggle between personal freedom and familial obligation.

• “He was falling in love with Aurora. The more he protested against her, the more determinedly he exaggerated her follies, and argued with himself upon the folly of loving her, so much the more surely did he love her.”

  Talbot's attempts to resist his attraction to Aurora only intensified his feelings, as he constantly thought about her while trying to convince himself not to love her.

  This passage captures the internal conflict of love versus duty and the inevitability of Talbot's growing passion.