Charlotte Temple · Chapter
Subject Continued explained
Charlotte, desperate and near death, seeks shelter from Mrs.
What happens
Charlotte, desperate and near death, seeks shelter from Mrs. Crayton, who coldly denies knowing her and refuses help. After collapsing, a compassionate servant takes her to his home, where she gives birth to a daughter and lapses into madness.
Themes in this chapter
Female Virtue and Fall
Charlotte's ruined reputation is used by Mrs. Crayton to justify her refusal of aid, underscoring the irreversible social consequences of lost virtue.
Friendship and Deception
Mrs. Crayton, formerly La Rue and Charlotte's confidante, now denies their past connection, revealing the betrayal of a supposed friend.
Characters to notice
- Charlotte Temple
Charlotte, in a state of extreme distress, begs Mrs. Crayton for shelter, is rejected, collapses, and later gives birth to a daughter.
- Mrs. Crayton
Mrs. Crayton refuses to acknowledge Charlotte, dismisses her as a beggar, and orders her removed from the house despite her pleas.
- John
The compassionate servant who defies his mistress to carry Charlotte to his own home and arranges for a surgeon.
Key passages
“Take up this letter, said Charlotte, tell her the unhappy writer of it waits in the hall for an answer.”
Charlotte hands a letter to the servant, asking him to deliver it to Mrs. Crayton and say that the miserable author is waiting for a reply.
Charlotte's desperate attempt to gain entry through a written plea.
“Not know me! cried Charlotte, rushing into the room (for she had followed the man upstairs), not know me—not remember the ruined Charlotte Temple, who, but for you, perhaps might still have been innocent, still have been happy.”
Charlotte bursts into the room, confronting Mrs. Crayton and accusing her of being the cause of her downfall.
Charlotte directly blames La Rue for her ruin.
“I can at least die here, said Charlotte. I feel I can not long survive this dreadful conflict. Father of mercy, here let me finish my existence.”
Charlotte declares she will die where she stands, overwhelmed by her suffering, and prays for death.
Charlotte's despair reaches its peak as she collapses.
“Poor soul, said he, you shall not lay in the street this night. I have a bed and a poor little hovel, where my wife and her little ones rest them; but they shall watch tonight and you shall be sheltered from danger.”
The servant John vows to protect Charlotte, offering his own family's humble home for her shelter.
John's kindness contrasts sharply with Mrs. Crayton's cruelty.