Short Fiction · Chapter
How Bessy Pryor Was to Be Banished explained
Mrs.
What happens
Mrs. Miles, determined to separate Bessy from her son Philip, arranges to send Bessy to live with Mr. Gregory's sister in Avranches, Normandy. Bessy pleads to stay, promising obedience but refusing to renounce her love for Philip. Despite her aunt's severity, Bessy argues that love cannot be commanded, and Mrs. Miles ultimately insists on banishment as the only solution.
Themes in this chapter
Family Duty and Sacrifice
Mrs. Miles insists on duty over happiness, demanding Bessy sacrifice her love for Philip to uphold family expectations.
Love and Marriage
Bessy's unwavering love for Philip clashes with her aunt's plans, highlighting the tension between romantic love and familial control over marriage.
Gender Roles and Women's Agency
Bessy asserts her agency by refusing to renounce her love, even as she submits to her aunt's authority, illustrating the limited but present resistance available to women.
Characters to notice
- Bessy Pryor
Bessy is the central figure, pleading with her aunt not to be sent away while steadfastly refusing to give up her love for Philip.
- Mrs. Miles
Mrs. Miles is the stern aunt who, despite her affection for Bessy, resolves to banish her to Normandy to prevent her marriage to Philip.
- Philip Launay
Philip is the object of Bessy's love, though he is absent from the scene; his potential return motivates Mrs. Miles's decision.
- Mr. Greenmantle
Mr. Gregory (likely a variant of Mr. Greenmantle) proposes his sister in Avranches as a suitable place for Bessy's exile.
Key passages
“Why should not I come back, now that he has gone?”
Bessy asks why she cannot return to her aunt's side now that Philip has left.
Bessy pleads for reconciliation, believing Philip's absence removes the immediate cause of conflict.
“I will obey you altogether, but I must love him.”
Bessy promises full obedience to her aunt's commands but insists she cannot control her feelings for Philip.
This highlights the central conflict between external obedience and internal emotion.
“What is it though our hearts do break—what is it though we die—if we do our duty?”
Mrs. Miles argues that fulfilling one's duty is more important than personal happiness or even survival.
This encapsulates the theme of duty versus love in the chapter.