# XXVI explained — The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

> Chapter companion for The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë.

## What happens

Helen reflects on the Hargrave family's financial struggles driven by Mrs. Hargrave's pride and desire to secure good matches for her daughters, particularly noting Milicent's sacrifice and Esther's spirited nature. She describes the visit of Lord and Lady Lowborough, observing Lady Lowborough's coquettish behavior with Huntingdon and her own efforts to maintain composure despite jealousy.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Social Judgment

Helen critiques Mrs. Hargrave's pretentiousness and the double standards in marital and social conduct.

### Female Agency and Independence

Helen's struggle to maintain composure and autonomy in the face of her husband's flirtations highlights the limited agency of married women.

### Gender Roles and Marriage

The dynamics between Lord and Lady Lowborough, and Helen's observations on marital power and jealousy, underscore traditional gender roles.

## Character check-ins

### Helen Huntingdon

Narrates the chapter, expressing her observations on the Hargraves and her own feelings of jealousy towards Lady Lowborough's flirtation with Huntingdon.

### Walter Hargrave

Described as a man of expensive habits who prioritizes his reputation over his family's comfort, enabled by his mother's sacrifices.

### Milicent Hargrave

Mentioned as a victim of her mother's maneuvering, having been married off in a poor match.

### Esther Hargrave

A fourteen-year-old with a fearless spirit, whom her mother hopes to similarly control for marriage.

### Arthur Huntingdon

Participates in coquettish games with Lady Lowborough, provoking Helen's jealousy.

### Annabella Wilmot

Now Lady Lowborough, she openly flirts with Huntingdon, tormenting her husband and Helen.

## Key lines

> She grinds her dependents, pinches her servants, and deprives even her daughters and herself of the real comforts of life, because she will not consent to yield the palm in outward show to those who have three times her wealth

Mrs. Hargrave mistreats her staff and sacrifices her family's comfort to maintain a facade of wealth equal to richer neighbors.

_Helen criticizes Mrs. Hargrave's pride and materialism._

> I confess I do feel jealous at times, most painfully, bitterly so; when she sings and plays to him, and he hangs over the instrument, and dwells upon her voice with no affected interest

Helen admits to intense jealousy when Lady Lowborough captivates Huntingdon with her singing.

_Reveals Helen's emotional vulnerability and the strain in her marriage._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_tenant_of_wildfell_hall_se/chapters/xxvi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_tenant_of_wildfell_hall_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_tenant_of_wildfell_hall_se/chapters