Upholding Public Opinion in "The Moonstone"
Caley Alexander
ENGL200C F01
Dr. Shlensky
Close Reading #2
October 30, 2006
“You can’t brave public opinion… at the command of private feeling”
-Mr. Bruff to Rachel Verrinder (272)
Wilkie Collins’ 'The Moonstone' is a novel in which many of the characters’ actions follow suit with the Victorian value placed on public opinion; there is a recurring theme in which characters are withholding information and deliberately hiding the truth as a means to protect other people as well as themselves from public scrutiny. The ways in which the characters in this novel go about protecting the reputation of others, as well as themselves, in the eye of public opinion is almost counterproductive in a way; this obsession with protecting other people’s reputations and saving face ultimately is a hindrance to the realization of these characters’ own personal goals.
One of the most obvious instances of the protection of another from public scrutiny is the way in which Rachel Verrinder deliberately hides the truth about the disappearance of the Moonstone as a means of protecting Franklin Blake. This is clearly counterproductive to attaining the goal of finding her diamond, however, she feels it to be more important to protect the man she loves from being viewed as a ‘thief’ in the eyes of the public and being “disgraced for life” (349) than to recover the lost jewel or even of finding happiness with him. In the process of hiding the truth from virtually everyone, Rachel Verrinder ends up pushing Franklin Blake away, resulting in misery and heartache for them both, as well as draws attention to herself as a potential suspect. It seems to defy all logic that her erratic behaviour, words of hatred, and actions of isolating herself from Franklin Blake (86, 100-101, 149-150, 338-350) are really out of love. This shows the value that people placed on the opinion of others at this time in history, and the sacrifices that they were willing to make in the name of saving face; Rachel Verrinder was willing to sacrifice a lifetime of happiness with Franklin Blake if it meant he would be able to maintain his good stature in public opinion.
Similarly, there are many instances in which the characters act in such a way as to protect their own reputation from public scrutiny. The most extreme example of this counterproductive self-protection is the extreme lengths Godfrey Ablewhite goes to in order to conceal the fact that he is living a double life (445-455). In this case, all of his actions seem to be counterproductive in some way: his extravagant double life requires him to make expensive purchases in order to uphold appearances in public, which causes him to spend the money that is not rightfully his and as a result he ends up in debt (448-450); his need to replace this money as well as his desire to save face in public opinion in both lives cause him to steal the Moonstone from Franklin Blake’s room (452) and pawn it (453); and the action of covering his tracks in the theft of the diamond (again, upholding his good reputation(s) in public opinion) leads him to his dealings with Mr. Luker (450-451). The series of events surrounding Godfrey Ablewhite’s drastic actions to hide his irresponsible acts from public knowledge results in the ultimate downfall – his death. This is most definitely not the goal he had in mind.
The actions that these characters, as well as many others in 'The Moonstone', take in order to preserve the good reputation of themselves or others in public view are based on the value placed on the opinion of others in Victorian times. Oddly enough, this value on public opinion seems to outweigh the value placed on obtaining their own personal goals as well as the negative consequences of their actions. Also, these counterproductive outcomes generally seem to have negative consequences in the eyes of the public, resulting in the downfall of that person’s social credibility. This Victorian obsession with what other people think seems to be a double edged sword – either way, you are going to get cut.
Works Cited
Collins, Wilkie. The Moonstone. Ed. John Sutherland. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
ENGL200C F01
Dr. Shlensky
Close Reading #2
October 30, 2006
“You can’t brave public opinion… at the command of private feeling”
-Mr. Bruff to Rachel Verrinder (272)
Wilkie Collins’ 'The Moonstone' is a novel in which many of the characters’ actions follow suit with the Victorian value placed on public opinion; there is a recurring theme in which characters are withholding information and deliberately hiding the truth as a means to protect other people as well as themselves from public scrutiny. The ways in which the characters in this novel go about protecting the reputation of others, as well as themselves, in the eye of public opinion is almost counterproductive in a way; this obsession with protecting other people’s reputations and saving face ultimately is a hindrance to the realization of these characters’ own personal goals.
One of the most obvious instances of the protection of another from public scrutiny is the way in which Rachel Verrinder deliberately hides the truth about the disappearance of the Moonstone as a means of protecting Franklin Blake. This is clearly counterproductive to attaining the goal of finding her diamond, however, she feels it to be more important to protect the man she loves from being viewed as a ‘thief’ in the eyes of the public and being “disgraced for life” (349) than to recover the lost jewel or even of finding happiness with him. In the process of hiding the truth from virtually everyone, Rachel Verrinder ends up pushing Franklin Blake away, resulting in misery and heartache for them both, as well as draws attention to herself as a potential suspect. It seems to defy all logic that her erratic behaviour, words of hatred, and actions of isolating herself from Franklin Blake (86, 100-101, 149-150, 338-350) are really out of love. This shows the value that people placed on the opinion of others at this time in history, and the sacrifices that they were willing to make in the name of saving face; Rachel Verrinder was willing to sacrifice a lifetime of happiness with Franklin Blake if it meant he would be able to maintain his good stature in public opinion.
Similarly, there are many instances in which the characters act in such a way as to protect their own reputation from public scrutiny. The most extreme example of this counterproductive self-protection is the extreme lengths Godfrey Ablewhite goes to in order to conceal the fact that he is living a double life (445-455). In this case, all of his actions seem to be counterproductive in some way: his extravagant double life requires him to make expensive purchases in order to uphold appearances in public, which causes him to spend the money that is not rightfully his and as a result he ends up in debt (448-450); his need to replace this money as well as his desire to save face in public opinion in both lives cause him to steal the Moonstone from Franklin Blake’s room (452) and pawn it (453); and the action of covering his tracks in the theft of the diamond (again, upholding his good reputation(s) in public opinion) leads him to his dealings with Mr. Luker (450-451). The series of events surrounding Godfrey Ablewhite’s drastic actions to hide his irresponsible acts from public knowledge results in the ultimate downfall – his death. This is most definitely not the goal he had in mind.
The actions that these characters, as well as many others in 'The Moonstone', take in order to preserve the good reputation of themselves or others in public view are based on the value placed on the opinion of others in Victorian times. Oddly enough, this value on public opinion seems to outweigh the value placed on obtaining their own personal goals as well as the negative consequences of their actions. Also, these counterproductive outcomes generally seem to have negative consequences in the eyes of the public, resulting in the downfall of that person’s social credibility. This Victorian obsession with what other people think seems to be a double edged sword – either way, you are going to get cut.
Works Cited
Collins, Wilkie. The Moonstone. Ed. John Sutherland. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
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