"A Very Doubtful Character": Prejudice in The Moonstone
Wilkie Collins’ detective novel The Moonstone is not just a simple ‘whodunnit’, but rather a novel that uses the base of a mystery to bring various important themes that pertain to Victorian society to light. One of the more interesting themes seen throughout this novel is the Victorian tendency for prejudice.
One of the first appearances of prejudice in the novel is shown when Betteredge refuses the entertainment of the three Indian jugglers. He states that he is “the last person in the world to distrust another person because he happens to be a few shades darker” (16) this is instantly rebuked, for Betteredge does in fact mistrust the foreigners, for no other reason than they had more superior manners to him. This gives the reader the impression that Betteredge believes that anyone of foreign nationality with better manners than him cannot be trusted, for no honest person from India could be better mannered.
Another instance of prejudice on the part of Betteredge appears in a particular passage on pages 42-43, where Betteredge is conversing with the foreign educated gentleman Franklin Blake, who continually allows his foreign sides to come out. Betteredge tries to explain why this is, and why, as a result of this “he seemed to pass his life in a state of perpetual contradiction.” (43) Betteredge believes that the reason Blake talked in “foreign gibberish” (42) was because at a young age he was sent abroad “before there was time for any one colouring . . . to settle itself on him firmly.” (43) If the reader had any doubt as to what the proper “one colouring” should be, one had only to read on, for Betteredge clearly lays it out with his exclamation “Here (God bless it!) was the original English foundation of him showing through all the foreign varnish at last!” (44) This sentence seems to imply that God in fact favours the ‘English foundation’ above all others. By using the word “varnish” to describe all the other foreign nationalities, Betteredge gives the impression that they are simply just a gloss, a superficial polish waiting for the proper Englishness to shine through.
The theme of prejudice continues throughout the novel, as various people are fingered by the investigator Sergeant Cuff simply for their station in society. Cuff believes that Rosanna Spearman had been in on the theft of the diamond merely because he had remembered her from previous work as being a thief of some repute. Cuff also believes that Miss Rachel Verinder had stolen her own diamond because she had racked up her own personal debt that needed to be paid off. He believed this because in his experience many of the upper class had incredible debt. In Cuff’s estimation, poor people stole and rich people had debt, which is a classic stereotype of the Victorian age.
Although The Moonstone is full of many instances of prejudice, an interesting character to focus on is the scientist and opium addict Ezra Jennings. The appearance of Jennings himself is in itself very interesting and focuses on the idea of shame on mixed races.
On first meeting him, Franklin Blake calls him “the most remarkable-looking man that [he] had ever seen.” (319) This is followed by a detailed description of Jennings. He had a “gipsy” (319) complexion, a nose like “the ancient people of the East” and eyes that “took your attention captive.” (319) Most remarkable of all, however, was his hair, for it was two completely different colours, black near the top of his head, then “without the slightest gradation of grey” (319) it turned to pure white. This piebald hair is a symbol of miscegenation, or the interbreeding between two races. Although the relevance of this symbol may not be obvious at the time, further on in the story Jennings admits that although his father was English, his mother was in fact a gypsy. What’s more, because he is of mixed blood, he had been accused of some horrible crime in which he cannot prove his innocence, but only assert it.
After Blake’s first meeting with Jennings, he asks Betteredge about him. Betteredge replies that he is not well liked, for “his appearance is against him, to begin with” (320) and he may have “a very doubtful character.” (320) The significance of mentioning his looks before his character shows the Victorian pre-occupation with appearance – it is more important than character.
Despite his shocking appearance and “doubtful character,” Blake doesn’t have any prejudice towards Jennings. In fact, he becomes a good friend. Collins may be saying here that one should not always judge people on appearances, but look deeper. This is solidified in Jennings’ name, Ezra, for in Hebrew it means “help” or “salvation,” furthering the view that one should look deeper to find the true nature of people. This idea may be the core theme to the novel.
- Bridey Harris
One of the first appearances of prejudice in the novel is shown when Betteredge refuses the entertainment of the three Indian jugglers. He states that he is “the last person in the world to distrust another person because he happens to be a few shades darker” (16) this is instantly rebuked, for Betteredge does in fact mistrust the foreigners, for no other reason than they had more superior manners to him. This gives the reader the impression that Betteredge believes that anyone of foreign nationality with better manners than him cannot be trusted, for no honest person from India could be better mannered.
Another instance of prejudice on the part of Betteredge appears in a particular passage on pages 42-43, where Betteredge is conversing with the foreign educated gentleman Franklin Blake, who continually allows his foreign sides to come out. Betteredge tries to explain why this is, and why, as a result of this “he seemed to pass his life in a state of perpetual contradiction.” (43) Betteredge believes that the reason Blake talked in “foreign gibberish” (42) was because at a young age he was sent abroad “before there was time for any one colouring . . . to settle itself on him firmly.” (43) If the reader had any doubt as to what the proper “one colouring” should be, one had only to read on, for Betteredge clearly lays it out with his exclamation “Here (God bless it!) was the original English foundation of him showing through all the foreign varnish at last!” (44) This sentence seems to imply that God in fact favours the ‘English foundation’ above all others. By using the word “varnish” to describe all the other foreign nationalities, Betteredge gives the impression that they are simply just a gloss, a superficial polish waiting for the proper Englishness to shine through.
The theme of prejudice continues throughout the novel, as various people are fingered by the investigator Sergeant Cuff simply for their station in society. Cuff believes that Rosanna Spearman had been in on the theft of the diamond merely because he had remembered her from previous work as being a thief of some repute. Cuff also believes that Miss Rachel Verinder had stolen her own diamond because she had racked up her own personal debt that needed to be paid off. He believed this because in his experience many of the upper class had incredible debt. In Cuff’s estimation, poor people stole and rich people had debt, which is a classic stereotype of the Victorian age.
Although The Moonstone is full of many instances of prejudice, an interesting character to focus on is the scientist and opium addict Ezra Jennings. The appearance of Jennings himself is in itself very interesting and focuses on the idea of shame on mixed races.
On first meeting him, Franklin Blake calls him “the most remarkable-looking man that [he] had ever seen.” (319) This is followed by a detailed description of Jennings. He had a “gipsy” (319) complexion, a nose like “the ancient people of the East” and eyes that “took your attention captive.” (319) Most remarkable of all, however, was his hair, for it was two completely different colours, black near the top of his head, then “without the slightest gradation of grey” (319) it turned to pure white. This piebald hair is a symbol of miscegenation, or the interbreeding between two races. Although the relevance of this symbol may not be obvious at the time, further on in the story Jennings admits that although his father was English, his mother was in fact a gypsy. What’s more, because he is of mixed blood, he had been accused of some horrible crime in which he cannot prove his innocence, but only assert it.
After Blake’s first meeting with Jennings, he asks Betteredge about him. Betteredge replies that he is not well liked, for “his appearance is against him, to begin with” (320) and he may have “a very doubtful character.” (320) The significance of mentioning his looks before his character shows the Victorian pre-occupation with appearance – it is more important than character.
Despite his shocking appearance and “doubtful character,” Blake doesn’t have any prejudice towards Jennings. In fact, he becomes a good friend. Collins may be saying here that one should not always judge people on appearances, but look deeper. This is solidified in Jennings’ name, Ezra, for in Hebrew it means “help” or “salvation,” furthering the view that one should look deeper to find the true nature of people. This idea may be the core theme to the novel.
- Bridey Harris
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