Innocence, Guidance, and Experience Theme Analysis

As a young girl in a patriarchal society, Evelina relies on the guidance of her guardian, Mr. Villars, in navigating her early life. When she leaves home for the first time, however, she finds that her judgement is often tested in new situations and she worries about making mistakes that Mr. Villars might disapprove of. But as Evelina makes mistakes and gains experience, she comes to trust herself and realizes that she no longer needs to rely solely on Mr. Villars for moral advice—she has learned to make wise decisions alone. In charting Evelina’s evolution, Burney suggests that learning to trust one’s own judgment is a hallmark of maturity, and that people are most able to mature into wise, moral adults if they are provided with solid guidance in early life.

At the beginning of the novel, Mr. Villars fears allowing the innocent Evelina to travel to London, but he knows that it will be beneficial for her to gain experience and to make up her own mind about things. Evelina has been brought up in the countryside—which, in the 18th century, was associated with purity and innocence, while towns were believed to be corrupt. Evelina is also uneducated about social etiquette, and city dwellers refer to her as “rustic,” implying that she comes across as naive and innocent because of her sheltered upbringing. Part of Mr. Villars’s worries stem from the fact that Evelina’s mother, Caroline, was led astray by city life in her youth; she naively fell in love with the reckless nobleman, Sir John, who impregnated and then abandoned her. Mr. Villars fears that because Evelina is so innocent and inexperienced, she may make a similarly grave mistake. Despite his concerns, Mr. Villars also accepts that if he tries to stop Evelina from having adult experiences, she will only yearn for them more. Mr. Villars therefore allows Evelina to make decisions for herself, which lets Evelina know that he trusts her—and given this mutual respect, she doesn’t want to disappoint him. Therefore, Evelina shares her adventures with Mr. Villars through her letters and asks for his advice on many occasions. This suggests that part of being an effective moral guide is allowing people to learn for themselves.

Evelina is forced to make her own decisions while she is away from home, which the novel suggests is a natural part of gaining maturity. For instance, while Evelina is at a ball, a boorish nobleman named Sir Clement pesters her. To get rid of him, she lies and says she already has a partner. But Sir Clement badgers Evelina until she admits her deceit, and her resulting embarrassment and realization that she navigated the situation poorly show how her naïveté in social situations can lead her into trouble. However, it is this firsthand experience that allows Evelina to learn. At another ball, she turns down all of the men who ask to dance with her, but a man named Mr. Smith won’t take no for an answer. Because of her past blunder, Evelina now knows that one must either accept the first man who asks or refuse to dance altogether, so she manages to successfully—and honorably—avoid dancing with Mr. Smith. In other words, gaining maturity and wisdom like Evelina does is a process of trial and error.

Mr. Villars allows Evelina the freedom to learn from experience—and gave her the tools in early life to make smart decisions—she develops a sense of true independence and an ability to guide herself. As the novel progresses, Evelina gains confidence in her own judgment as her experience grows. When she discovers the Scottish poet, Mr. Macartney, on the verge of suicide, Evelina wishes she could obtain Mr. Villars’ guidance but knows that there is not time—she must act for herself. Her quick-thinking (she follows Macartney and stops him from hurting himself) saves Macartney’s life and proves to Evelina, and to Mr. Villars, that she is growing into a capable adult who knows how to make wise decisions. During another incident, Sir Clement writes an insulting letter to Evelina and pretends it’s from Lord Orville, trying to make Evelina think that the man has bad intentions toward her. However, Evelina rightly trusts her own experience with Lord Orville—who has always been courteous and kind to her—rather than rashly breaking off contact with him the second she receives the note. Even before Evelina confirms that Lord Orville is indeed innocent, she’s tolerant and forgiving toward him, which speaks to her maturity. Just as she has learned from her mistakes in the past, she gives others the opportunity to learn, grow, and mature.

Despite Mr. Villars’ initial fear that Evelina will be led astray in the city, the moral guidance he provided while she was in his care means that Evelina is capable of making mistakes and learning from them—a crucial aspect of growing up. Through Evelina’s ascent to maturity, Burney concludes that having strong guidance in early life gives people confidence to explore the world on their own terms, make mistakes, and learn from them. With this foundation, people can mature and strengthen their decision-making abilities and moral compass.