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Volume 2, Letter 12
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Evelina: or, The History of a Young Lady’s Entrance into the World, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Sensibility, Etiquette, and Appearances
Gender, Reputation, and Marriage
Inheritance, Class, and Nobility
Innocence, Guidance, and Experience
Summary
Analysis
The next evening, the Branghtons dine with Evelina at Madame Duval’s house. Mr. Branghton says that he wants to throw Mr. Macartney out of his lodgings because Mr. Macartney tried to kill himself. Tom adds that now he knows how poor Mr. Macartney is, he will be less polite toward him. The group is joined halfway through dinner by Mr. Smith, who insists on sitting beside Evelina and Miss Branghton, as he prides himself on being popular with ladies. The group then begins to argue about the best places to visit in London, and they eventually agree to go to the theater.
The Branghtons are totally insensitive to Macartney’s suffering, again demonstrating their lack of sensibility (empathy and emotional intelligence) compared to Evelina’s naturally sensible nature. Eighteenth-century Britain had a rigid class hierarchy: the nobility, or upper classes, were considered superior to those poorer than them. Although social mobility was impossible in this period, the middle-class Branghtons aspire to be like the nobility, so they look down on Macartney because he is poorer than them. Such attitudes toward class are clearly damaging, as demonstrated by Mr. Macartney’s suicidality. Burney implies that society should embrace true sensibility and kindness toward others, regardless of class or wealth.
Themes
