On page 148 of the Broadview edition, Adeline makes a relatively
blunt observation about the institution of marriage:
“‘How strange and irrational,’ thought Adeline, ‘are the
prejudices of society! Because an idle ceremony has not been muttered over me
at the altar, I am liable to be thought a woman of vicious inclinations, and to
be exposed to the most daring insults’” (Opie 148).
After Adeline and Glenmurray endure so many socially awkward situations and
conforming lifestyle changes to evade embarrassment, the reader begins to get a
sense that this marriage thing must be something much deeper than we are learning
on the surface. However, this quote from
Adeline caused me to question whether there really were deep social
implications to living with a man out of wedlock. Why does it matter the Maynards that Adeline
and Glenmurray are not technically married?
They obviously appear connected enough to warrant the mistaken labels,
so what difference does a legal document make in their ability to provide
conversation (or really in their potential reputation ramifications)? Why does major Douglas take Adeline’s meeting
of his sister and wife to be an offense worthy of a duel? For a novel that contains so many accounts of
sickness and dying (sir Patrick’s death earns about three lines of description
maximum), the comparative magnitude of a title of ceremony seems unwarranted.
The same criticism can go the other way: why does Adeline
deny herself a much easier life if she views marriage as an “idle ceremony”? Obviously, she must see some larger
ramifications to the necessity of marriage, but the reader remains largely in
the dark as to her real reasoning, other than her desire for Glenmurray to stay
loyal to his original written opinions.
One can applaud her constancy and desire for social change, but the
continuous trials Opie forces Adeline through seem to push the reader to the
point of frustration.
Jane made a good point that Adeline “must see some larger ramifications to the necessity of marriage, but the reader remains largely in the dark as to her real reasoning”. While Adeline makes the commitment to not marry demonstrated throughout the difficult trials she undergoes in order to uphold these ideals, not much explanation is given as to her reasons for her actions. In Mary Wollstonecraft’s appendix section, her character Maria sheds light on the issues accompanying marriage, including being enslaved to one’s husband and obstacles to divorce. Maria has lived the married life, and now fights against the sanctity of marriage, whereas Adeline seemingly just accepts the anti-marriage theory and sticks to it steadfastly-but with no clear reasoning behind this decision.
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