Regret in Dickens' and Bronte's Work

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer points out that both Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' and Anne Bronte's 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' feature the theme of regret within the novels' respective narrative contexts. The writer discusses that in both novels, a single adolescent decision on the part of the protagonist irrevocably changes the life of the central protagonist. The writer looks at how Ebenezer Scrooge's decision not to marry and to withhold his affections and friendships from others, causes Scrooge to lose the woman who loves him, as he focuses only on accumulating money, not on pleasure. In contrast, the writer looks at how Helen Huntington's decision to marry causes her to regret most of her youthful existence as a young married woman. The writer notes that Helen's husband's decision to engage too fully in life and to indulge in worldly excesses also changes his entire life, robbing him of his youth and life in the same way Scrooge's existence robbed him of the better part of his life.

From the Paper:

"Helen ignores her aunt, and grows enamored of the undisciplined Arthur Huntington. Arthur is attractive, not just because of his chestnut curls, but also because he is exciting, forbidden and drinks deeply from life. Later on, Arthur's indulgence in alcohol will prove to be his undoing, as well as fragment his family. Helen becomes miserable married to Arthur, who often abandons her to London to spend time with his equally undisciplined friends. She refuses to let her aunt see her misery as much as possible because she knows that her aunt's warning about Arthur has come true.
Helen's tale suggests that in a person's life, many paths lay before the individual that can lead to many potential futures. However, if a person chooses the incorrect path out of folly, when young, there is no way to retread that path. Arthur squanders his inherited fortune, youth, and a beautiful and rich wife because of his determination to live life to the fullest, and dies a young and untimely death."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bronte, Anne. The Tennant of Wildfell Hall. The Online Literature Collection. [28 Apr 2006] <http://www.online-literature.com/brontea/wildfell_hall/16/>
• Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. 1843. The Online Literature Collection. [28 Apr 2006] < http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/christmascarol/2/>

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