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Chapter 23
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Charlotte Temple, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Temptation and Vice
Regret, Guilt, and Shame
Deceit and Manipulation
Kindness, Compassion, and Forgiveness
Honor, Reputation, and Social Status
Wealth, Poverty, and Happiness
Summary
Analysis
The reason Belcour was in Charlotte’s bed was that he paid her a visit and found her asleep. He then heard Montraville coming down the road, so he jumped into bed with Charlotte in the hopes of stirring up trouble. After Montraville renounces Charlotte and leaves the house, Belcour acts like a compassionate friend, but she asks him to leave because he got her into such a terrible situation. Before he goes, though, he bribes the servant and instructs her not to send any mail Charlotte might try to send out, thus making it impossible for her to win back Montraville’s good graces.
As if Charlotte’s predicament in America isn’t already so challenging, Belcour’s deception only adds to her misery. As a pregnant single woman who has been scorned by the rest of society, Charlotte can’t afford to have a conniving man like Belcour in her life. And yet, she doesn’t even know that he’s scheming against her. As her life gets progressively worse, the book implies that succumbing to temptation and vice leads to unhappiness, which in turn creates more and more misery as time passes.
Active
Themes
Literary Devices
Belcour goes to see Montraville. He defends his actions by saying that Charlotte made strong sexual advances on him and that he was unable to resist. Montraville seems to accept this excuse, though he blames himself for Charlotte’s behavior—he, after all, is the one who ruined her “virtuous” nature. But Belcour insists that somebody else would have done the same if Montraville hadn’t seduced Charlotte. When he tries to bring up Julia Franklin as a way of cheering up Montraville, his friend responds poorly. Montraville tells Belcour not to speak his name in the same sentence as Julia’s, since he’s a bad man who doesn’t deserve her. He’s nothing but an “ungenerous seducer of unsuspecting innocence,” he says.
Strangely enough, Montraville appears capable of genuine self-reflection in this moment. Something about seeing Charlotte and Belcour in bed together made him consider the extent to which he derailed Charlotte’s life. After all, if it weren’t for Montraville, Charlotte would still be living the innocent life of a young student in England. Instead, though, she’s a pregnant outcast living alone in a place where she has no means of supporting herself and her unborn child. When Montraville calls himself an “ungenerous seducer of unsuspecting innocence,” then, he makes a fairly accurate self-assessment of his tendency to prioritize his own desires over all else.
Active
Themes
Literary Devices
Montraville sees Julia walking by outside. He joins her and admits that he’s upset about something. She’s concerned and wants to know what’s troubling him, but he can’t bring himself to tell her, since he knows it might lower her opinion of him. When they part ways, he feels terrible because he can tell how much she likes and respects him—an honor he knows he doesn’t deserve.
Active
Themes
