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Chapter 2
Themes
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
Captain Eldridge explains that he made a living as a sailor. When he was 25, his wife gave birth to a son, George. Shortly thereafter, the couple had Lucy. George went to school as a young man and became close friends with a rich student named Mr. Lewis. After school, George and Mr. Lewis continued their friendship, becoming so close that Mr. Lewis developed relationships with everyone in the Eldridge family. Around that time, it became clear to Captain Eldridge that he didn’t have enough money to help George advance throughout his profession as a soldier, so he accepted a loan from Mr. Lewis, who was happy to help—he even told Eldridge that he could take as long as needed to pay him back.
At first, Mr. Lewis appears to be a kind man willing to help his friend’s family in whatever way he can. Captain Eldridge, for his part, is a respectable figure but is still limited by his meager finances. The fact that he needs to take out a loan to help his son advance through his career underscores just how important money was in 18th-century society. Even dignified, middle-class people like George have very few prospects if they don’t turn to wealthy friends for help.
Themes
Soon enough, Mr. Lewis took an interest in Lucy. Captain Eldridge noticed, so he spoke frankly with Mr. Lewis and asked him what his intentions were with his daughter. It was clear that Mr. Lewis had no plans of marrying Lucy, so Captain Eldridge refused to grant him permission to pursue a relationship with her. The next day, Mr. Lewis informed Captain Eldridge that he had to pay back his debt that very day. But Captain Eldridge had no way of doing this, so Mr. Lewis sent officers to his house. They seized him and brought him to prison—Captain Eldridge’s final memory of leaving his house is the image of his wife (who had been sick for quite some time) fainting.
It was widely frowned upon in 18th-century British society for a young woman to engage in a romantic relationship out of wedlock. Captain Eldridge seems open to the possibility of Mr. Lewis marrying his daughter, but Lewis has no plans of doing so—instead, he simply wants to have Lucy as his lover without marrying her, most likely because he knows her family isn’t wealthy and won’t be able to provide a dowery. Jilted by Eldridge, Lewis leverages his previous kindness against the older man, trying to collect his loan in a way that is sure to land Eldridge in debtor’s prison. In turn, it becomes clear that money—or the lack thereof—can fuel disagreements and lead to a person’s downfall.
Themes
Literary Devices
Eldridge is unable to continue his story because he’s crying. He apologizes to Mr. Temple, but Mr. Temple insists that brave people don’t turn away from emotion. The two men then briefly discuss the idea that life is always full of suffering, even in moments of happiness. Returning to his tale, Eldridge says that George heard about what happened and went directly to Mr. Lewis’s house to demand an explanation. Mr. Lewis told him that he would forgive the family’s debt if George and Captain Eldridge agreed to let Lucy live with him as his unwed mistress. Enraged, George hit Mr. Lewis, and the two men agreed to face each other in a duel the following day.
Themes
Literary Devices
After this, George left and wrote a letter to his father. He blamed himself in the letter for pushing his family into debt, and he asked his father not to mourn him too much if he ended up dying in the duel. Captain Eldridge was overcome when he read this letter—so overcome that he plunged into a state of sickness that obscured reality for the next three weeks. When he finally regained lucidity, he was in prison, and Lucy was sitting next to him. She told him that George had died in the duel and that Eldridge’s wife (Lucy’s mother) had also passed away from the shock of these terrible events.
Themes
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