Charlotte Temple

The phrases "wings of wounded affection," "false friend," "earnestly enquired," "cause of this cruel conduct," and "calmness of a cool deliberate villain" all stand out because of the sonic repetition at the start of the words. Even "villain" and "avowed" are somewhat alliterative: "avowed" does not start with a /v/ sound, but the syllable that receives the most emphasis does. This alliteration serves multiple functions. First, it conveys that Captain Eldridge is speaking passionately. He has been crying about the terrible misfortune of his family, and this part of his story sets up for the duel in which Mr. Lewis kills George. Alliteration allows Rowson to show, rather than describe, Eldridge's passion. He seems to spit out his words, forcefully propelling them out of his mouth with an emphatic pronunciation of their first letters. Not only does the reader understand that Mr. Lewis was a "false friend" to George, but also that Eldridge is angry about it.

The phrases Eldridge emphasizes through alliteration are ideas that come into play in a big way later in the novel. Mademoiselle La Rue, for instance, proves to be a "false friend" who leads Charlotte astray and then refuses to help her in her hour of need. Belcour, too, is a false friend to Montraville, manipulating him and Charlotte into a breakup just for the fun of it. Charlotte will never quite understand the "cause" of Belcour, Montraville, La Rue, or her landlady's "cruel conduct" toward her, even when she "earnestly enquires" for their help and sympathy. Montraville eventually has some remorse, but in the beginning he, like Mr. Lewis, is a "calm, cool, deliberate villain" who "avows passion" for Charlotte without any intention of marrying her. The only saving grace at the end of Charlotte's life is that her father does "[fly] on the wings of wounded affection" to her side as soon as he finds out where she is. She does not live past their reunion, but they repair their bond enough for Mr. Temple to adopt Charlotte's baby. The disastrous story of George and Mr. Lewis's friendship thus foreshadows the course of Charlotte's life. But even though George's impulse to confront his "false friend" ends in disaster for him, Rowson seems to suggest that this impulse is ultimately good. Trying to repair "wounded affection" can be risky, but it can also yield great rewards. In Mr. Temple's case, that reward is a granddaughter he can raise to have a happier life than Charlotte did.