Miss Belmont Character Analysis

Miss Belmont is Dame Green’s (and, allegedly, Sir John’s) daughter. Dame Green tricks Sir John: she tells him that Miss Belmont is Sir John’s deceased wife, Caroline’s, baby, when really, the baby is her own. Sir John feels guilty because, before Caroline died, he impregnated and then abandoned her. To ease his shame, he adopts Miss Belmont and sends her to be educated in a French convent. When Miss Belmont leaves the convent, she meets and falls in love with Mr. Macartney, who also turns out to be Sir John’s son by another woman. Macartney’s identity is discovered at the same time as Miss Belmont’s, and Sir John allows Miss Belmont to marry Mr. Macartney so that he can give Evelina—his daughter by Caroline—her rightful title as his heir without damaging Miss Belmont’s reputation. She will take Mr. Macartney’s name, which is also Belmont.