In one of his letters to Evelina, Mr. Villars advises her against spending time with Madame Duval (and her extended social circle), using imagery in the process:
You cannot too assiduously attend to Madame Duval herself; but I would wish you to mix as little as possible with her associates, who are not likely to be among those whose acquaintance would reflect credit upon you. Remember, my dear Evelina, nothing is so delicate as the reputation of a woman: it is, at once, the most beautiful and most brittle of all human things.
Here, Mr. Villars shows that he is worried about Madame Duval (and, it’s implied, her uncultured extended family, the Branghtons) tarnishing Evelina’s reputation. The imagery that he uses to cement his point is evocative—he writes that “nothing is so delicate as the reputation of a woman” and that it is “the most brittle of all human things.” Encouraging Evelina to see and feel the brittle nature of women’s reputations, Mr. Villars hopes that she will do all she can to steer clear of ill-meaning people and situations.
This imagery is also notable because it communicates something important about gender in late-18th-century England. While it may seem like Mr. Villars is exaggerating to frighten Evelina, the truth is that the slightest rumor could ruin a woman’s reputation at this time. Women were prized for their moral and sexual purity, and even the smallest faux pas or scandalous bit of gossip could lead them to be socially ostrasized and romantically rejected.
While Evelina was taken with London during her first visit, when she goes back for a second time she starts to become disillusioned. This comes across in a letter that Evelina writes to Maria, in which she uses a metaphor and imagery to communicate her discontent with the city:
Indeed, to me, London now seems a desert; that gay and busy appearance it so lately wore, is now succeeded by a look of gloom, fatigue, and lassitude; the air seems stagnant, the heat is intense, the dust intolerable, and the inhabitants illiterate and under-bred. At least, such is the face of things in the part of the town where I at present reside.
The metaphor here—“London now seems a desert”—shows how Evelina no longer finds the city to be vibrant and full of life. In fact, as the imagery she goes on to use communicates, “the air seems stagnant, the heat is intense, the dust intolerable.” In other words, London not only seems like a desert but also viscerally feels like one.
Evelina also notes how London seems to have “a look of gloom, fatigue, and lassitude” (or weariness). This imagery mirrors how Evelina herself feels while in the city—she is no longer excited and enlivened while being there, but tired and gloomy. All of this language points to the fact that Evelina’s innocence and naivety is coming to be replaced by maturity and wisdom—as she has more experiences with the world, she is becoming more discerning.
In a letter to Mr. Villars, Evelina contrasts Lord Orville (whom she is angry with) to Mr. Villars, using imagery to communicate her adoptive father’s exceptionally kind character:
Once, indeed, I thought there existed another,—who, when time had wintered over his locks—would have shone forth among his fellow creatures, with the same brightness of worth which dignifies my honored Mr. Villars; a brightness, how superior in value to that which results from mere quickness of parts, wit, or imagination! a brightness, which, not contented with merely diffusing smiles, and gaining admiration from the sallies of the spirits, reflects a real and a glorious lustre upon all mankind!
After noting how she incorrectly believed Lord Orville could have “shone forth among his fellow creatures” the way that Mr. Villars does, Evelina furthers the light-based imagery by describing Mr. Villars’s “brightness of worth” that “reflects a real and a glorious lustre upon all mankind!” This visual of Mr. Villars as a warm, bright light helps readers see him through Evelina’s eyes and understand the depths of his kindness as well as the important role he has played in her life as a sort of guiding light.
It’s important to keep in mind that while Evelina is angry with Lord Orville here, it is only because she believes that he sent her an insulting letter. As becomes clear later in the novel, the jealous Sir Clement actually wrote it and forged Lord Orville’s signature. In part because of this, Evelina forgives Lord Orville and realizes that he is someone who “shines forth” like Mr. Villers does.
