Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Coquette, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Women and Society
Sex and Virtue
Marriage and Social Mobility
Friendship
Summary
Analysis
Julia writes Lucy and informs her that she has arrived back at Eliza’s in Hartford. When Eliza first saw Julia, she immediately burst into tears and hugged her. She lamented her “gloom” and appeared frail and sick. Mrs. Wharton told Julia that while Major Sanford will visit daily for some time, he also goes long stretches without corresponding at all. Julia reports that Eliza rarely goes out and hates having visitors.
Eliza is very clearly wasting away. She is thin and unhealthy and has become a complete recluse. She has changed completely from the cheerful and vivacious Eliza introduced at the beginning of the novel, and it appears that Sanford has again forsaken her. Just as Eliza’s friends warned, Eliza’s choice to forsake her virtue has led to her undoing.
Themes
