Definition of Mood
Key Examples in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
The mood of The Tenant of Wildfell is, overall, quite bleak and depressing. Helen is trapped in an abusive marriage for much of the novel, writing in horrid detail the types of violence and manipulation she faces daily at the hands of her husband Arthur. The following passage from Chapter 40 captures Arthur’s cruelty and Helen’s terror:
Mr Huntingdon then went upstairs. I did not attempt to follow him; but remained seated in the arm chair, speechless, tearless, and almost motionless, till he returned about half an hour after, and walking up to me, held the candle in my face and peered into my eyes with looks and laughter too insulting to be borne.
The mood of The Tenant of Wildfell is, overall, quite bleak and depressing. Helen is trapped in an abusive marriage for much of the novel, writing in horrid detail the types of violence and manipulation she faces daily at the hands of her husband Arthur. The following passage from Chapter 40 captures Arthur’s cruelty and Helen’s terror:
Unlock with LitCharts A+Mr Huntingdon then went upstairs. I did not attempt to follow him; but remained seated in the arm chair, speechless, tearless, and almost motionless, till he returned about half an hour after, and walking up to me, held the candle in my face and peered into my eyes with looks and laughter too insulting to be borne.