Helen’s work as a painter serves as both a figurative and literal escape for her, and her work likewise represents her evolution from naïve young girl to mature woman. Forced to keep company with Arthur’s drunken friends, she often flees them in order to paint, and when she finally gathers the courage necessary to leave Arthur, she supports herself and her son with the proceeds she makes from selling her paintings. One can also trace Helen’s personal and emotional journey through her art. As an infatuated 18-year-old, Helen sketches Arthur Huntingdon’s handsome portrait. She also dedicates much of her time to a depiction of two lovesick turtledoves. Later, at Wildfell Hall, she turns to landscapes, and it is in her studies of the natural world that she reveals not only her growing mastery as a painter but her inner self. One of the paintings Gilbert most admires is a scene of bare trees that themselves symbolize Helen’s suffering and loneliness. She knows pain and thwarted desire firsthand, and is therefore able to paint the trees with precision and feeling.
Painting Symbol Timeline in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
