Mr. Frankland is the lawyer tasked with carrying out Mr. McPherson’s will. He finds himself caught between the McPherson siblings and their mother. On the one hand, he defends Mrs. McPherson and her desire to remain independent, acknowledging that it’s within her rights to do so and that she has always been an intelligent and capable woman. On the other hand, he’s just as shocked as her children by her fierce and determined independence, which defies society’s norms for women.
Mr. Frankland Quotes in The Widow’s Might
The The Widow’s Might quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Frankland or refer to Mr. Frankland. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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The Widow’s Might
Quotes
“I have no children, Mr. Frankland. I have two daughters and a son. Those two grown persons here, grown up, married, having children of their own—or ought to have—were my children. I did my duty by them, and they did their duty by me—and would yet, no doubt.” The tone changed suddenly. “But they don’t have to. I’m tired of duty.” The little group of listeners looked up, startled.
Related Characters:
Mrs. McPherson (speaker), James, Ellen, Adelaide, Mr. Frankland
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Mr. Frankland Character Timeline in The Widow’s Might
The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Frankland appears in The Widow’s Might. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
The Widow’s Might
The siblings regard meeting with the lawyer, Mr. Frankland , as a formality, believing that their father, Mr. McPherson, can’t have left much behind...
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Mr. Frankland arrives, and Ellen stands up to retrieve their mother, Mrs. McPherson. She runs upstairs and...
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Mr. Frankland apologizes for having missed the funeral. The will is brief—their father, Mr. Frankland explains, left...
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...the group. She’s tall and draped in her black veil and funeral clothes. She tells Mr. Frankland she’s happy to hear him say that Mr. McPherson was of sound mind until the...
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Mr. Frankland is shocked and exclaims that Mr. McPherson had property four years ago. Mrs. McPherson agrees,...
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...away. Mrs. McPherson replies that everything is already settled. James, now impatient himself, suggests that Mr. Frankland might be able to explain the situation more clearly to her. Mr. Frankland replies that...
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...states that she upheld her duties as a wife from the very day they married. Mr. Frankland asks her to consider her children, but Mrs. McPherson tells him she has no children....
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The siblings and Mr. Frankland are shocked by her words. Mrs. McPherson continues, telling them that they have no idea...
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...year. She’s recently rented it to a friend, a female doctor, for the same amount. Mr. Frankland tells her that she has done remarkably well. Adelaide is stunned that she’ll have an...
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