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Chapter 1
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Wives and Daughters, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Friendship
Class, Status, and Romance
Independence, Opportunities, and Gender
Challenges, Growth, and Community
Gossip and Rumors
Summary
Analysis
On Thursday morning, Molly gets dressed and prepares to go to the party. Mr. Gibson has arranged for a neighbor named Miss Browning to accompany Molly. A carriage comes at 10 in the morning to usher them to Cumnor Towers. Molly is bursting with excitement. She sits in the middle of the carriage and feels as if she’s on display for the whole town to see. When they arrive at Cumnor Towers, Lady Agnes, one of Lord and Lady Cumnor’s daughters, talks to Miss Browning. Molly becomes overwhelmed by the commotion and asks Miss Browning if she can go out to the garden, and Miss Browning says yes.
This passage shows the difference in Molly’s expectations of the party versus how she feels about it in reality. Though she’s enormously excited about the party, when she gets there, the commotion quickly becomes overwhelming. This suggests that while Molly might be drawn to things that promise to dazzle and delight, in reality, she is more comfortable in quieter and less overwhelming settings.
Active
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Literary Devices
When Molly goes outside, she lies down in the grass and accidentally dozes off. She’s awakened later by two women, Lady Cuxhaven and Clare. Lady Cuxhaven and Clare look after Molly and take her back to the house. Molly complains of a headache, and Clare brings her a tray of food. After Molly eats, Clare tells her that she can take a rest in her (Clare’s) bed. Molly falls asleep once more and wakes up some time later when the housekeepers enter the room. Molly asks where Miss Browning is, and the housekeepers tell her that Miss Browning left an hour or so ago—leaving Molly with no way to return home. Clare then returns to her room and is surprised to see Molly—she’d forgotten the young girl was there. Molly begins to cry and says that her father (Mr. Gibson) will worry because he won’t know where she is.
This passage portrays Clare as kind if somewhat absentminded. While Clare helps get food for Molly and provides Molly with a place to rest, Clare also later seems to completely forget that Molly is there. Notably, when Molly finds herself alone and afraid, her thoughts immediately go to her father, Mr. Gibson, pointing to the close relationship the two share. Notably, though, Molly doesn’t necessarily envision her father as a protector and rescuer who will step in to save her. Instead, she is more concerned about his well-being and is afraid that her absence will cause him to worry.
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Clare says that Molly can stay with her at Cumnor Towers for the night. She then explains that she has a daughter named Cynthia who would do anything to spend the night at Cumnor Towers but is currently away at school. Clare explains that she used to live at Cumnor Towers as a kind of governess for the Cumnors’ children and just recently returned to live there temporarily after her husband died. Clare then sends Molly to the nursery, where Molly happily drinks tea with the children. But when they are all called to the main dining room, the children run to their parents, and Molly doesn’t know where to go.
In the dining room, Lord Cumnor tries to joke with Molly in an attempt to set her at ease. Molly doesn’t understand that he’s joking, though, and his tone scares her. Clare takes her away from the commotion. Someone else then tells Molly that her father (Mr. Gibson) has arrived on horseback and brought a pony for her to ride home on. Molly is immensely relieved, but Clare says Molly has to say goodbye to Lady Cumnor before she leaves. Molly becomes shy again but ultimately says goodbye and thanks Lady Cumnor for her hospitality.
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Themes
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Molly then goes outside and leaves on a pony that her father (Mr. Gibson) has brought for her. As Molly and her father ride away, Molly says she’s glad to be leaving from the Cumnors’ house because she doesn’t have to mind her manners anymore. She can’t imagine ever being a lord or lady, she says. Her father says it sounds like she didn’t have fun. Molly says she enjoyed walking through the gardens in the morning, but the afternoon felt long and boring. The next day, Mr. Gibson returns to Cumnor Towers to apologize for what happened with Molly. Clare is the only person available to speak with him, and she tells Mr. Gibson not to worry about the day before and that she remembers him fondly from when she lived at Cumnor Towers.
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