Introduction

Lord Byron’s Descendants 83
crept over her, there would have been danger of falling in love with Mr
Carlyle. (120-121) 38
Isabella muses:
“So far it looks favourable,” mentally exclaimed poor Isabel, “but there is
the other side of the question. It is only that I do not love Mr Carlyle, but I
fear I do love, or very nearly love, Francis Levison. I wish he would ask me
to be his wife! – oh that I had never seen him.” (121)
The difficulties to follow are all presented in these two paragraphs: Isabel’s childlike
character hinders her ability to perceive things more clearly. In a society where
women are not supposed to act for themselves, she has never learned how to take
care of herself. She has neither home nor friends to turn to, consequently, accepting
Mr Carlyle’s proposal would get her out of her dilemma. Although a quiet
home suits her, she is not prepared for the eventual boredom, uselessness and
powerlessness that awaits her at East Lynne. In addition, she does not love her
husband but yearns for another man. With so many obstacles already in the way,
Isabel is bound to fail.
Throughout her marriage with Carlyle, she remains a child-like woman, a passive
angel and decorative object. In order to support her he invites his brusque
half-sister Cornelia to live with them at East Lynne to help Isabel run the household.
However, the strong-minded unmarried woman soon takes over. Consequently,
Isabel is miserable, she is unable to defend herself against Cornelia’s subtle
abuses or tell her husband about it; she is homeless and powerless within her
own home. At the first meeting of the two women, Cornelia’s dominance and
Isabel’s helplessness is already established. After Isabel and Carlyle have arrived
home from their honeymoon, and the two women have been introduced to each
other, Isabel asks if she could have some tea but Cornelia denies it to her:
“Tea!” ejaculated Miss Corny. “So late as this! I don’t know that they have
boiling water. You’d never sleep a wink all night, ma’am, if you took tea at
eleven o’clock.”
“Oh – then never mind,” replied Lady Isabel. “It is of no consequence. Do
not let me give you trouble.” …
Meanwhile, Lady Isabel sat down and burst into tears and sobs. A chill
had come over her: it did not seem like coming home to East Lynne. Mr
Carlyle entered and witnessed the grief.
38 Although my focus does not lie on the class discourse, I have to point out that Isabel’s shortcomings,
which have been contrasted to Barbara Hare’s abilities, and which are ascribed to her
aristocratic ancestry, are enforced by middle-class notions. It is Carlyle, the middle-class lawyer,
who is responsible for Isabel’s inability to develop. Through his overprotective manner (letting
his sister run his household), his inability to perceive Isabel’s unhappiness, and his secretiveness
which let to her elopement, he is responsible for her fall.