Essay Questions

Why is Mary Macneil willing to get married to Fleetwood who is 45 years old?

Life has not been easy for Mary because her parents died when she is a young child. Throughout her life, Mary is struggling to get the basic needs because there is no one who is ready to provide for her. She is looking forward to coming across any person who can support her emotionally and financially. She later falls in love with Fleetwood who is older than her but she does not mind since she just needs a protector in her life. On the other hand, Fleetwood is a different kind of man who is not interested in love but getting a wife. Their interests in the relationship are contradicting because they are not married for intimacy. Later, their love marriage becomes difficult because of misunderstandings and they fall apart.

Why is William Godwin depicting Gifford as a bad person?

Gifford is not appreciative of what his uncle has done to him so far and he is coming up with a plan to ensure that he inherits his wealth. To achieve this ill-intended goal, he is accusing Mary of sleeping with Kenrick, Fleetwood’s brother. Gifford is doing everything possible to make Fleetwood buy his idea. As a result, Fleetwood is made to believe that Mary is carrying the pregnancy of Kenrick and this forces him to divorce Mary. Nevertheless, the truth is later revealed that Gifford is doing all these to inherit Fleetwood’s wealth. Fleetwood goes back to reconcile with Mary and they remarry again. Gifford is later killed by the mob after engaging in a highway robbery.

Is Fleetwood’s upbringing the primary reason why he is abusive to his wife, Mary?

Fleetwood happens to be the only child in his family and he is spoiled as a child when growing up. His parents give him much attention and he often go unpunished when he makes mistakes. As a result, he grows up as an untamed man who thinks that he can get anything he wants. Additionally, he does not care about the welfare of others because he is self-centered. When he gets married to Mary, he portrays the same behavior of dominance. The opinions of Mary do not matter because he is the final man and he believes that he is always right.