"If men could see us as we really are, they would be a little amazed; but the cleverest, the acutest men are often under an illusion about women. They do not read them in a true light; they misapprehend them, both for good and evil. Their good woman is a queer thing, half doll, half angel; their bad woman almost always a fiend”
Shirley is a female representative in the novel who, in her thoughts and ideas about women’s roles, is far ahead of her time. She is sure that women are not less clever then men, and they can do not worse then men in everything, even in shooting or haunting. Shirley embodies feministic traits, which were not frequent at her time.
"What do you mean? There are certain phrases potent to make my blood boil. Improper influence! What old woman's cackle is that?" "Are you a young lady?" "I am a thousand times better: I am an honest woman, and as such I will be treated."
Mr. Sympson is very eager to make Shirley to a man of wealth, and Shirley’s stubbornness makes him very angry. He considers that Shirley has been under bad influence of local people, but she bravely stands for her own desires and says that will marry only the one she loves. And again in the given situation, Shirley proves that she is a woman of a strong character, and is not going to depend on a man.
“Strange that grief should now almost choke me, because another human being's eye has failed to greet mine.”
Caroline is simply dying for love for Robert; she sits at church and looks only at him, and when he gets up and leaves he does not look at her back. Caroline suffers because of it, since his look would make her happy for days ahead.
“His mind has the clearness of the deep sea, the patience of its rocks, the force of its billows."
When bickering arose between Shirley and her uncle, he demanded to tell him the name of her beloved, but these are the only words that she could offer her uncle.
