The Scarlet Pimpernel Lesson Plan

What do you make of the ending of the novel? What does the ending communicate to readers about the hero and heroine of the novel?

For all her attempts at heroism, Marguerite Blakeney, who is supposedly such a brilliant, accomplished, and heroic woman, ends up being in a passive position yet again. She makes many attempts in various ways to save her husband from Chauvenil's clutches, but almost always ends up paralyzed with fear or passed out in Chauvenil's custody. Thus, at the end, Percy ends up having to save her, in a sense, as well. There is made a clear distinction here between man and woman, with the latter incapable and doomed to futility.

Both of the story's...