The French Lieutenant's Woman

Sam thinks about how much he loves Mary, imagining a future in which she works in his haberdashery. As he eats Charles’s supper, he thinks about how he lacks the money to make this dream a reality. Sam has guessed who Charles is trying to help, and Sam considers blackmailing him.

At Winsyatt, the servants believe that Charles neglected his uncle and that he is being disinherited as punishment. Mrs. Tomkins, Sir Robert’s fiancé, has quickly allied herself with the servants, and she plans to get pregnant soon. Sam heard these rumors when Charles visited Sir Robert. Once, Sam had imagined himself as a butler at Winsyatt, and he is annoyed that Charles has compromised this dream. The meeting between Sir Robert and Charles was stiff and awkward; Charles felt humiliated, despite his uncle‘s assurances that he was the first to hear the news of the engagement. Sir Robert has promised to help Charles, even though his marriage changes Charles’s future. Sir Robert was often lonely, and he privately blamed Charles for not playing the role of the dutiful son. Mrs. Tomkins has helped him see the world as a brighter place. He showed Charles a picture of his new wife, who vaguely resembles Sarah. Decorum prevented Charles and Sir Robert from discussing the marriage in depth. Sir Robert did not argue when Charles made his excuses and left quickly as a thunderstorm began. Charles regrets his presumptive attitude toward Winsyatt, especially as he knows that Sir Robert had lukewarm feelings about Ernestina. Without his inheritance, Charles feels inferior to the woman he is set to marry.

Charles goes to Grogan for advice. Typically, engaged men come to the doctor for advice about sex or venereal diseases. Charles surprises Grogan by showing him Sarah’s note. He tells Grogan about their meetings though he does not mention his love for her. Grogan infers Charles’s affection for Sarah but remains silent. The storm outside intensifies, and Grogan wants to cancel the search party since he knows Sarah is safe. Grogan advises Charles against meeting Sarah, making him swear on a copy of Darwin’s The Origin of Species. Grogan paces up and down the room, putting himself in Sarah’s place to try to understand her behavior. Grogan believes it comes from her melancholic desire to punish herself. He believes Sarah wanted to be spotted near Ware Commons. Charles rejects Grogan’s theory, but Grogan insists that this rejection is because Charles has feelings for Sarah. Angered, Charles tries to leave. Grogan makes him stay and they agree that, since they are men of science, finding the truth is more important than anything else. Charles breaks a moment of silence to confess that he has now realized that he is not supposed to marry Ernestina, but he worries that this realization has come too late. Grogan tells him not to blame himself though Charles insists that he has done nothing improper.

Charles weeps at his wasted, purposeless life. He knows that Ernestina will never truly understand him. He blames himself for choosing her. Since this situation is not Ernestina’s fault, he resolves to marry her anyway. Charles admits his immense attraction to Sarah, and Grogan offers to deal with Sarah on Charles’s behalf by telling her that Charles has returned to London. If this worsens Sarah’s condition, Grogan says, then Charles must not blame himself. Grogan will find her a suitable “private asylum” (228) in Exeter, for which Charles offers to pay. The men shake hands. Before Charles departs, Grogan hands him a book in which medical evidence from a trial is highlighted.

Grogan’s book documents the 1835 trial of a French Lieutenant named Emile de La Ronciere. Marie de Morrell is the 16-year-old daughter of the Baron de Morell. According to the transcripts of the trial, Marie gave false testimonies that claimed La Ronciere wrote her a series of salacious letters. La Ronciere was found guilty in spite of several protests and given 10 years in prison. Later reviews of the case, as explored in Grogan’s book, suggest that Marie may have been suffering from a mental health issue and emotional turmoil that compelled her to make false accusations against the innocent La Ronciere. When he was in prison, the letters continued to be sent to Marie, often with La Ronciere’s name misspelled and using paper that matched the paper belonging to Marie. Grogan’s book notes the prevalence of women’s hysteria, the menstrual cycle, and sexual repression as possible causes of Marie’s behavior. Grogan hopes that Charles will understand the potential similarities with Sarah’s melancholy, a diagnosis which is typical of Victorian attitudes toward women’s health issues. Grogan’s book provides other examples of women who have acted strangely or criminally to attract negative attention. These descriptions shock Charles, who notes that he was born on the same day that La Ronciere was sent to prison. The sudden loss of scientific reason described in the book makes Charles feel trapped. He lies awake into the early hours of the morning, growing increasingly agitated. Charles worries that Grogan has misled him and he has allowed this to happen to protect his reputation. At dawn, he decides to find Sarah himself.

At dawn, Charles goes to find Sarah. He is convinced that she does not suffer from the problems described in Grogan’s book, and he wants to see her again. He passes people in the street as he walks toward the Undercliff. Outside the town, he sees a deer and a fox. Birds sing as he walks through the wood, and he is suddenly struck by the serenity of nature. Eventually, he arrives at the barn. He peeks through the window but does not see Sarah. Entering apprehensively, he hears a sound and steps forward.

The narrator explains how Sarah was fired by Mrs. Poulteney. The self-righteous Mrs. Poulteney heard a report from the spiteful Mrs. Fairley that Sarah was on Ware Commons, so she fired Sarah in the form of a letter. Sarah agrees to leave, refusing her last month’s wages and telling Mrs. Poulteney to use the money to torture anyone unfortunate enough to come into contact with her. Mrs. Poulteney, insulted by Sarah’s insinuation that she might not reach heaven, faints. Mrs. Fairley is horrified and accuses the “wicked” Sarah of murder. Sarah retires to her room in tears and decides to leave the house the following morning.

In the barn, Charles sees Sarah sleeping. He wants to protect her, and though he is trying to leave, he cannot help but say her name. She wakes up, and he urges her to leave town with his help. As she gathers herself, they both feel overwhelmed by longing. She confesses that she “made sure” (252) Mrs. Fairley would spot her. They embrace at last and kiss. Overcome by emotion, Charles pushes her back and runs out of the barn.

At Aunt Tranter’s house, Ernestina reflects on her now-dashed fantasies of running Winsyatt. As part of the middle class, she is conservative and self-loathing, as typical of Victorian ideas. She feels tense following her disagreement with Charles and fears that she has “behaved like a draper’s daughter” (255). In her diary, she swears to make amends with him. Ernestina is a product of her environment and her Victorian morals; for all her irony, she feels a need to conform to social expectations.

Sam wakes up and realizes that Charles has gone out. Surprised, Sam goes to Aunt Tranter’s house and finds Mary “slumped in a collapse of tears at the kitchen table” (257). In recent days, Sam has come to realize that he doesn’t want to work for Charles. The news upsets Mary. Mary is given the morning off so Sam goes to search for her but, while running, he trips in the street.

Sam and Mary are outside the barn when Charles steps outside. They are shocked when Sarah appears behind him. Sam tries to assure an irate Charles that he had no clue as to his presence; Charles tells Mary to leave and she obeys. Charles insists that he is helping Sarah with Dr. Grogan’s assistance, so no one should mention what they have seen. He tries to offer Sam money, but Sam refuses, going after Mary instead. Once they are far enough away, Sam and Mary begin to quietly laugh. Charles returns to Sarah and blames himself for taking advantage of her. Though she believes that she loves Charles, she says she will not see him again. She agrees to go to Exeter and accepts Charles’s offer of financial help. He suggests that she take the long nine-mile walk back to town to avoid being seen. After a clumsy but tender moment, Charles turns to leave. Before he can leave, he feels the need to invite Sarah to walk with him. When they reach a divergent point, they shake one another’s hands. Charles walks away and, as he turns around, he sees Sarah following him. After hesitating for a moment, he continues to walk back to town.

Charles talks to Ernestina. He informs her that he must leave Lyme Regis for some time to speak to his lawyer. Ernestina is sad but not shocked, as she has heard about his plans from other people. Charles insists that he tell Ernestina’s father about his disinheritance, but she insists that they will have more than enough money if they marry. Feeling as though she has angered Charles, she resolves to be more obedient. She already suspects that Charles and Sarah are lovers. At the same time, Charles notices Mary in the room. He knows she will say nothing about what she saw at the barn so long as she is beholden to Sam.

The narrator explores the contradictions in Victorian society, particularly with regard to contemporary notions of sexuality. Though Victorians believe in the sanctity of women and marriage, sex work is common. Though Victorian literature often seems chaste, vast quantities of pornography are secretly produced. Though they pretend otherwise, Victorians are as interested in sex as people of other eras. Sex remains a constant in society, though it is discussed in different ways at different times. This refusal to talk about sex does not necessarily make sex less fun for Victorian people. The secrecy surrounding sex in the Victorian era creates a sense of excitement that is not present in the 20th century when sex is no longer mysterious. Contrary to appearances, Mary is not so innocent. Working-class rural people are not the chaste, prudish people that history depicts the Victorians as being. Sex is common in the countryside, and privacy is less possible. Victorian writers such as Thomas Hardy may have helped to construct an idea of Victorian chastity, but this contrasts with people’s own private interest in sex, which was revealed many years later. Sam and Mary were not going to the barn to spy on Charles; they were there for their own reasons. Likewise, Mary was crying because they had visited the barn previously.

Sarah goes to Exeter, a city near the south coast of England. She stays in the less reputable part of town in the Endicott’s Family Hotel. Martha Endicott, the owner, takes little interest in her guests. Once she has booked a room for a week, Sarah uses the money given to her by Charles to buy clothes and a jug, which the narrator claims to have bought for himself many years later “for a good deal more than the three pennies Sarah was charged” (280). For the first time, Sarah is excited to actually own something that truly belongs to her. Sarah’s dignity contrasts with the delipidated state of her immediate situation. She studies her new shawl, the one expensive item she deemed worth spending money on. She places a roll of bandage in her drawer. With the 10 sovereigns given to her by Charles, Sarah now thinks differently about money. She takes pleasure in counting it each night. Sarah makes tea with her new teapot and seems content as she begins to eat a meat pie.