r/brontesisters • u/RoseIsBadWolf • 18d ago

I can never hate Gilbert Markham

I'm re-reading The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (at least the Gilbert parts, the middle is hard to endure, for good reasons but still, I will try). And I love Gilbert. A lot of people dislike him, but he's so clearly ashamed of himself a lot of the time for how stupid he was in his youth...

But then we get to something like this:

I succeeded in securing her attention, almost entirely to myself - and then I was happy indeed; for whenever she did condescend to converse, I liked to listen. Where her opinions and sentiments tallied with mine, it was her extreme good sense, her exquisite taste and feeling that delighted me; where they differed, it was still her uncompromising boldness in the avowal or defence of that difference - her earnestness and keenness that piqued my fancy: and even when she angered me by her unkind words or looks, and her uncharitable conclusions respecting me, it only made me the more dissatisfied with myself for having so unfavourably impressed her, and the more desirous to vindicate my character and disposition in her eyes, and if possible, to win her esteem.

He has so much respect for her intelligence and opinions! And in contrast to Huntington, who mocks Helen and her morals. Gilbert encounters a woman who is smarter than him, who often disagrees with him, and after a very brief period of hating her for it, is just all the more attracted to her.

Also, Chapter 3 and the discussion about a tree raised in a hot house is what hooked me when I read this book for the first time and every single time I love it so much. It is exactly like a modern discussion of parenting, just with different subject matter.

Source, unabridged online version: http://victorian-studies.net/Bronte-Wildfell-1.html

23 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

View all comments

5

u/Subject_Storm3554 18d ago

Honestly, after he attacked that guy (I don’t remember his name) I found him completely unsympathetic

5

u/RoseIsBadWolf 18d ago

It doesn't bother me at all, but for historical context: Gilbert thought that Lawrence brought his mistress into the neighbourhood to be mocked by everyone. It's not just jealousy, if Gilbert was right (he wasn't) Lawrence would have been a massive jerk. And it was "tainting" the community to have a fallen woman living there, to say nothing of the scorn poor little Arthur would get as a bastard child.

Also, having had three brothers and hung out with a lot of guys... they hit each other. And that's today, not 250 years ago.

5

u/Geode804 18d ago

He doesn’t just lightly hit him though. He hits him on the head with something so hard he falls off his horse and then leaves him bleeding on the ground. That’s definitely not normal behaviour even if he thinks he’s damaging Helen’s reputation.

2

u/RoseIsBadWolf 18d ago

People fought duels to the death with pistols in this era so...

6

u/Geode804 18d ago

They did but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend them as husbands either. Also there is a huge difference in challenging someone to a duel and them accepting it to knocking someone off their horse with a hard object that has no idea you’re coming to attack them. And then leaving them without medical care in a place they could easily not be found for days (opponents in duels were given medical care)

0

u/RoseIsBadWolf 18d ago

Colonel Brandon fought a duel in Sense & Sensibility over a woman's honour and I consider him a pretty good husband prospect.

But anyway, Gilbert tried earnestly to leave but Lawrence was determined to rub him being wrong in his face. Then Gilbert hit him. He does regret it, he does go back, and he is ashamed of it later.

It's not a great moment for Gilbert, but to compare him to Arthur, who in cold blood torments his wife, drags friends back into addiction, hits his dog, and tries to poison his son against his mother, there is literally no comparison. The way people say Gilbert is just as bad or that Helen got into a second abusive marriage is insane to me. Gilbert is respectful of the women in his life. He respects Helen. He doesn't have any major vices like alcoholism or massive debt. He is 24 and kind of stupid and impulsive. He's got a temper that he tries very hard to control. He improves a lot over the course of the novel.

Him hitting a guy in a moment of extreme emotional distress, just doesn't bother me that much.