Mary Wollstonecraft’s *Mary: A Fiction*: Characters & Themes
Mary Wollstonecraft’s *Mary: A Fiction*
Feminist writer and intellectual Mary Wollstonecraft was born on April 27, 1759, in London. Brought up by an abusive father, she left home and dedicated herself to a life of writing. After her friend Fanny died in 1785, Wollstonecraft took a position as a governess. Three years later, she published her most famous work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, advocating for educational reform, giving women access to the same educational opportunities as men. She had two daughters, Fanny and Mary. She died 10 days after her second daughter was born.
Mary: A Fiction was published in 1788. It was composed while Mary worked as a governess in Ireland and published when she returned to England.
Characters
- Mary: Daughter of Edward and Eliza. She received very little affection from her parents. She was looked after by nurses, and it was an old housekeeper who read to her and eventually taught her to read and write. Her friend Ann helped her perfect these skills through letters. She was a kind and compassionate young woman; she learned to be alone yet longed for company, which came in the form of Ann, who, among other things, showed her the meaning of love and friendship.
- Eliza: Mary’s mother, a woman who suffered greatly from illness and lack of support, love, and affection at the hands of her husband. She spent most of her days with her dogs, her French waiting maid, and her son.
- Edward: Mary’s father. He liked women to be unproblematic, and enjoyed young women’s company and hunting. He treats Eliza very badly, believing she is not ill, just lazy. He is described as tyrannical and passionate.
- Ann: Mary’s friend. She was born into a poor family and is brought up by a clergyman. There, she is educated and falls in love with a young man, who forgets her when she is forced to return to her family. This gives her a fondness for solitude and a character similar (on the surface) to Mary’s, but her natural disposition is very different. She is several years older than Mary, so she teaches Mary some of the traits that the clergyman’s education had taught her, like refinement, good taste, and better reading and writing skills.
Themes in *Mary: A Fiction*
- Conventional Marriages: People married for interest. Parents decided who their daughters should marry, so many marriages were unhappy. There were not many happy marriages in the 19th century due to that. It was a social problem. When women married, they became a mere nothing.
- Education: Women’s education was limited because they only read books to learn how they had to behave. Education is a way of discrimination in that sense. Women were close to children, and that was their amusement. Their duties and responsibilities did not exist because they had nothing to do, and they did not go to school.
- The Importance of Society’s Opinion: Appearance meant a lot. Prejudices and opinions seemed to be equal terms. Prestige depended on society’s opinion because it was very relevant. Women were also moved by prejudices.
- Friendship: This fiction is based on the relationship between Mary and her friend, Ann, who is ill. After that, Mary had a friendship with Henry, although she fell in love with him.
- Nature: To find oneself in the Romantic period. The husband is somebody who is not good. He does not enjoy nature. He prefers the company of men. His wife is nothing to him.
- Women are considered inferior.
Wollstonecraft’s Viewpoint
Mary Wollstonecraft criticizes the fact that, at that time in history, men like Edward could have an education, go where they wanted, and do what they wanted, but women like Eliza were forced to stay at home; they could not complain; they were forced into child-like amusement. Mary criticizes this, the model that makes women worth nothing. During this time, nature is normally a positive thing, so the fact that Edward does not observe it means that he is not good; he has no sensibility. Her thoughts towards marriage probably have their origins in the marriages she saw growing up. Her father was an alcoholic who treated her mother badly, and her own love story was with an American adventurer, whom she fell in love with and who later abandoned her. So, after these examples, she probably saw marriage just as something of convenience, either for financial or political motives.