A Faulty Basis of Actions

It was nice for a change to read a novel that was easy to be drawn into. I enjoyed the writing style of the novel where conversations drove the novel forward. However, the novel was quite different from what I expected it to be.
What was surprising to me as I read the novel was Ellen’s character. I had never read the novel before, but I had been anticipating a stronger, feminist character. As the novel was written by a woman in the 19th century, who must have been discriminated against because of her gender, I expected to find a protagonist who resisted the traditional characteristics that were required of women. (Obviously, I had not known much about Susan Warner’s life when I thought this). I was surprised to discover otherwise.
The mother-daughter relationship obviously serves as the central topic for the first chapters of the novel. I know this novel was written in a different time, and therefore the settings are inevitably unfamiliar to us. I tried to keep this in mind while reading, but I found it hard to relate to their relationship. Ellen is weak and submissive most of the time. She relies greatly on her mother and bends her will completely to her mother’s wishes. Ellen strives to behave in the “right” way, which should make her an admirable character. However, I couldn’t help but think—is she doing this because she really believes she should, or just blindly following her mother’s orders? One passage that I found bothering was: “Every now and then I think of something I want to learn; I can’t remember them now. But I’m doing nothing,” said Ellen sadly,--“learning nothing—I am not studying and improving myself as I meant to; mamma will be disappointed when she comes back, and I meant to please her so much!” (Warner 140). Even though this passage suggests a need for women’s education, its power is made doubtful by Ellen’s last statement. Also, a child trying to please their parent wouldn’t seem nearly as bad if Ellen’s mother had been portrayed differently. I felt as if that Ellen’s mother was seen as a strong character primarily only to Ellen. Even though Ellen’s mother is meant to be portrayed as the “stronger” of the two, and acts as a mental stronghold for Ellen, she is ultimately also under the influence of Captain Montgomery. The “strength” from which the protagonist draws upon is merely another victim of a patriarchal society. It reflects the limits women had to face during that time.