Castle Parent Essay

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Throughout Castle Rackrent, Maria Edgeworth narrates the story through Thady Quirk who can be described as a lovable servant that has been loyal to the family for all of his life. He has his own opinions about some of the matters that take place on the Rackrent estate, but Thady does nothing about them because he presents himself as the loyal servant who speaks no wrong against the family. However, within Thady Quirk there is something that splits his loyalty between what he believes is right and the Rackrent family. This split loyalty presents itself quite clearly when sir Kit has control of the estate. Sir Kit is a gambler and when he needs more money, he marries rich. His wife, Lady Rackrent, comes to the estate and refuses to give sir Kit her diamond …show more content…

28). Thady relates sir Kit’s demise with Lady Rackrent and blames her for his death. He believes that it would have been prevented if Lady Rackrent had given up her diamond cross. In Elizabeth Kowaleski-Wallace’s essay Patriarchal Complicity, she states “However, if Thady’s narrative allows insight into a situation where patriarchal prerogatives exploit and victimize an innocent woman, that insight is problematized by Thady’s split loyalties.” (p. 168) This analysis of Thady’s loyalty elaborates what is said in the text. Thady feels sorry for Lady Rackrent when she gets imprisoned, but he later blames her for sir Kit’s death. Through analysis on the evidence provided in Kowaleski-Wallace’s essay and the text by Maria Edgeworth, one can conclude that Thady’s split loyalty is a problem. He knows what sir Kit does to Lady Rackrent is wrong and extraordinarily cruel, yet he stands by sir Kit’s side and does not say a

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