Etiquette Character Analysis

Following the Path to One’s Own Happiness Hannah W. Foster uses incredible language in her novel published in 1797, The Coquette. This novel, made up of letters, allows the audience to fully understand what was expected of women during this time, the restraints on the women, and how women were seen and treated when not following the rules of how to be a proper woman. During this time period woman were to get married, take care of the house and domestic duties, and to produced children that could carry on the family name. Eliza Wharton, the protagonist in the novel, does not want to conform to society and be the domestic lady that everyone else thinks she should be. She does not want to conform because she believes that marriage is the end

Lucy as well as Mrs. Richman repeatedly talks to Eliza about Boyer’s status and how her status would change drastically if she would marry him. Everyone repeatedly makes it known that Boyer is out of Eliza’s league and that she should jump on the fact that he is even interested in her. Lucy explains to Eliza that, “his situation in life is, perhaps, as elevated as you have a right to claim,” but Eliza does not care that he could completely improve her life (Foster 27). To the lady’s during this time period, how others see you and think of you is one of the most important things. Mrs. Richman thinks that she is going to be able to convince Eliza to choose to be with only Boyer by stating, “you’re friends, Eliza, would be very happy to see you united to a man of Mr. Boyer’s worth,” but the only thing worth anything to Eliza is happiness and just because Boyer may be the better man and the man that has the money, does not mean that he is the one that contains the happiness for her (Foster 24). To Eliza, there is nothing wrong with how she lives her life because she is happy and that is what truly matters. Throughout The Coquette Eliza explains that, “[she is] too happy in [her] present connections to quit them for new ones” (Foster 24). Eliza does not care that she is doing the very opposite from all of her friends and loved ones, she does not

Eliza can never really decide which one she would pick because both of them lead to her happiness even though that is not the norm and creates the rumors surrounding her. Once when Eliza returns from a date with Boyer, she writes to Lucy that Mrs. Richman declares, “that I should own myself somewhat engaged to him. This, I told her I should never do to any man, before the indissoluble knot was tied…that will be the time I resign my freedom” (Foster 30). Not only does Eliza refuse to only see one man, she also shows the audience in this quote that she believes marrying a man means one must resign their freedom. Freedom is what holds Eliza’s happiness, being able to go about dating two men at once is what makes her happy, so giving up that freedom and happiness just to marry sounds insane to her. Eliza repeatedly speaks to her friend Lucy about friendship and how important it is to her, more important than her future marrying a man of stature. Eliza fully believes that one cannot have both a marriage and friendships. Eliza even states that, “marriage is the tomb of friendship and that it appears to her to be a very selfish state” (Foster 24). Eliza’s harsh thinking of marriage really show the audience how marriage is the one thing that she fears more than anything, Eliza even feels that marriage could lead to her demise. According to The Cult of Womanhood in