The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens Essay -- essays research

â€Å"It has often been remarked that woman have a curious power of divining the characters of men†(75). This quotation from The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens reflects the opposite of what a typical Dickensian society is supposedly based upon. In this standard society, the plot would be based around the life of a dominant male. Although the title reflects a male name, the movement in the novel is directly related to the exploits of a particular character, Rosa Bud. Fondly called Rosebud by her peers, she is the apple of every man’s eye and the envy of every woman’s. She takes control in the plot not because she evidences forceful or masculine qualities, but because the powerful characters in Cloisterham, males, are all in love or feel a kinship to Rosebud. The power is therefore transferred into her hands as a result of her ability to influence these characters through their love and admiration for her. Attending school at a nunnery, Rosa’s female friends rarely have any contact with men. Through her betrothal to Edwin Drood, Rosa is the only woman within the nunnery that has a man to court her. She is the only woman mentioned, in the nunnery, that is going to be married off to a man, not God. Rosa capitalizes on this situation by leading the other girls in the nunnery to be her â€Å"poor pets†(118). She realizes that the girls as well as the head of the school, Miss Twinkleton, who describes Rosa as her â€Å"pet pupil†(14), look at her to be the embodiment of romance because of her prospective marriage. Miss Twinkleton and the girls live their love lives through Rosa, â€Å"over her shoulder†(51). Rosa feeds into the situation by making sure that the girls are watching her and letting Edwin know that they â€Å"must get married . . . the poor girls would be so dreadfully disappointed† (17). She uses her power over Edwin, which is given through l ove and devotion to her and both of their parent’s wishes for them to be married, as a way to stay in control at the nunnery. She is the object of the gaze to all of the girls and Miss Twinkleton, â€Å"nothing escapes their notice†(18). Realizing that she is the object of their gaze, she remains in control by showing the girls what she has with Edwin from afar. The girls are under the impression that Edwin and Rosa are in a perfect relationship when, in actuality Rosa decides that they have to â€Å"pretend that you (Edwin) are engag... ...t can be said from the information gathered that Rosa tries to keep bits of information from people so that she is the only one that has all of the control. The squabble that occurs between Neville and Edwin is a result that Neville feels that Edwin does not appreciate Rosa and his â€Å"good fortune that is not by any means necessarily a result of his good merits†(60). Neville has affection for Rosa after just meeting her a few nights ago. The argument results in Neville flinging his â€Å"dregs of wine at Edwin Drood†(61). This scene reflects Rosa’s ability to take new people that come to Cloisterham and get them to instantly feel a kinship to her. She has the capacity to force Neville into â€Å"rising in a fury†(61), after just recently meeting him. The plot line in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, although written in the 19th century, reflects the life of Rose Bud. Though she does not appear to be the main character in the novel, the plot revolves around her actions and opinions. Her secrecy about certain things to different characters enables her to accomplish this. Every other character’s fascination with her makes it easy for her to make allies and create confidant, all working in her favor. The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens Essay -- essays research â€Å"It has often been remarked that woman have a curious power of divining the characters of men†(75). This quotation from The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens reflects the opposite of what a typical Dickensian society is supposedly based upon. In this standard society, the plot would be based around the life of a dominant male. Although the title reflects a male name, the movement in the novel is directly related to the exploits of a particular character, Rosa Bud. Fondly called Rosebud by her peers, she is the apple of every man’s eye and the envy of every woman’s. She takes control in the plot not because she evidences forceful or masculine qualities, but because the powerful characters in Cloisterham, males, are all in love or feel a kinship to Rosebud. The power is therefore transferred into her hands as a result of her ability to influence these characters through their love and admiration for her. Attending school at a nunnery, Rosa’s female friends rarely have any contact with men. Through her betrothal to Edwin Drood, Rosa is the only woman within the nunnery that has a man to court her. She is the only woman mentioned, in the nunnery, that is going to be married off to a man, not God. Rosa capitalizes on this situation by leading the other girls in the nunnery to be her â€Å"poor pets†(118). She realizes that the girls as well as the head of the school, Miss Twinkleton, who describes Rosa as her â€Å"pet pupil†(14), look at her to be the embodiment of romance because of her prospective marriage. Miss Twinkleton and the girls live their love lives through Rosa, â€Å"over her shoulder†(51). Rosa feeds into the situation by making sure that the girls are watching her and letting Edwin know that they â€Å"must get married . . . the poor girls would be so dreadfully disappointed† (17). She uses her power over Edwin, which is given through l ove and devotion to her and both of their parent’s wishes for them to be married, as a way to stay in control at the nunnery. She is the object of the gaze to all of the girls and Miss Twinkleton, â€Å"nothing escapes their notice†(18). Realizing that she is the object of their gaze, she remains in control by showing the girls what she has with Edwin from afar. The girls are under the impression that Edwin and Rosa are in a perfect relationship when, in actuality Rosa decides that they have to â€Å"pretend that you (Edwin) are engag... ...t can be said from the information gathered that Rosa tries to keep bits of information from people so that she is the only one that has all of the control. The squabble that occurs between Neville and Edwin is a result that Neville feels that Edwin does not appreciate Rosa and his â€Å"good fortune that is not by any means necessarily a result of his good merits†(60). Neville has affection for Rosa after just meeting her a few nights ago. The argument results in Neville flinging his â€Å"dregs of wine at Edwin Drood†(61). This scene reflects Rosa’s ability to take new people that come to Cloisterham and get them to instantly feel a kinship to her. She has the capacity to force Neville into â€Å"rising in a fury†(61), after just recently meeting him. The plot line in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, although written in the 19th century, reflects the life of Rose Bud. Though she does not appear to be the main character in the novel, the plot revolves around her actions and opinions. Her secrecy about certain things to different characters enables her to accomplish this. Every other character’s fascination with her makes it easy for her to make allies and create confidant, all working in her favor.