Hester

“They’ll call you crazy or say you’re a witch.”

Early in Hester, Isobel’s mother warns her young daughter that the term “witch” is used in various ways to subjugate women. The parallel between “crazy” and “witch” speaks to the demonization of mental illness in the 19th century, particularly when suffered by women, who were often accused or misdiagnosed for acting against white patriarchy. 

“Wanting brought pain, and women who desired and complained the least seemed the most contented.”

Isobel makes this observation during her youth in Scotland, as she tries to quell her desire for a better life. Despite her attempts to want less, her use of “seemed” reveals she knows many women only play at being content with their lives. 

“‘Hold still and it won’t hurt,’ Edward said. It was a lie. It hurt very much. I bit my lip and closed my eyes and felt my tenderness toward him break.”

Edward and Isobel’s wedding night frames his inattention to her pleasure as a form of violence. His lie about the pain and her resulting “break in tenderness” foreshadow the other ways in which Edward will prove an inadequate husband.