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Popular Culture Review
This is still something of an inadequate response to Esther’s Victorian lack
of forcefulness. When Russell goes to London to see Holmes and he reacts,
“. . . you came to ask me to marry you,” (11) she acts every bit as confused and
helpless as Esther. Despite that this is her reason for coming, she ignores
Holmes’s entreaty, “. . . you are a great proponent of the emancipation of
women; surely you can manage to carry out your intentions in this little matter”
(13). The fact that she does not carry out her intentions is in part a reaction to his
callousness. A feminist reading of this as set against Esther’s actions, though,
would only have slightly more positive things to point to.
On the one hand, Holmes is much older than Russell; on the other, she
chooses to marry him and makes the first move by coming to see him. Whereas
Esther gives up hope of marrying Woodcourt and leaves it to Jamdyce to infer
her wishes, Russell takes charge by going to Holmes. Here, however, is one
place King’s slight discomfiture with feminism (despite being a self-described
feminist) is revealed through Russell. Russell runs from Holmes. Her inability to
put the question of marriage before him for the entire novel, despite her wishes,
is antithetical to the bold character King has heretofore presented. Russell acts
precisely as Esther Summerson would.
Russell follows Holmes’s lead in many things and in this most important
question, slightly detracting from King’s attempt to create a feminist heroine
who is the improved Victorian male detective. Perhaps the intent is to improve
the Esther archetype not perfect her, lending credibility to the actions of what a
woman would do at the time for the purposes of verisimilitude. However, in
their weaker moments Russell and Esther become one: victims and agents of the
whims of the men around them, making their internalized and unuttered wishes
less significant.
More disconcerting than feminist objections to the actions of the heroines is
the apparent acceptance of their men’s attraction to women whom they met and
cared for as adolescents. Holmes declares after kissing Russell for the first time,
“I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I laid eyes upon you” (328), a
romantic statement until you consider that she was 15 and dressed as a boy when
they me и