Hester (novel)
| Author | Margaret Oliphant |
|---|---|
Publication date | 1883 |
Hester is an 1883 novel by Margaret Oliphant.[1] It examines the cycle of history through the lives of the Vernon family.
Plot
Part 1
The Banking House of the Vernon's is a thriving, well-respected bank in England. After Mr. Rule, a clerk in the bank, hears rumors about a potential collapse of the bank, he seeks to find John Vernon, owner of the bank, but finds that Mr. Vernon has disappeared. Mr. Vernon's wife has no information about his disappearance or matters of the bank. However, Catherine, a part-owner of the bank, uses her fortune to prevent a run on the bank.
Decades later, Mrs. John Vernon and her 14-year-old daughter Hester move back to Redborough. When Hester meets Catherine she has an unfavorable impression of Catherine but she makes friends with Edward, Catherine's confidante and protege in the bank.
Five years later, Hester made friends with the elderly Morgans, suffers through family dinners, and rebuffs a marriage proposal from Harry, another protege of Catherine's.
Part 2
The Morgans' grandson Roland, briefly introduced in Part I, is developed as a love interest for Hester. The Morgans' express their concern about his character in part due to his job as a speculator.
Ellen starts throwing tea dances, which allow the youths to mingle unsupervised and Hester to 'come out' in society. Mrs John is excited to help her daughter come out. Additionally, Mrs John's pearls that she gives to Hester provide a point of contention between Catherine and Mrs John.
Roland's sister Emma comes to stay with the Morgans. She tries to get herself invited to the dances that she may also 'come out' and get married. Meanwhile, Edward makes his interest in Hester known and his discontent with Catherine comes forth.
Hester nearly finds out about her father at one of Catherine's parties.
Part 3
Hester's love life is revisited; marriage is brought up. Meanwhile, Roland talks business with Edward and Harry. Harry is opposed to speculating with the bank's money, but Edward seems all forward.
Edward's betrayal cuts deeply into Catherine, as well as severely harms the bank's business. Edward runs away and marries Emma.
Catherine and Hester work together to retain the bank's status and stability.
The name Hester is a Persian name. It means "Star".
Characters
- Catherine Vernon: The matriarch of Redborough and the Vernon family. It was Catherine who saved the Vernon family bank many years ago through her own fortune and willpower.
- Edward Vernon: A cousin of Catherine Vernon's and one of the partners in the bank. He is Catherine's favorite.
- Harry Vernon: Another cousin of Catherine's, and the other partner in the bank. Often viewed as dull by many of the other characters, he is very practical and business-minded.
- Ellen Vernon: Harry's sister. She lives in the White House with her brother, and marries Algernon Merridew.
- Hester Vernon: The titular character of the novel, and also a cousin of Catherine. The daughter of the man who ruined the bank, she is one of Catherine's poorer relatives.
- Mrs. John Vernon: The mother of Hester, and the widow of John Vernon. She arrives at the Henronry with almost nothing to her name.
- John Vernon: Catherine Vernon's cousin. He caused the run on the bank that led to Catherine Vernon's intervention. Died sometime between the Prologue and the first chapter.
- Mildmay Vernon: A spiteful cousin of Catherine. He spends his days belittling Catherine and the Vernon-Ridgeway sisters, whom he regularly gossips with.
- Miss Vernon-Ridgeways: Two spiteful cousins of Catherine Vernon. They have a less negative view of Catherine than Mr. Mildmay, but they criticize her every move regardless. Typical Victorian-era spinsters.
- Mrs. Reginald Vernon: A widowed cousin of Catherine. She lives on the opposite side of Hester, who spends her days educating Mrs. Reginald's three children.
- Captain Morgan: The Uncle of Catherine. He is a retired and venerable sea captain. Grandfather to Roland and Emma Ashton.
- Mrs. Morgan: The aunt of Catherine. Wife to Captain Morgan, and grandmother to Roland and Emma Ashton.
- Mr. Rule: Semi-retired clerk of the Vernon bank. One of the few characters not related to Catherine Vernon, he still helps the Vernon cousins oversee the day-to-day operations of the bank.
- Roland Ashton: Grandson of the Morgans, and a stock broker in the Stock Exchange. Love interest of Hester's.
- Emma Ashton: Granddaughter of the Morgans, with no occupation. She spends her time at the Henronry looking for an eligible bachelor, and sets her eyes on Reginald Merridew.
- Algernon Merridew: A clerk at the Vernon bank. Eventually marries Ellen Hester. Brother of Reginald Merridew.
- Reginald Merridew: Works in his father's office. Younger brother of Algernon Merridew. He hopes to marry Emma Ashton.
Further reading
- Boyer, George R., and Timothy P. Schmidle. "Poverty Among the Elderly in Late Victorian England". The Economic History Review 62.2 (2009): 249–278. JSTOR. Web. 2 April 2016.
- Michie, Elsie B.. "Buying Brains: Trollope, Oliphant, and Vulgar Victorian Commerce." Victorian Studies 44.1 (2001): 77–97. JSTOR. Web. 2 April 2016.
- http://www.mrsoliphant.org/hester:a_story_of_contemporary_life - Look at Oliphant and her works
- Thompson, Nicola Diane. Victorian Women Writers and the Woman Question. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1999. Print.