Ruth

“No! diligent or idle, Ruth Hilton must appear to-night.”

Mrs. Mason is determined to have Ruth attend the fateful ball, setting a key plot aspect in motion. The quotation shows how forces external to Ruth conspire to lead her into Bellingham’s wake and helps to lessen Ruth’s responsibility for what happens to her. In a fashion that reflects a key trope of tragedy in literature, Ruth is depicted as destined to encounter a fate that she cannot avoid or escape.

“Those bright happy people—as much without any semblance of care or woe as if they belonged to another race of beings. Had they ever to deny themselves a wish, much less a want?”

This quotation conveys Ruth’s wonderment at observing members of the upper classes. The comparison to “another race of beings” suggests the vast gap between individuals from different class backgrounds and hints at why the relationship between Bellingham and Ruth was always doomed. The quotation also immediately positions members of the upper classes as invariably selfish and foreshadows how Bellingham will recklessly seduce Ruth to gratify his desires.

“His spirited and natural action of galloping into the water to save the child, was magnified by Ruth into the most heroic deed of daring; his interest about the boy was tender, thoughtful benevolence in her eyes.”

Ruth romanticizes and idealizes Bellingham, leading her to trust him and overlook his obvious faults. The quotation reflects the theme of appearances versus reality and hints to the reader not to make the same mistake of imagining Bellingham as a romantic hero. The quotation also shows that individuals cannot be assessed based on any single choice: Bellingham is a bad person who sometimes still does good deeds, whereas Ruth will be shown to be a good person who sometimes still makes mistakes.