The Enchanted April

This set of chapters opens with Mrs. Wilkins’s kiss, a gesture that symbolizes The Transformative Power of Acceptance and Understanding. Mrs. Fisher’s response to it illustrates just how profound of a transformation she has undergone: She finds Mrs. Wilkins distastefully “unbalanced” for much of the novel, and although she finds the kiss odd, she is touched by it. She realizes that perhaps she had always been more interested in friendship with the other women than she was willing to admit to herself. When it prompts her to wonder if perhaps Mrs. Wilkins never truly returned her antipathy, she reacts with pleasure. Her happiness at having made a new friend contrasts markedly with the strong dislike she exhibited toward the group in the early days after her arrival. Again, this novel suggests that for women in particular, friendship is important and should not be overlooked in favor of romantic love, marriage, and child-rearing.

The Importance of Self-Discovery and Personal Freedom remains a focus of Lady Caroline as she contends with the attention of both Mr. Briggs and Mr. Arbuthnot/Arundel. Although Lady Caroline is more open to the idea of friendship with the women in the group and with Mellersh, she still objects to the advances of most men. As she is beautiful, she is often surrounded by unwanted suitors, but since she has not yet recovered from the loss of the man she wanted to marry, she would rather be left alone. This depiction of a woman uninterested in the advances of men and unsure of marriage was, at the time of the novel’s publication, noteworthy. Other examples of such women were increasingly common in literature, but society still expected women to value marriage and children above all else. Although this novel ultimately argues in favor of forgiveness and the value of marriage, Lady Caroline stands as an important point of engagement with the idea that alternative paths to happiness do exist for women.

Transformation also saves the Arbuthnots’ marriage, invoking another resolution to The Demands of Marriage and Propriety. Nothing in the novel suggests that Frederick is going to find another line of work or a more respectable subject matter for his books. Their reconciliation is ultimately the result of Mrs. Arbuthnot’s change of heart. Forgiveness and acceptance emerge as more important than compromise, which is a nod to tradition and balances Lady Caroline’s “modern” sensibilities. That both marriages survive and grow as a result of the women letting go of their anger and expectations does mark this novel as at least partially rooted in social convention, although it might not have enjoyed its best-selling status had it depicted divorce or the estrangement that characterized von Arnim’s second marriage.

However, neither Mellersh nor Frederick is shown to be truly antagonistic. Each man has redeeming qualities that render their reconciliations more understandable. Frederick does indeed deeply love his wife and has keenly felt her judgment of him. It is evident that he withdrew from her emotionally and socialized without her because he did not like the way that he appeared in her eyes. When shown forgiveness and even love by her, he is ecstatic, and feels that, “It was wonderful to have it all come back to him” (204). Like Mellersh, all it took was kindness for the better parts of his personality to bloom.

Blooming is an apt metaphor for much of the transformation depicted in this book, rooted as it is in the novel’s many descriptions of the flora surrounding the castle. At the very end of the novel, each character is depicted smiling and happy, ready to return to their lives with a better understanding of who they are and what they want, but also a greater appreciation for their loved ones. The castle has indeed provided each character with the opportunity to reflect and grow, and they are all better for having had that chance.

There is one final moment of ambiguity, however. Mrs. Wilkins strongly asserts that Lady Caroline will warm to the attentions of Mr. Briggs even though her husband thinks the union unlikely. The one “clue” that the author provides is that Mrs. Wilkins notes that she can “see” the pair together. This is the same word she used to describe both her and Mrs. Arbuthnot’s arrival at the castle and Mellersh’s. Mrs. Arbuthnot has characterized her as a “seer,” and so the implication is that she is accurate in her predictions for Lady Caroline, although the novel leaves the possibility open-ended.