Confidence and Aspirations Lucas Solej Course: 19th Century Women’s Voices Professor: Barbara Suess Student: Lucas Solej Essay: Confidence and Aspirations
Assignment: The goal for this assignment was for students to provide a literary or cultural analysis related to one or more of the texts read in class this semester. Students
were expected to write a proposal, a reflection, and documentation of the research that informed their project.
It had been a few months since my departure from the Bloomfield household. I searched every newspaper, every inch and every corner, looking for someone in desperate need of a governess. Each attempt to reach out to potential clients resulted in disappointment. This was until one gloomy morning when my mother handed me a paper she was rather excited about.
governess for a few weeks! A household of this stature is likely searching for decades of governing.” “Have you seen the pay?” she asked. I was well aware of how much they were offering, more money than any other governess advertisement I have seen in my entire life. “It is still worth a try,” she calmly reminded me, and I agreed. One thing happened after another, and I forgot about the proposal for a while, understandably. I did not lend it my entire confidence. That was, until, a response fatefully showed up in our mailbox one morning! The Lady of the House, Mrs. Darcy, wanted to meet with me! Soon enough, I found myself saying goodbye to my family and being sent out into the world once more. It all happened so fast! Before I knew it, I was already on my way to the Darcy household.
“Agnes, come see.” She beckoned me over, very eagerly. “Yes, mother?” “Come see,” she repeated as she forced the paper in front of me. “Hold it still so I can read it!” I teased. When I finally grasped the paper away, I was rather shocked at to what she was referring. Right there, in the center of the page, was an advertisement. A wealthy family from the countryside was seeking for a governess. Their pay was high, likely as high as their expectations.
As the carriage traveled along the path, the storm around us began to grow stronger. Snow piled up all around us so quickly that it was a challenge to see even ten feet in front of the horse. This did not stop
“But, mother,” I replied. “Surely they are looking for someone with more experience. I have only been a 61
