The Venetians · Question
How does The Venetians develop the theme of Exile and Escape?
Answer
The Venetians by M. E. Braddon develops Exile and Escape across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The theme of physical and emotional exile is central, as Vansittart flees to Africa and the desert to escape his past, and Lisa and her aunt are displaced from Venice to London, seeking a new life away from poverty and shame.
Vansittart's troubled memories of Venice and his reluctance to return to Italy reflect themes of exile and escape from past traumas.
Both John and Eve seek physical exile as a means to escape their emotional and psychological torment. John escapes to the African wilderness, while Eve retreats to the monastic solitude of Mont St. Michel.
Eve's travels through Europe are an attempt to escape her grief, while Vansittart remains in exile in Africa.
Evidence in the book
- XII: “One Born to Love You, Sweet”
Vansittart's troubled memories of Venice and his reluctance to return to Italy reflect themes of exile and escape from past traumas.
- XXX: A Double Exile
Both John and Eve seek physical exile as a means to escape their emotional and psychological torment. John escapes to the African wilderness, while Eve retreats to the monastic solitude of Mont St. Michel.
- XXXI: “Oh Tell Her, Brief Is Life, but Love Is Long”
Eve's travels through Europe are an attempt to escape her grief, while Vansittart remains in exile in Africa.
- A Scene of Light and Glory
Eve has been living in exile from her husband and home for three years, enduring a life she compares to a squirrel's wheel. Her journey to Venice is both an escape and a confrontation with the past.
