The Coquette Analysis

Imagine what the novel of The Coquette would be like if it was written today instead of post American Revolution. How would Eliza be different or the same? The story of her two lovers and her downfall could be completely different and spun around. I will be exploring the ideas of what a present day Eliza would be like, and what her story might have been if it took place now. I will start by analyzing some of the characters, themes, and giving an idea of how they might be like present day. I will also analyze the story and key events that could be much different when put into today’s context. When looking into the character of Eliza I immediately describe her as a women who seeks for her independence and would do anything to reach it. She …show more content…
Eliza I believe would be a much happier person in our present day then she was back then. She would have had the ability to be the independent woman she wanted to be, and be able to have more freedom in choosing marriage and within a marriage. She would not have been pushed into the depression she had because she would have had all of the things she was fighting for already. The culture expectations and norms are very different then what they were at the time Eliza was alive, and today they are better suited for her. Eliza was definitely drawn in by flirting, and attraction. She wanted to find someone who she was attracted to and then become in love with them. Today I feel like that is how a lot of marriages and relationships start. We are more geared towards finding someone who is attractive because of the way our society is today. So much attention is put towards people’s looks, celebrities, and money that I feel like in Eliza’s time most of the attention was put on what social class you were a part of and men being the ones with the …show more content…
She knew that she had made a major mistake and became very ashamed of herself because of it. Though a man of that time were free to make mistakes and do with women as they had pleased. When comparing the idea of virtue to today’s standards it is not as highly pushed or practiced now. I think that women have this light of being able to do as a man does, and not be judged as harshly on their choices as in the past. I also believe that there are a lot less people now days that even value virtue because it is something that isn’t pushed as much. The want for men and women to be equal with their mistakes, and not having women be judged more harshly for the same thing a man has done is crucial. Equality is everything for a lot of people. If Eliza would have done what she had today she might not have been as harshly judged, and she may have not felt as ashamed because people would believe that she can move on from her mistakes and prosper from them in time. Major Sanford today could be looked at in a harsher light, because of how manipulative he was to her, and Eliza could be seen more as a victim in this case. The roles have somewhat reversed in a way on this idea of