Essay On Lady Braden's Domestic Circle

Lady Bradeen’s domestic circle is not the only one left undisturbed by the telegraph, in fact the telegraphist herself is also affected by the use of the sounder, which gets her involved in the lovers’ “large and complicated game” (James 125) and, pushes her to delay her wedding with Mr. Mudge and even shifts her interest away from her fiancé. From the beginning of the novel, the young telegraphist reveals that she is engaged to Mr. Mudge and that she shall move to Chalk Farm, an outer suburb with less upper-class drama and secrets that “she should miss” (James 121). However, Lady Bradeen and her telegrams kindle her desire to stay in Mayfair. After getting involved in their affair, the telegraphist delegates herself a new mission: keeping Everard’s secret well hidden. In fact, she makes an allusion to that when Mr. Mudge asks her if she is ready to move to Chalk Farm: “No, not yet, all the same. I’ve still got a reason—a different one” (James 174). We notice
Whether it is a heartless demon or a revolutionary communication apparatus, whether it impacts the inventor or the user, inventions will have a devastating effect on family and marriage. It can be as harmful as killing the whole family as in Frankenstein, or as subtle as allowing a wife be unfaithful to her husband or delay the prospect of their union as in In The Cage. This is a powerful and surprising conclusion since it implies that the inventive work will always be detrimental to the domestic circle and that we have to choose between one and the other. This is also the same conclusion Frankenstein reaches: “If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections, then that study is certainly unlawful” (Shelley 34). Therefore, we should use inventions moderately in order to keep our domestic circle safe and our domestic relations