Inner changes of Mabel in ¡§the Horse-Dealer¡¦s Daughter¡¨ and the Lady of Shalott in ¡§the Lady of Shalott¡¨
... three ¡§ineffectual brothers¡¨ and her father are useless animals. The psychological situation of Mabel does not change until she is saved by Dr. Ferguson. Feeling desperate, she tried to drown herself in the pond, which symbolizes death as the words used to describe the pond, ¡§dead cold¡¨ and ¡§dead water¡¨. Mabel is reborn by Dr. Ferguson who ¡§could feel her live beneath his hands¡¨; ¡§she was coming back¡¨. Changes in her psychological situation are seen as she takes the initiation to talk and ask questions while she never opens her mouth and talk to anyone deliberately in the first half of the story. However, insecurity, fear and doubt can be seen from the frequency of her questions. She keeps asking ¡§Am I out of my mind?¡¨, ¡§Do you love me, then?¡¨ and persuading herself by repeating ¡§You love me¡¨. The very unstable psychological state of Mabel is seen when she takes notice of the uncertainty in Dr. Ferguson¡¦s eyes. ¡§Shadow of terrible grayness¡¨ and ¡§shining of joy¡¨ appears alternatively on her face. Although her inner change is clearly represented by the fact that she has her old wet clothes taken off and puts on ¡§her best dress of black voile¡¨, the uncertainty and doubt in her mind due to lack of confidence last to the end of the story. In the story, ¡§the Lady of Shalott¡¨, psychological changes of the Lady of Shalott can also be seen. Although there are not many wordings suggesting her emotions directly, like ¡§the Horse-Dealer¡¦s Daughter¡¨, clues of her inner changes can be sought from the descriptions of the surrounding environment. In Part 1, there are descriptions about the island of Shalott. We know that the land is beautiful with a lot of lilies, the flower symbolizing innocent and death, but is rather lifeless. However, when it come the second stanza with the description of things near the Lady of Shalott, things are gray and inanimate. Elements of wind, water and earth are mentioned in the stanza, but not fire, the symbol of life. The verse ¡§The Lady of Shalott¡¨ is indented, suggesting a sense of isolation. The Lady of Shalott tries to stand and wave in front of the window and wants to be seen. ¡§But who hath seen her wave her hand? / Or at the casement seen her stand?¡¨. The loneliness and desire to be noticed is observed here. In Part 2, the Lady of Shalott starts to weave, which is a kind of female work representing fate. Her psychological state starts to change a bit here when she sees the outside world through the mirror. She sees colors and girls with company, ¡§market girls¡¨ and ¡§a troop of damsels¡¨. The ¡§long-haired page in crimson clad¡¨ may be a clue of the Lady of Shalott¡¦s sexual desire due to the representation of color red. By the end of Part 2, her solitude is further deepened by the ¡§two young lovers latterly wed¡¨. The Lady of Shalott finally realizes what she is missing. She emotions are clearly shown by what she says, ¡§I am half sick of shadows¡¨, suggesting she her strong wish for freedom and reality. In Part 3, the Lady of Shalott sees Sir Lancelot. A detailed description of Sir Lancelot shows that the Lady of Shalott is so attracted by him. The identity of t...