Lady Caroline Duckett (The Pretext)

Lady Caroline Duckett is the aunt of Guy Dawnish and plays a key-role in this short story. She is from England and the only known member of Guy Dawnish’s family who is not as wealthy as the others.

Lady Caroline Duckett is described as clever but horribly poor and she went through a “’beastly marriage’” (Lewis, 1968, p. 638 - 39). Guy Dawnish profits from her because she knows “everybody jolly and amusing, and had always been particularly kind to him.” (Lewis, 1968, p. 639). Later in the story, when she visits Mrs. Margaret Ransom her external appearance is described in more detail. As observed by Mrs. Margaret Ransom, she seems to give a “sharp impression of sallowness, leanness, keenness” (Lewis, 1968, p. 650). Further, she seems very straight and direct, almost a little cold at first and she does not show any of her kindness Guy Dawnish always spoke about (Lewis, 1968, p. 650). The reason for her behavior can be traced back to her being upset about the news that her nephew Guy Dawnish dissolved the marriage with Gwendolen Matcher because of an unfortunate attachment he made in Wentworth, which is also the reason of her visit. Again, Lady Caroline Duckett is described only through the eyes of Mrs. Margaret Ransom so it is a rather subjective view that is shown in the story. Lady Caroline Duckett gives the first impression of “an amplitude out of all proportion to her somewhat scant exterior.” (Lewis, 1968, p. 650). She has a small flat figure and wears a shabby heterogeneous dress and a fur boa around her neck. She is described as “as dowdy as any Professor’s wife at Wentworth” (Lewis, 1968, p. 650). Her eyes are far apart from each other (“far enough to see at separate angles”) and there is a sharp nose in between (Lewis, 1968, p. 650) and beneath it, her thin lips. She has some bangles around her arms and large hands (Lewis, 1968, p. 652).

By the time she appears in person in the short story she is upset about the decisions her nephew made and she visits the Ransom’s home to clear out all misunderstandings and to eventually meet the person Guy Dawnish had fallen in love with. For her it is impossible that her nephew fell in love with the old Mrs. Margaret Ransom so she asks to see Mrs. Robert Ransom Junior or the daughter-in-law of the elder woman who welcomed her (Lewis, 1968, p. 652). As she does not believe the answers of Mrs. Margaret Ransom, she simply labels her a pretext (Lewis, 1968, p. 653). It could mean that even Lady Caroline Duckett from England is affected by the social convictions like prudery and conservatism, because she does not believe that her young nephew loves an elder lady. Moreover, Lady Caroline Duckett is the reason Mrs. Margaret Ransom loses her faith of a better, brighter and more exciting life with a younger man because she believes that she was and still is nothing but a pretext.

Source:

Lewis, R. W. B. (1968). The Collected Short Stories of Edith Wharton. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.