Georgiana

Georgiana is the niece of the housekeeper Mrs. Clemm and works at the Bells House as well. When Lady Jane Lynke goes to Bells for the first time, it is Georgiana who opens her the door. The first impression which Lady Jane gets of her is, “She was youngish unhealthy, respectable and frightened[…].” (p. 596). Lady Jane does not tell her that she is the heir of Bells, she just tells her that she is interested in old houses and would like to visit Bells, so Georgiana tells her that “the house isn’t shown” (p. 596). Because of this Lady Jane tells her that she is distantly related to the family. Georgiana turns pale and tells her that she cannot decide this without asking permission. This is when Lady Jane insists. When Georgiana returns, she says “Mr. Jones says that no one is allowed to visit the house.” (p. 597).

While talking to Lady Jane Lynke Mrs. Clemm describes her as “my niece Georgiana is a hard worker.” (p. 600). She is not able to decide things by herself. She is either too scared or just insecure. It is awkward that she keeps following all the commands of Mrs. Clemm instead of Lady Jane Lynke. When Jane wants to dine in the blue parlor room, she instantly runs to Mrs. Clemm and tells her (p. 605). Furthermore, she seems afraid to go against Mr. Jones wishes. Immediately after Jane mentioned that she would break the door to the archives open; “For Georgiana had let fall with a crash the dish she was removing from the table. She gathered up the pieces in her tremulous fingers, and vanished.” (p. 609).

In the end, when her aunt Mrs. Clemm dies, it seems like her own mind breaks in the face of terror. “Georgiana stammered in a voice of terror” (p. 614) ,“Georgiana was crouching in the farther corner of the room [...]” (p. 615), “The girl looked up, her face blurred and distorted with weeping, her eyes dilated as if with the vision of some latent terror.” (p. 615), “The girl turned to her with eyes as fixed as the dead woman’s.” (p. 616). She says that Mrs. Clemm was punished by Mr. Jones. In the end she dies a strange death, like her aunt “Then, flinging her arms above her head, Georgiana straightened herself to her full height before falling in a swoon of Stramer’s feet” (p. 616).

The name Georgiana means “farmers wife” or “the one working with the earth”. The first meaning could hint at the simple nature of the girl, who is, as Mrs. Clemm herself said, not bright but can work well. The second meaning could point to the fact that she is working with Mr. Jones, who is already under the earth or has even become part of it [2].

[1] Lewis, Richard Warrington Baldwin (1968): The Collected Short Stories of Edith Wharton – Volume 2. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York.

[2]: “Georgiana”, Vorname.com.

https://www.vorname.com/name,Georgiana.html (10.05.2019)