The Moonstone

(David Chisholm, Christiana du Pont)

 

Gabriel Betteredge

 

In the beginning of the story, we find out many things from his past. We find out that he has a daughter, named Penelope, and a wife named Selina Goby who has passed. Even before we find out about his servitude to Lady Verinder, we are introduced to his passion with the book Robinson Crusoe. He quotes the book in the first page, which says, “Now I saw, though too late, the Folly of beginning a Work before we count the Cost, and before we judge rightly of our own Strength to go through with it.”(21). Throughout the book he goes on to quote the novel, and it is a kind of reassuring message to the reader that there are morals to be discovered while reading. Betteredge proves himself to be if anything loyal, and as the story develops he continues to show that trait. When the diamond goes missing, he keeps in mind the best interest of the family, and shows his good heart as he defends Rosanna. His cooperation with Bruff is noble, as he still hesitates to accuse anybody in the midst of the investigation. As a reader, his disposition towards the case is intriguing because there is no bias, Betteredge instead pokes questions and shows just as much knowledge as the reader. The following quote is a good example of how Betteredge is like the readers, “I find it very difficult to describe how I was affected by the discovery that Rosanna Spearman was missing. I seemed to be in fifty different minds about it, all at the same time. In that state, I stood staring at Sergeant Cuff- and my powers of language quite failed me.”(170). Later on in the book and in other narratives, Betteredge continues to be a man of principle and nobility, while he also has a little part of him that still wants to solve the mystery. As a reader, Betteredge is a great character because he helps the investigation along, like when he reorganizes the entire house for Ezra Jenning’s experiment, or when he helps Franklin discover Rosanna’s secret box. Also, his neutrality in the beginning helps set up the developing of the reader’s opinion.

 

Lady Verinder

 

Lady Verinder is a very strong-willed and never hesitates to say how she feels. She never does anything to harm her daughter and is a fair person who will always do what she thinks s right. She seems to have no opinion on the case, only wanting to protect her daughter from the scene surrounding her. A quote that describes Lady Verinder well is, “ My daughter’s better feelings shall be appealed to, as you propose, but I claim the right, as her mother, of putting her to the test myself. You will remain here, if you please; and I will go to Frizinghall.”(189). This passage shows how good of a mother she is because even though she dislikes the investigation and situation, she decides to participate because her daughter would want her to be there. Lady Verinder never reveals too much of her emotions or opinions, she is described very generally which reveals her character as resolute and not very complicated. As a reader, I think we respect her because she is just as surprised as everyone else when the diamond shows up, and reacts to the disappearance very calmly. She never let her emotions get the best of her, which made the reader respect her a lot. Overall, even to her death, Lady Verinder just wanted to protect her family and was an unfortunate victim of family lineage

 

Rachel Verinder

 

Rachel Verinder is arguably the most mysterious character of the book. We don’t find out until later why she acts so strange after the theft of the stone, but until then we don’t really know what’s up with her. In the beginning of the story, she is a very happy girl who lives a charmed life and seems to be perfectly content. Once her party rolls around however, her character begins to darken. Once the stone is stolen, Rachel becomes depressed and distraught, especially towards Franklin Blake who she previously had feelings for. We aren’t quite sure why she is acting so upset towards him especially, but she seems to be more disappointed in him rather than the actual diamond missing. A quote that describes her character would be “You have forgotten the Moonstone, Mr. Bruff, have I not braved public opinion, there, with my own private reasons for it?”(296). This shows how strong she has been throughout the investigation when she wishes she could just say what she knows about Franklin stealing the stone. Her love for him makes her character torn and the way she acts throughout the story slowly becomes more acceptable to the reader as we find out what she’s dealing with. As a reader we are a little confused with her at first, but there is some compassion we feel for her as we find out what she knows. Between her stone being stolen, her exile, her broken engagement, and Blake’s betrayal, Rachel is arguably the most conflicted character in the whole novel.

 

Rosanna Spearman

 

Rosanna is a character that is a victim of her past. She is taken in as a house servant from jail and to her credit; she never does anything wrong once working for the Verinders. Obviously she is a main suspect once the diamond goes missing, and is somewhat disrespected by superintendent Seagrave during his questioning. Once people find out she was up late with a fire and linens, most people in the house, and the reader, suspect her as being the thief. As a reader, I believe we think it’s too obvious to be her, and although all the evidence is pointing towards her, we like her. Her love for Franklin Blake shows a softer side of her, and as the reader I think we hoped Blake would notice her. As she leaves the house and gives the letter to the Yollands, I think we finally realize that we will never fully understand her story, until Blake comes back for it of course. The part where Franklin Blake reads her letter is arguably the most intense and best part of the book, and she becomes a very endearing character and the reader almost feels bad forever suspecting her. “In this uncertainty, one thing was plain- that Sergeant Cuff was miles away from knowing the whole truth. You were safe as long as the nightgown was safe- and not a moment longer.”(349). This quote by Rosanna in the letter she wrote Franklin shows that she was smarter than we had given her credit for. She went through so much to clear Blake’s name, and make him a new gown after the paint had smeared on his old one. It was kind of refreshing as a reader to know that Cuff was wrong about her and she went that far for the man she loved.

 

Franklin Blake

 

Franklin Blake is arguably the most important character in the novel. He is introduced early as he brings the news of the diamond to the Verinder Estate and plays a lead role since then. Franklin seems like a nice man in the beginning, being related to the Verinders and knowing them for quite some time, and is described as a well educated and cultured person. Rachel obviously takes a quick liking towards him as he does with her. Once the diamond is taken, we hear a lot of his opinions on the case as he tries to solve it with Betteredge and Cuff. He is a compassionate person when it comes to the case and doesn’t necessarily accuse anyone at first, but definitely thinks there is something up with Rosanna. As a reader, we don’t suspect him at all of being the thief mainly because of his known affection for Rachel and his relationship with the Verinders. Later, when Rachel leaves him, he drops the case as does everyone else. Once news of his father passing, he returns and the climax of the story starts to build. Franklin becomes feverish with the intent to find out what actually happened with the missing diamond. He starts to uncover the mystery in Frizinghall with Bruff, and learns a lot about when the diamond will show up again. As a reader, this is a very exciting part of the book because Franklin seems as if nothing will stop him in pursuit of the truth. Once he returns to the mansion and finds everything out about Rosanna, he knows he has to talk to Rachel. His talk with Rachel is somewhat bittersweet, as we know they probably won’t ever end up together, but things are finally starting to come together. Once we find out everything (Him stealing the diamond, the Indians kidnapping the men, the loan at the bank, and Rosanna’s letter) we could finally put aside personal bias as a reader and just let the story unfold. Franklin’s character was crucial to the book and I think we always liked him even after we knew he took the stone. He was diligent in finding out the truth and always did what he had to. Once the experiment with the Opium is through, he goes back to lead his normal life as a traveller, which is what I think all of us were hoping for. I would say Blake was for the most part the protagonist of the story, even though he was part of the reason there was a problem in the first place.

 

Ezra Jennings

 

Ezra Jennings was not really a main factor in the story to begin with. He was mentioned someone early on but just as Mr. Candy’s assistant. Obviously he plays a crucial role later on in the book as he does the experiment on Franklin Blake. Despite how he is described to look, I think it was smart how we never really knew. We as readers dissected him solely on how he acted in the book, which was with nothing but high character. Ezra was always helpful and even though he didn’t know Franklin Blake, his character showed when he offered to help, knowing the importance it had with Franklin. A quote that really reveals Ezra is “What is the secret of the attraction that there is for me in this man? Does it only mean that I feel the contrast between the frankly kind manner in which he has allowed me to become acquainted with him, and the merciless dislike and distrust with which I am met by other people?”(418). This is a great quote because at first, the reader may have been a little anxious and on-edge about Ezra following Franklin Blake around. In reality, shown in his narrative, Ezra is a kind person that feels an obligation to Franklin because he has actually been a good person towards him. This is a great moral shown through Ezra and Franklin, which teaches the reader that being kind can pay off. Ezra’s vast knowledge of Opium, and kind heart in taking care of Candy and helping Blake, ultimately resolve all most of the answers the reader had. Of course, in the end we find out that the experiment did not prove completely successful, the diamond was never as much of an issue as was the frantic rush to find out who took it. Ezra’s unlikely character proved to be the most important.