An Analysis of Evelyn Hope
Alright so I was reading Men and Women, and while this was not the one I ultimately decided to analyze, I really couldn't help but admire the twist that happens in this short poem "Evelyn Hope". To give a brief rundown for those who haven't read it, basically this sixteen-year-old girl named Evelyn Hope, and this guy is lamenting her death because he was lamenting her. At first, the man is made to be very sympathetic as he thinks "perhaps she scarcely knew my name," as he sits by her bed for an hour (Browning 13). However, there is this line that reads, "it was not her time to love," and while most may pass it over on the first reading, there's just an eerie quality about it. Why couldn't Evelyn Hope love? The answer comes in the third stanza on page 14, where we learn that the narrator is three times her age at least. It's a nice reveal, as everything that he said before about her beauty is made disturbing and creepy.
Ultimately, this play, much like the other Browning stories, is about men controlling women. The narrator believes that he Evelyn is his because he loves her, even though he fully admits that she didn't know him. This is illustrated when he says "For god above...creates the love to reward the love," as if to suggest that his love is divine and therefore just. He even fantasizes about what their life will be like once he's dead and she's with him. Everything we know of this girl comes from this man's perception of her as he tries to get an "I do" out of a corpse. In the sixth stanza we learned that he has "Gained me the gains of various men/Ransacked the ages," and while its unclear the specific of what he's done, Browning seems to be indicating that he is of morally repugnant status. Browning's point it seems is that to some men, women are prizes, and it matters not if the girl is under aged, whether she is three times less your age, or even dead. To these men, they are objects to be had
Ultimately, this play, much like the other Browning stories, is about men controlling women. The narrator believes that he Evelyn is his because he loves her, even though he fully admits that she didn't know him. This is illustrated when he says "For god above...creates the love to reward the love," as if to suggest that his love is divine and therefore just. He even fantasizes about what their life will be like once he's dead and she's with him. Everything we know of this girl comes from this man's perception of her as he tries to get an "I do" out of a corpse. In the sixth stanza we learned that he has "Gained me the gains of various men/Ransacked the ages," and while its unclear the specific of what he's done, Browning seems to be indicating that he is of morally repugnant status. Browning's point it seems is that to some men, women are prizes, and it matters not if the girl is under aged, whether she is three times less your age, or even dead. To these men, they are objects to be had
"Evelyn Hope" was my original choice too! Browning is really good at writing creepy stuff. This is another story about a controlling man immerging in his own fantasy of love. I really like how Browning gradually reveals the twisted mentality of the narrator as the poem progresses...
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