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AYALA'S ANGEL by Anthony Trollope
Sep. 22nd, 2013 09:47 pmAyala and Lucy Dormer are the daughters of an impecunious artist left to the world when he dies. (Incidentally 'Ayala' is Hebrew for 'doe'.) The sisters are adopted separately to lead different lives and the novel is about their two worlds.
Trollope plays on the reader's Cinderella complexes from almost the moment the novel starts with the pair of penniless Dormer orphans. Lucy, the older sister, is plainer than Ayala but is also kinder, more thoughtful, and has more depth of mind. Lucy is adopted by the sisters' poor relatives and Ayala by their rich relatives. Immediately we're manipulated into sympathy for Lucy, even though perhaps some of her maturity is only what you'd expect from the older sister.
It keeps the reader's interest from the beginning that Trollope gives nuance to Lucy's life with the poor side of the family, the Dosetts. They are cold and penny-pinching as well as poor, as if Lucy is Cinderella darning sheets, but they have reasons to be the way they are. In order to take in their niece they have made personal sacrifices; their struggle to exist on a small income while maintaining their pride is real. Despite their faults, Aunt and Uncle Dosett are very human.
Ayala is also interestingly unwise, naive, spirited, charismatic, and very likeable - especially when the narrative switches to her. Ultimately, she's alone in the world and dependent on others to survive; just because she's adopted by the rich relatives, Sir Thomas Tringle and Lady Tringle, does not mean that she lacks troubles. Particularly since the rich relatives are, on the whole, more unpleasant in personality than the poor. It's also disturbing that the son of the house falls in love with Ayala and she doesn't return his affections. The narrator describes the son as good-hearted though oblivious, but how good-hearted is it really to press one's attentions on someone who cannot escape them? Tom's actions come across to me as much less noble than the narrator praises; learning how to respect a 'no' is required of every human.
One doesn't want Ayala to marry a man she is not at all attracted toward for the sake of material support, or because he is supposed to have a good heart and deserve a bride. It's bad to spoil, but Trollope does not disappoint with the idea that love is vital for a good marriage.
After establishing sympathy for Lucy, Trollope than has the sisters switch places - the wealthy household for Lucy and the poor for Ayala, at the will of the rich family rather than the sisters themselves. Lucy is commendably unselfish in her view on the switch. Upon which the main meat of the story begins. Lucy is quickly snatched up by a suitor for her, whereas Ayala struggles against her romantic ideal of an angel of light with azure wings as compared to reality. The rest of the story proceeds to focus on Ayala.
Ayala is found irresistible by most of the men she meets. To add to which, Ayala's older cousin's husband is The Thing That Will Not Leave to his in-laws, her younger cousin also wants a husband by fair means or foul, one of the husbands she considers is in love with his own distant cousin, Ayala's male cousin will do absolutely anything for her love including punching policemen, another one of Ayala's swains switches his attentions to the younger cousin, Ayala's uncle and aunt won't accept her sister's fiancé, and Ayala herself is still busy looking for an angel with azure wings.
All of which leads to the cry from the put-upon patriarch Sir Thomas Tringle:
Why is it that my children are so much more foolish than other people's?
There's much hilarity in all the loves and would-be lovers, especially resulting from the chaos that charismatic Ayala sows in her wake. There's even a proposed duel to the death that turns spectacularly farcical! The secondary characters liven the story and strongly add to the humour.
I liked the aspect that some of Ayala's attractiveness is implied to be due to her idealism - it's lovely and optimistic that ideals are so attractive. Ayala learns a lesson about realism in the course of the story, of course, giving a good balance to the question; but she has a loving heart and searches for beauty and these are probably the most important aspects about her.
It is a shame that more of Lucy's character is not explored, as she appeared so interestingly and sympathetically in the first part of the novel. There are ways in which she is a more interesting character than Ayala, even though her love life is not as externally complicated. What's there about Lucy is interesting, but it would have been nice for Lucy to share more of the spotlight with her sister and have the nuances of her engagement and marriage and practicalities explored.
There is also a nice little cameo of characters from THE AMERICAN SENATOR, who are happy and well off in spite of their past romantic troubles in that book.
Overall, AYALA'S ANGEL is excellent - compelling characters, a fair dose of humor, and a rattling, interesting plot. It's good and long and difficult to put down.
Trollope plays on the reader's Cinderella complexes from almost the moment the novel starts with the pair of penniless Dormer orphans. Lucy, the older sister, is plainer than Ayala but is also kinder, more thoughtful, and has more depth of mind. Lucy is adopted by the sisters' poor relatives and Ayala by their rich relatives. Immediately we're manipulated into sympathy for Lucy, even though perhaps some of her maturity is only what you'd expect from the older sister.
It keeps the reader's interest from the beginning that Trollope gives nuance to Lucy's life with the poor side of the family, the Dosetts. They are cold and penny-pinching as well as poor, as if Lucy is Cinderella darning sheets, but they have reasons to be the way they are. In order to take in their niece they have made personal sacrifices; their struggle to exist on a small income while maintaining their pride is real. Despite their faults, Aunt and Uncle Dosett are very human.
Ayala is also interestingly unwise, naive, spirited, charismatic, and very likeable - especially when the narrative switches to her. Ultimately, she's alone in the world and dependent on others to survive; just because she's adopted by the rich relatives, Sir Thomas Tringle and Lady Tringle, does not mean that she lacks troubles. Particularly since the rich relatives are, on the whole, more unpleasant in personality than the poor. It's also disturbing that the son of the house falls in love with Ayala and she doesn't return his affections. The narrator describes the son as good-hearted though oblivious, but how good-hearted is it really to press one's attentions on someone who cannot escape them? Tom's actions come across to me as much less noble than the narrator praises; learning how to respect a 'no' is required of every human.
One doesn't want Ayala to marry a man she is not at all attracted toward for the sake of material support, or because he is supposed to have a good heart and deserve a bride. It's bad to spoil, but Trollope does not disappoint with the idea that love is vital for a good marriage.
After establishing sympathy for Lucy, Trollope than has the sisters switch places - the wealthy household for Lucy and the poor for Ayala, at the will of the rich family rather than the sisters themselves. Lucy is commendably unselfish in her view on the switch. Upon which the main meat of the story begins. Lucy is quickly snatched up by a suitor for her, whereas Ayala struggles against her romantic ideal of an angel of light with azure wings as compared to reality. The rest of the story proceeds to focus on Ayala.
Ayala is found irresistible by most of the men she meets. To add to which, Ayala's older cousin's husband is The Thing That Will Not Leave to his in-laws, her younger cousin also wants a husband by fair means or foul, one of the husbands she considers is in love with his own distant cousin, Ayala's male cousin will do absolutely anything for her love including punching policemen, another one of Ayala's swains switches his attentions to the younger cousin, Ayala's uncle and aunt won't accept her sister's fiancé, and Ayala herself is still busy looking for an angel with azure wings.
All of which leads to the cry from the put-upon patriarch Sir Thomas Tringle:
Why is it that my children are so much more foolish than other people's?
There's much hilarity in all the loves and would-be lovers, especially resulting from the chaos that charismatic Ayala sows in her wake. There's even a proposed duel to the death that turns spectacularly farcical! The secondary characters liven the story and strongly add to the humour.
I liked the aspect that some of Ayala's attractiveness is implied to be due to her idealism - it's lovely and optimistic that ideals are so attractive. Ayala learns a lesson about realism in the course of the story, of course, giving a good balance to the question; but she has a loving heart and searches for beauty and these are probably the most important aspects about her.
It is a shame that more of Lucy's character is not explored, as she appeared so interestingly and sympathetically in the first part of the novel. There are ways in which she is a more interesting character than Ayala, even though her love life is not as externally complicated. What's there about Lucy is interesting, but it would have been nice for Lucy to share more of the spotlight with her sister and have the nuances of her engagement and marriage and practicalities explored.
There is also a nice little cameo of characters from THE AMERICAN SENATOR, who are happy and well off in spite of their past romantic troubles in that book.
Overall, AYALA'S ANGEL is excellent - compelling characters, a fair dose of humor, and a rattling, interesting plot. It's good and long and difficult to put down.
