Structure in the nineteenth - century English novel is comprised of several intricately designed components that fit together to create a seamless narrative. This essay will be a critical analysis of the three primary facets of structure - character, plot and theme - in reference to the novels Mary Barton and The Woman in White. Character design is one of the most crucial elements in creating the fabric of the novel. Character is the aspect of structure the reader is most focused upon for a guide through the novel. The character Hartright, in The Woman in White, begins the journey along the path of the plot, yet is of a secondary nature to the plot itself. .
Mary Barton is not as dependent on plot as it is on theme. Plot in both novels is carefully constructed to give added emphasis to the theme. Both The Woman in White and Mary Barton have highly developed themes that are a product of the progress of the characters and the plot. The theme of a novel, when used in conjunction with highly stylized character and plot construction, forms the framework of the narrative.
Starting with an analysis of character one must first give it a literary definition. According to The Norton Introduction to Literature character is a fictional person, or "a combination of a person's qualities, especially moral qualities, so that terms such as "good' and "bad,' "strong' and "weak,' often apply" (139). With this in mind readers are able to take a close look at the characters in the two novels, their development and their contribution to plot and theme. The story begins from the perspective of Walter Hartright, an unemployed drawing master, who is given the chance to move to the country to tutor two young ladies. Walter, along with Marian Halcombe and Laura Fairlie, is constantly struggling to acquire identity and freedom. Peter Thoms writes: "The quest for the literal solutions to mysteries becomes a structure in which the psychological growth of the protagonist is depicted" (55).