Citation

Kim JE. Neophilologus 2021; 105(3): 479-490.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021)

DOI

10.1007/s11061-021-09685-7

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article examines John Law's novel, A Manchester Shirtmaker, which emphasizes the sewing machine's notable appearance, symbolized as the "Angel of the House" in popular Victorian advertisements. While previous studies have concentrated on Mary Dillon's infanticide and ultimate suicide, in this essay, I suggest that the result of the loss of her wedding gift and lifeline, the sewing machine, is the root of the tragedy and represents the feminist and socialist theme. The protagonist, Mary Dillon, is "hemmed in" and being "stitched up" which literally means sewing and has the British slang connotation for being framed or tricked into a difficult or unpleasant situation. The sewing machine as wedding gift functions as a legal guardian or a substitute for the absent husband figure. Hence, the sewing machine can be the metaphorical "Angel of the House," which stands for virtue and faithfulness to her late husband when kept in the household. I support that she loses all these significant meanings imbued in the sewing machine when she pawns it. The immense loss is the driving force and motive of her arbitration, which I term as "legal storytelling," when she speaks up for herself during the trial before the judges and jury. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.

Language: en

Keywords

A Manchester Shirtmaker; Angel of the House; John Law; Legal storytelling; Margaret Harkness; Sewing machine