Remarkable Creatures

Mary Anning’s character in the novel is based on the real Mary Anning from Lyme Regis, Dorset, who, despite being born into a working-class family and lacking a formal education, became a celebrated fossil hunter and amateur paleontologist in the early 19th century. The novel opens with Mary narrating how she survived a lightning strike as a child, which marked her life as exceptional from the beginning. Though Mary is poor and uneducated, she is an independent and brilliant thinker with a natural talent for finding and identifying fossils. She faces many challenges and prejudices in her pursuit of scientific knowledge based on her social class and gender; she also faces religious opposition to her discoveries since the theory of evolution hadn’t been posited yet and most people, including scientists, believed in creationism. Mary says that, because of her discoveries, she feels like “[she does] not entirely belong to the people [she] ought to in Lyme” (65), highlighting her feelings of isolation within her town. Mary’s chance meeting with Elizabeth Philpot, an educated middle-class woman, evolves into a mentorship and eventually a deep friendship that alters the course of Mary’s life.

Throughout the novel, Mary wrestles not only with the limitations of her class and gender but also with faith and mortality. Raised in a fundamentalist sect of Protestantism, Mary’s childhood faith taught her to never question God. However, each time she pulls a strange new skeleton out of the ground, Mary longs to understand how it fits into God’s divine plan. However, unlike the theologians and scholars studying the skeletons, the discoveries expand Mary’s worldview instead of narrowing it. Ironically, her lack of formal education frees her from the dogmatic trappings that hold someone like Mr. Buckland; Mary has more liberty to fearlessly explore the unknown.

Elizabeth first describes Mary as someone who “leads with her eyes” (13), which is a nod to Mary’s keen ability to observe and discover fossils hidden in the clay. Mary’s discerning gaze and sharp eyes, coupled with her indomitable spirit, allow her to exhume fossils that change the course of science and history. Mary comes across as a character marked by the elements: she is marked by fire from the lightning strike, water from the imprinted tidal motions, and covered in clay from days spent with her hands buried in the earth. This highlights that she is connected deeply with the natural world in her body; she also feels her strong emotions deeply in her gut. Mary is a foil to Elizabeth, who still follows middle-class societal conventions and often worries too much about manners and proper “ladylike” behavior. Mary’s stubborn nature and pride in herself and her work foster resilience, but they often put her at odds with society and even Elizabeth, who supports her financially and intellectually yet constantly reminds her of her lower social standing.

Mary also yearns for love and companionship, which she finds in the dashing Colonel Birch, a gentleman and fossil collector. Mary and Colonel Birch develop a close relationship, but when Elizabeth tells Mary the romance is doomed, Mary accuses Elizabeth of jealousy and this argument fractures their friendship for years. Colonel Birch’s rejection of Mary is a clarifying moment for her as she finally comes to grips with the limitations of her social class. After this, she says that “no one would ever call [her] Miss Mary. [She] would be plain Mary Anning” (323). Mary realizes that she will never marry above her class and gain society’s respect; however, this moment also solidifies her sense of pride in her own identity as “plain Mary Anning.” The portrayal of Mary’s struggles, triumphs, and resilience underscores the complexities of being a working-class woman in the 19th century. The novel celebrates how she overcomes prejudice and poverty to become a respected community member and a pioneering female scientist. 

Margaret is Elizabeth’s youngest sister. She is forced to move to Lyme Regis with her older sisters because she is still unmarried when their brother marries. Though Elizabeth describes her and Louise as not conventionally pretty, she says of Margaret that “At eighteen she was fresh and lively, and as pretty as a Philpot was ever going to be” (20). Fond of dressing fashionably and attending social events, Margaret represents the conventional middle-class behaviors of the era. Unlike her older sisters, she is unsatisfied with being single, and once in Lyme Regis, she remains hopeful that she will find a husband. She is a hopeless romantic who likes reading Jane Austen novels and wearing a feathered green turban. Margaret attracts the attention of a wealthy gentleman named James Foot and quickly falls in love with him. However, when James finds out that she is just middle class and doesn’t have much money to her name, he abandons her to marry someone else. Consequently, Margaret falls into a depression. Her once bubbly persona fades, and soon, society views her as too old to be an eligible match.

However, Margaret eventually makes peace with being unmarried and finds a way to live a meaningful life in the village by creating a medicinal salve that calms irritated skin. Elizabeth, too, benefits from her sister’s creation, using it on her hands that are frequently chapped from digging for fossils. The salve becomes popular in the village for soothing skin irritations, and Margaret makes it in bulk to distribute to those in need. Margaret’s character highlights that a woman can be a productive and beneficial member of society without a husband and children. She serves as a confidante to Mary after her heartbreak and supports Elizabeth’s work by healing her hands.

The character of Colonel Birch in the novel is based on a real-life person named Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas James Birch. The fictional Colonel Birch arrives in Lyme Regis, looking to profit from Mary Anning’s fossil-hunting skills. He is handsome, and Elizabeth and Mary are taken with him from the start. However, Elizabeth knows immediately that he is an amateur and is only interested in expanding his collection, not in understanding the science of paleontology. She says that he “found his [specimens] through his wallet, or his charm, or by picking them off others” (189), rather than through his own knowledge and skills. Mary falls in love with Colonel Birch and helps him find many valuable fossils, including a high-value ichthyosaur, but he never pays her for her services. Elizabeth confronts him, accusing him of being fully aware of Mary’s difficulties as a poor and uneducated woman, and scolds him for not compensating her properly. Though deeply in debt, Colonel Birch auctions his entire collection of fossils soon after and gives the Annings the proceeds. This act of kindness and generosity is a turning point in Mary’s life, as it enables her brother Joe to continue his upholstery business and allows Mary to continue her work with more financial security. Colonel Birch’s act also brings Mary more recognition as he publicly gives her credit for the fossil collection.

Colonel Birch becomes a source of tension between the friends as Elizabeth becomes jealous of the attention he gives Mary, since he praises Mary’s skills but ignores Elizabeth’s intelligence. This exposes Elizabeth’s emotional vulnerability as she briefly entertains the idea that he might consider her marriageable. However, when Elizabeth sees Colonel Birch in London with the widow Mrs. Taylor, whom he is likely courting, she must reconcile herself to the fact that he is neither interested in her nor Mary. After seeing him at the auction, Elizabeth cries in the coach as she relinquishes her attraction to him. Though Colonel Birch represents the stereotypical gentleman playboy of the era, careless with money and women’s hearts, he is also a kind and charitable character who helps the Annings financially. He also continues buying fossils from Mary, purchases her a dog as a companion, and grants her a birthday wish to spend one intimate afternoon together. Though his refusal to marry Mary hurts her for some time, Mary triumphs in feeling physically and emotionally satisfied by their sexual encounter and doesn’t allow her heartbreak to paralyze her.