The Exiles

“Lady Franklin’s eyes widened. ‘Goodness! I am impressed, Mr. Robinson. You are turning savages into respectable citizens.’”

Much is said in the novel about the differences between those who are civilized—namely, the British—and those who exist on the outskirts of society, separated from British customs and expectations. Though Mathinna’s tribe harbors its own share of culture and relevance, it is denounced as “savage,” in need of salvation. The irony of this mentality is that it is often the ones who claim to be “civilized” that make the most immoral decisions, like Lady Jane does here when she takes Mathinna as her own personal amusement.

“With the fingers of one hand she traced its faint outline, imagining she could feel the thread of Cecil’s initials intertwined with the family crest—a lion, serpent, and crown.”

As she heads off to answer for a crime she did not commit, Evangeline unwittingly caresses Cecil’s handkerchief, which she holds onto for the remainder of her life. However, she does not see the truth even as it is right in front of her. Though she eternally waits for Cecil to save her from her sentence, it is his family name—symbolized by pride, deception, and wealth—that spells out his dismissal of their affair and of his responsibility to her.

“You’re learning the hard way, Miss Stokes, that there’s no man you can count on. No woman neither. The sooner you understand that, the better off you’ll be.”

When the matron of Newgate Prison gives Evangeline this advice, she means well—after all, Evangeline understands how true it is in that moment.