The Politics of Sympathy in the Coquette by Hannah Foster

Hannah Webster Foster's epistolary novel, The Coquette (1797), hosts a provocative discussion on the attitudes toward reason, passion, obedience, and virtue through the lens of the cultural values of late 18th century Americans. The Coquette (1797) is a fictional account of the death of real-life Elizabeth Whitman, an upstanding, unmarried young woman who died during childbirth. This highly publicized death gave rise to political and moral discussions across the new nation concerning how young women should behave and what values they should uphold. Through the fictionalization of Whitman's life and death, Foster enables us to see her from a different perspective that challenges the prescribed values and attitudes toward women of her time. To illustrate this perspective, Foster invokes the politics of sympathy (Smith 1776) through the political duties of women at that time, the epistolary format, the intimacy created between the reader and Eliza Wharton (who represents Elizabeth Whitman), and the constant pressure on Wharton (from her friends and the overall society) to be something that is not in her nature (Foster 1797).

The concept of "politics of sympathy" was first introduced in the 18th century by Adam Smith, the famous economist and author of The Wealth of Nations (Stern 1997, Smith 1776). According to his description, the politics of sympathy was required in the context of a national economy so that greed and corruption would not take over the marketplace. With sympathy, a businessman or employer would not mistreat his employees nor pay them low wages while he himself garnered large profits. To the American citizens of the late 1700s, Foster's novel, which addressed the politics of sympathy, was subversion from within, since readers would be attracted by Eliza's plight, and the sympathy they felt would encourage them away from thinking of her transgressions (Stern 1997). During that era, it was believed that sympathy and sensibility went hand in hand; the most important proof of a person's sensibility was the tear produced by sympathy for another person's tragedy. (Brown, H.R. 118) In fact, Foster mentions the tears "... of sympathizing sensibility" when describing Eliza's return to her mother during the first half of the novel (Foster 1797).

In the latter half of the 18th century, both men and women had come to realize that women, although they did not vote or engage in politics, had a political role of their own. Mrs. Richman asks, "Why should government, which involves the peace and order of the society of which we are a part, be wholly excluded from our observation?" According to Kerber (1980), "Mothers [at the time of the Revolution] play a political role by raising patriotic children. They must encourage their sons' civic interest and participation, as well as educate their children in the paths of morality and virtue." A woman who did not carry out this prescribed role was considered unpatriotic, perhaps even subversive (Kerber 1980).

In The Coquette (1797), Eliza Wharton, although a member of the upper class, refuses to adhere to the rules by avoiding marriage and by bearing a child out of wedlock. She sees marriage as a kind of death, writing "Marriage is the tomb of friendship" (Foster 1797). As pointed out by Wenska (1977), Eliza is a rebel who desires a type of freedom equal to that enjoyed by men. She persists in this ideal in spite of the guidance of her friends, who suggest that she should marry and thereby accept a kind of freedom which, although not equal to that of men, nevertheless allows women to operate freely within their given circles of influence. According to Eliza's friend, Lucy Sumner, "It is the glory of the marriage state," she rejoined, "to refine by circumscribing our enjoyments. Here we can repose in safety" (Foster 1797). But that kind of limited freedom wasn't enough for Eliza. By refusing to marry and raise children, Eliza presents a lifestyle directly opposed to that suggested by society, even though she repents in the end.

The epistolary style is particularly suitable for this novel because it allows for a back-and-forth exchange between people who know Eliza. For example, Lucy Freeman - Sumner is a very close friend of Eliza's; therefore she not only shows her own character in her letters, but also reflects her friend's: "My dear Eliza: I received yours of the 24th ult., and thank you for it, though it did not afford me those lively sensations of pleasure which I usually feel at the perusal of your letters. It inspired me both with concern and chagrin--with concern lest your dejection of mind should affect your health, and with chagrin at your apparent indulgence of melancholy." (italics added; Foster 1797) Lucy gives evidence of being able to read Eliza's moods and opinions even through letters, which do not give as much information as face-to-face meetings do (Finseth 2001). Again, with her mother and with Julia, Eliza presents her own arguments and in turn receives theirs, both of which affect her eventual decision to acquiesce to Major Sanford.

In addition, The Coquette (1797) contains letters between Eliza and others such as her mother and Mr. Boyer, as well as letters from Mr. Boyer and Mr. Sanford to their confidants. These provide the otherwise missing pieces of the puzzle and help to round out the novel. By reading Mr. Sanford's letters, in particular, one can determine that Eliza's friends are correct about his character. The additional background information helps the reader to see the story develop in real time, similar to a third-person omniscient point of view but using the unique epistolary style. Although it is possible that Foster could have provided much the same information through letters that were only to or from Eliza, it would have been more difficult, both to write and to read (Davidson 1986).

The epistolary style also shows Eliza's changing emotions and opinions over time. The novel is more enjoyable because it expresses the changes by showing instead of telling. For example, Eliza's feelings toward Major Sanford and the prospect of marriage change several times during the course of the work (Foster 1797). Before the novel begins, "She, like a dutiful child, sacrificed her own inclination to their [her parents'] pleasure" with regard to Mr. Haly. After approximately a third of the book, she writes, "My friends, sir, will not control, they will only advise." At that point it is clear that she is determined to be independent and avoid marriage in the near future. But in the middle she decides to send Major Sanford away and seek marriage: "I renounce him entirely... I shall be happy in a union with a man." But before the end, Eliza once more turns away from the advice of her friends, saying that she could not stand to be tied down to a marriage with Mr. Boyer. By this time she has agreed to the seductive allure of the "rake" (Finseth 2001).

The intimacy of Eliza Wharton's letters tugs at the reader's heartstrings, as does the difficult emotional conflict she must undertake. Eliza tells Lucy every detail of her days, saying "I shall write circumstantially and frankly to you." In spite of the formality required of letters at that time, she readily confesses her heart. Even when she knows that her friends disapprove of her actions and thoughts, she still tells the truth, as when writing of Major Sanford: "His person, his manners, his situation, all combine to charm my fancy, and, to my lively imagination, strew the path of life with flowers. What a pity, my dear Lucy, that the graces and virtues are not oftener united!" (Foster 1797) She easily places her hopes, dreams, thoughts, and feelings under the scrutiny of those who she expects to disapprove of her. She is open to hearing their criticisms, thus exhibiting a kind of bravery that none of the other women in the novel would have shown. Eliza wants to be true to her real self; she knows she could not be that way with Mr. Boyer.

In The Coquette, social values of the time resonate from the advice of the "chorus" (including Eliza's friends Lucy Freeman, Mrs. Richman, and Eliza's mother) which is determined to tame Eliza's rebellion within the circle of friendship held by women (Brown, H.R. 47). Mrs. Richman reminds her that the path of pleasure is often strewn with thorns as well as flowers, and Lucy tells Eliza that Major Sanford is "a rake, my dear friend; and can a lady of your delicacy and refinement think of forming a connection with a man of that character?" Throughout the novel Eliza is given "warnings" about her probable fate if she continues her affairs with this untrustworthy man, and sometimes she appears convinced, but in the end she finds her downfall, an unwed pregnancy (Foster 1797). Although she attempts several times to let go of her arrangements with Major Sanford, the strain is apparently too much for her. This will be examined further later on, in the discussion of cognitive dissonance.

However, the frightful end of the story is not entirely Eliza's fault; Major Sanford must bear his share of the blame, since he consciously worked at seducing her. As he confesses to his friend, "But I fancy this young lady is a coquette; and if so, I shall avenge my sex my retaliating the mischiefs she meditates on us... let her beware of the consequences." Much later Sanford tells he friend Charles that he has finally persuaded Eliza to give herself to him. Foster clearly shows that, although Eliza is ultimately responsible for her decisions, she was also a victim. In one letter, Eliza writes, "He [Major Sanford] painted the restraint, the confinement, the embarrassments to which a woman connected with a man of Mr. Boyer's profession must be subjected." (Foster 1797) Sanford was careful and calculating in his approach to Eliza, knowing exactly what "buttons to push" as it is termed today. He recognized that she yearned for an independent life of fun, seeking pleasures without having to pay the price, so he portrayed his own life in those colors.

Many critics have concluded that Eliza suffers a conflict of the will (known as cognitive dissonance today) in which she is being pulled in two opposite directions: one, towards taking her place in society like other women, by marrying and having children, and the other, towards creating her own standards and defying the mores (Davidson 1986). Her friends and society as a whole represent the first side, while Eliza's rebellious nature and Sanford's seduction contain the second. Eliza's actions may be the result of paralysis, caused by differing cultural requirements (Finseth 130). Individuals faced with cognitive dissonance of this type often take the path of least resistance, which sometimes leads to their demise. However, Eliza's dilemma absolves, at least partially, the sin she has committed.

Finally, Eliza's repentance at the end of The Coquette (1797) strongly creates sympathy both among her friends and, presumably, readers of the novel. After she discovers her pregnancy, she becomes both physically and mentally ill. She confides in Julia, who asks the details of her situation then cries in despair over her lost friend. Eliza plans an escape, with Sanford's help, and says "You have forgiven me, Julia; my mother has assured me of her forgiveness; and what have I more to wish?" She makes it known that she is ready, perhaps even wanting, to die. This in turn leads to the melancholy ending in which both the baby and the mother die. Again, this tragedy serves to provoke sympathy even though Eliza has completely disregarded the customs of her people (Stern 1997).

The Coquette (1797) opens up a young woman's life and lays it bare for all to see. Foster's apparent intention was to give readers a chance to understand the death of the real woman, Elizabeth Whitman, by fictionalizing her story and presenting the aspects which evoke sympathy towards her. Foster used intimate letters to tell the story of Eliza Wharton, and to show how and why Eliza became trapped in between two opposing lifestyles, both inside and outside of herself. The author accomplishes this task very well in the epistolary style, subtly utilizing the "politics" of sympathy to illustrate the perils of being female in late 18th century America, and to show the political importance of women in her age.

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