Behind A Mask By Alice Muir Character Analysis

In life, people usually expect happy endings for many different things. For instance, if someone watches a movie they want the main character to have a happy ending. This applies to many stories in literature as well because readers also want the character to have a happy ending. In Louisa May Alcott’s book Behind a Mask; or, a Woman’s Power, the character Jean Muir has a very interesting ending when she marries Sir John. The ending is happy for Jean and Sir John is the man she needs, but she doesn’t abandon her feminist independence by marrying him. The ending of Behind a Mask; or, a Woman’s Power is a happy one for Jean Muir. For example, when Jean goes back to the Coventry house, she replies to them by saying that her fate was a “very happy

For example, in her letter she says that she will “marry the old uncle” because his “title takes her fancy”(63). This shows that she has her independence because she wants just his title from the beginning. This also shows that Jean’s only objective was to go after his title and not depend on him. In addition, when Jean is revealing that Sir John and she got married, she says to the Coventrys that “Poor Jean Muir” could be “harmed” by them but “Lady Coventry” is “beyond” them(69). This shows that she doesn’t need Sir John because she doesn’t mention that he is there to help her, but she just says that she herself can handle them. This also shows that her feminist independence is very strong because she had previously needed Sir John to gain her title, but she doesn’t rely heavily on him anymore. Jean Muir does not lose her feminist independence at the end of the book because she feels like she has risen above her challenges and problems by herself. Jean Muir has a happy ending and she needs Sir John, but she keeps her feminist independence. Her ending and feminist independence flourished after she married Sir John, but she still needs him because she connects with him. Her ending is interesting and may not be considered happy by many, but it is a happy ending nonetheless. Characters who have a happy ending may make the entire book or movie more interesting in some cases. This shows how happy endings can be