1 - Anna of the Five Towns
A Novel by Arnold Bennett 1863 - 1931
A - The type of the plot : — Domestic realism.
The Time of the plot: — Late 19th Century.
The place of the plot: — Rural England.
The chief characters:
1 — Bphrian T'ellwright ---- a miser
2 — Anna Tellwright --- his elder daughter.
3 — Agnes Tellwright ----- his younger daughter.
4 — Henry Minors ----- Anna's suitor.
5 — Willie Price ----- In love with Anna.
6 — Beatrice stutton ----- Anna's friend,
B - The Story of the novel:
Eiphraim Tellwright was a miser, and one ofthe richest men in the Five Towns. He was a for¬mer preacher concerned more with getting, money than from preaching people. Although he had made money from various ways, he lived in the most mi¬serly way and gave his daughters nothing but the barest essentials. Both of his wives died leaving two daughters, Anna and Agnes. Mr. Tellwright was usually miser. As long as his meals were on time, no money was wasted and the house was never lift alone and unguarded, he paid little attention to his daughters.
Anna loved her father though she would never feel close to him. Agnes much younger followed her sister's lead. The two girls were especially close, since their father ignored them most of the time.
On Anna's 21st birthday her father called her into his office and told her that she would that day inherit almost fifty thousand pounds, from her mo¬ther's estate. He had invested the money wisely un¬til it was grown to a fortune. Anna- who had never owned on pound to call her own, could not com¬prehend an amount so large. Accustomed to letting
her father handle all business affairs, she willingly gave him control of her fortune. The income from the stocks and rentals was deposited in the bank in her name, but she gave her father the check-book and signed only when he told her to. The money made little difference in Anna's life, it simply lay in the bank until her father told her to 'invest it.
One result of the money, however, was unhappy for Anna. Among her properties was a run-down fa¬ctory owned by Titus Price. Because Price was al¬ways late in paying rents, Mr. Tellwright forced Anna to keep demanding something on account. Knowing that the property would not rent to any¬one else, the old miser never put Price out, but kept hounding him for as much as he could pay.
Anna usually had to deal with Willie Price, the son, and he always left the interview with a feeling of guilt. Although the sight of Willie's embarras-ment left her unhappy, she always demanded money on the account because she was afraid to face her father without it.
A teacher in the Sunday school in which Anna taught, was Henry Minors, a pillar in the church and a successful man in the community. Anna atrracted to him, tried to join in his religious frevor, but she could not admit herself to repent and accept God publicly. She felt repentence to be a private. matter, not one to be dragged out in a public mee¬ting. Henry was patient with her, however, when the town's people said that he was interested in her money mainly, she refused to believe the gossip. Henry began to call on her occasionally, combining his courtship with business with Mr. Tellwrigh't.The miser persuaded Anna to invest some of her money in Henry's business, after arranging first for a large share of profits and a high interest, Anna caring little for the money, liked to be associated with Henry and spent much time with him.
After Anna had received her fortune, she was in¬vited for the first time to the house of Mrs. Sutton, the social leader of the town. Mrs. Button's daugh¬ter, Beatrice, and Anna became friends. There was a talk that Anna and Henry Minors had once been engaged. The Suttons took Anna and Henry to the Isle of Man on a vacation, and Anna thought thatthere could never again be such luxurious living. She had to take ten pounds of her money without her fathers' knowledge in order to get clothes for the trip, and the miser berated her viciously when she told him what she had done. Being with Henry and the Suttons, however, helped her to forget his-anger. When the vacation was marred by Beatrice's serious illness, Anna won permanent place in the Button's affection by her unselfish and competent nursing.
After Beatrice had recovered, Anna and Henry returned home. They were happy when, before lea¬ving the island, Henry proposed to Anna and she accepted. Later, her father gave his consent be¬cause Henry knew the value of money, Young Ag¬nes was enchanted by the romantic aspects of count-ship, and Anna was happy in her quiet love for He¬nry. But her joy at being engaged was clouded by the news that old Mr. Price, Whillies' father had hanged himself. Anna felt that she and her father were to blame because they hounded him for rent. Henry assured her that Mr. Price was indebt to ma¬ny people and that she need not feel guilty. Nevertheless, Anna was worried greatly about the suicide
and about Willie.
Later Willie confessed to her that a bank-note he had given in payment had been forged. His confes¬sion was to ruin him as it seemed, but Anna, reali¬zing that he and his father had been led to despera¬tion by their bad conditios, tried to protect Willie and his favourite reputation by taking the forged note from her father's office and burning it. When her father knew, he was very angry and never for¬gave her.
Because Willie was planning to make a fresh start in Australia, Henry arranged to buy the Price house for them to live in after marriage. Although Anna was sure that she could never be happy in such a house, she agreed and let Henry make all arrange¬ments.
When Anna told her father that she needed one hundred pounds for her wedding clothes, he regar¬ded this waste. Handling over the checkbook, he told her not to .bother him again about her money. Henry, pleased at the turn of events, was full ofplans for the use of Anna's fortune. Then there was more bad news about Mr. Price. Before his death, he had defrauded the church of fifty pounds. Anna tried to cover up for him so that Willie would know, but someone told him the secret. Willie, ready to leave for Australia, heard of the theft,'so when he told Anna goodbye, he was like a whipped child. Anna looked into his eyes for the last time, she knew suddenly that he loved her and that she loved him. Yet, she let him go because she felt that she was bound by her promise to Henry. She had been dutiful all her life, it was too late for her to change. Willie was never heard from again. Had anyone to look into the abandoned pitshaft, the mystery of Willie would have been solved. The meek lad had found his only way to peace.
''TO BE CONTINUED''
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