Who Lucy Snowe is
Lucy Snowe has little money and almost no family when she sets out to make a life abroad. In the foreign city of Villette, she finds both useful work and a loneliness that her outward calm conceals. She tells her own story, but often keeps facts and feelings from the reader.
What Lucy Snowe wants
Lucy wants independence, warmth and the chance to be seen as more than a plain, quiet teacher. Her work gives her a salary and a place, while her pride makes asking for affection harder. Facing pupils who expect her to fail, she discovers that firm calm can win their respect.
Lucy Snowe and the others in the story
Madame Beck employs Lucy and watches her closely, earning her respect without becoming her friend. Dr John Graham Bretton offers kindness and friendship, but does not understand the depth of Lucy's feelings.
Monsieur Paul Emanuel challenges her differently, arguing with her and testing the abilities others overlook. When he pushes her into a school play, Lucy discovers an unexpected pleasure in speaking before others.
Questions
Who is Lucy Snowe?
Lucy Snowe is the heroine of Villette, a young Englishwoman who goes abroad to earn her living.
Why is Lucy Snowe an unreliable narrator?
Lucy withholds information and conceals feelings, so her account does not reveal everything she knows or wants.
What does Lucy Snowe want?
She wants to support herself and find affection that allows her to be fully understood.