Woman As She Should Be

In Short

This novel is a didactic piece of Canadian Victorian fiction that follows the life of Agnes Wiltshire, a young woman whose conversion to a life of pious simplicity alienates her from her wealthy, worldly relatives. After being cast out of her home, she survives a shipwreck and finds refuge in a humble fishing community. Through her quiet influence, she transforms both the lives of those she encounters and the hearts of the people she left behind. It endures as a portrait of 19th-century religious idealism.

The Story

Agnes Wiltshire begins her story in a state of pensive withdrawal, mourning a friend and finding the hollow gaieties of high-society life in her city home increasingly difficult to bear. Having embraced a deep, personal religious conviction, she rejects the balls and theater outings expected of her, causing a rift with her relatives and the dissolution of her engagement to Edward Lincoln. Her uncle, disappointed by her "fanatical" refusal to participate in worldly vanity, eventually issues an ultimatum: she must change her ways or leave his house.

Agnes departs, boarding a steamer destined for a relative’s home, but the vessel catches fire and sinks. Though the public soon believes she has perished—a tragedy that leaves her uncle broken by remorse and her admirer, Arthur Bernard, consumed by grief—Agnes is actually one of the few survivors. She washes up in a remote coastal region, finding shelter in a fisherman’s cottage. Far from her former luxuries, she embraces a life of service, teaching the fisherman’s daughter, Ellen, and acting as a steady, guiding presence to the local community. Her time there is a period of physical and spiritual maturation; she recovers from the trauma of the shipwreck through the kindness of her hosts and her own unshakable faith.

In the city, Arthur Bernard, who had long admired Agnes from afar, struggles with his own spiritual restlessness. He remains haunted by her memory, viewing her as an "angel of light" and feeling unworthy of her purity. When Agnes finally returns home, her arrival is nothing short of miraculous to her mourning family. She finds her uncle transformed by his grief and regret, and she is welcomed back with open arms. Although a misunderstanding briefly leads Arthur to believe she has become attached to a fellow traveler named Ernest Clifford, the two eventually reconcile. Agnes marries and settles down to lead a life of active benevolence. The final chapter reveals that she and her husband dedicate their lives to improving the very fishing community that sheltered her, establishing a church and a schoolhouse, and transforming the "wilderness" of the remote coast into a thriving, cultivated settlement.

How It Unfolds

The internal conflict Agnes sits by her window, contemplating the vanity of her social surroundings and the depth of her new faith. She begins to detach herself from the superficial rituals of the wealthy, setting herself on a collision course with her family’s expectations.

The exile and the wreck Facing the threat of banishment, Agnes boards a steamer that becomes a funeral pyre, an event that leaves her family believing her dead. She is cast out into the "waters" of uncertainty, effectively dying to her old life.

The transformation in the wild In a modest fishing village, Agnes trades her city clothes for a role as a teacher and mentor. She finds that her influence—not through grand gestures, but through her "law of kindness"—changes the rude, uncultivated lives of the villagers.

The return and reconciliation Agnes reappears in the city, shocking her grieving family and forcing her uncle to confront the consequences of his former harshness. The social circle is restored, yet Agnes is fundamentally changed by her time in exile.

The enduring legacy The narrative concludes with a look forward, showing Agnes and her husband using their resources to elevate the standard of living and spiritual life of the fishing village. The "desert" blossoms, cementing her role as an active force for moral and social good.

The People

Agnes Wiltshire is the moral center of the book. She is defined by her quiet, persistent integrity; she does not seek conflict, yet she refuses to compromise her values for the sake of social comfort. Her growth comes from enduring isolation and finding that her capacity for kindness is more potent than the influence of wealth.

Arthur Bernard serves as the primary male interest. Initially perceived by others as a "woman-hater" because he is indifferent to the shallow games of the ballroom, he is revealed to be a man of deep, sensitive character who shares Agnes’s spiritual outlook. His arc moves from cynical detachment to a state of profound, humble devotion.

The Uncle (Mr. Denham) represents the worldly authority that Agnes must overcome. He is a man who prizes social standing above all, but the disappearance of his niece acts as the "barbed arrow" that pricks his conscience, eventually humbling him and forcing him to recognize the emptiness of his former pride.

Ellen Williamson is the fisherman’s daughter who provides Agnes with sanctuary. Her character represents the "unsophisticated Nature" that Agnes helps to refine. She acts as a mirror, showing the reader how Agnes’s presence elevates those around her, turning simple, rustic lives into something more meaningful.

In Its Own Voice

The last rays of the sun lighted up the garden overlooked by the casement,--if garden it could be called,--a spot that had once been most beautiful, when young and fair hands plucked the noxious weed.

(This description of the garden serves as a poignant metaphor for Agnes’s own inner life and her yearning for a purer, more cultivated existence.)

"Oh, woman, woman, how potent is thy influence, which thou exercisest, in thy apparently limited sphere, over the human race."

(This passage captures the author’s primary argument regarding the moral weight and social responsibility inherent in the life of a woman.)

"When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee, and through the floods, they shall not overflow thee."

(This biblical promise is the anchor for Agnes as she faces the terrifying reality of her shipwreck, providing her with the calm necessary to survive.)

What It's Really About

The book is a moral inquiry into the nature of "woman’s sphere," arguing that true power does not reside in social influence or material comfort, but in the ability to act as a moral compass for others. It poses the question of how an individual might maintain their integrity in a world obsessed with superficiality. The narrative suggests that adversity—represented by the shipwreck and the exile—is a necessary crucible for character. The book ultimately posits that the highest expression of a life well-lived is the active, deliberate improvement of the community, turning the "wilderness" of the world into a place of order, education, and spiritual growth.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the earnest, moralizing tone of Victorian literature will find this a fascinating study of period attitudes toward gender and duty. It feels like a time capsule of 1861, offering a window into the values of a society that placed high stakes on the "high and holy" responsibilities of domestic and social conduct. The prose is reflective and deeply grounded in the religious vocabulary of its time, which may feel dense or overly sentimental to a modern reader. However, the pacing—alternating between the high-society drawing rooms and the raw, harsh reality of the Newfoundland coast—provides a compelling contrast that keeps the story moving.

You will likely appreciate the book if you are interested in the evolution of Canadian literature and the specific, often rigid, social expectations that shaped the lives of women in the 19th century. It is not a subtle book; the author’s intentions are clear, and the moral lesson is never far from the surface. Yet, there is a genuine warmth in the way Agnes is portrayed, and the transformation of the remote fishing village offers a satisfying, if idealized, conclusion that speaks to the era’s optimism regarding education and social improvement. It is a slow, contemplative read that invites you to consider the weight of one's choices.