Although Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend
has a very clear love triangle in the plot involving Lizzie Hexam, there is also
a very obvious attraction when Lizzie meets Bella Wilfer after Betty’s funeral.
The attraction begins when Bella states that there is “Something quite refined
in her beauty…” (Dickens 510) in reference to Lizzie. Bella is attracted to
Lizzie’s personality and looks. Lizzie returns this attraction when she meets
Bella in her room and says Bella is pretty and a pleasure to look at, which
makes Bella blush (Dickens 515) and tell Lizzie that it is also a pleasure to
look at her. The attraction is also noticed
by the Secretary who says “Just as you are attracted by her beaut- by her
appearance and manner she is attracted by yours.” (Dickens 511) Both Lizzie and Bella continue to make
comments about how pretty the other is. Their attraction, however, is expressed
not only verbally, but also in body language. For example when talking about Charley,
Bella “seized the moment to touch her hand” (Dickens 516). When Lizzie tells
her about Bradley Headstone Bella clasps her arms around Lizzie’s waist. After
Lizzie is finished with her story Bella kisses her on the cheek. Their attraction
goes past this and they seem to have a real connection between them. They are
connected by the fact that they were both dragged into the death of John
Harmon, which makes them bond even more. When Lizzie tells Bella about how much
she is in love with Eugene, Bella is “enchained” by Lizzie’s personality and
stares at her. Bella is also the only person that Lizzie tells about the
triangle between her, Wrayburn, and Headstone. This is a big step for Lizzie
and it shows just how much she trusts Bella, even after knowing her for only a
short while. Bella helps Lizzie a great deal by being someone to trust in and
Lizzie assures Bella that she is not a terrible person.
Their attraction in a
way reflects Eugene and Mortimer’s homosocial friendship. It also contrasts the
hateful Wrayburn-Headstone relationship because even though Wrayburn and
Headstone are not attracted to one another they are still in their own way
obsessed with each other. Although these relationships are different the common
factor amongst them is that they are all between people of the same gender and
fall somewhere in between homosocial and homoerotic. The relationships in Our
Mutual Friend say a great deal about the Victorian understanding of
relationships between people of the same gender and about homophobia in this
particular time period.
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