Analysis
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall challenged the prevailing morals of the Victorian era. Especially shocking was Helen's slamming of her bedroom door in the face of her husband after continuing abuse, thereby overturning the sexual politics of the time. One critic went so far as to pronounce it "utterly unfit to be put into the hands of girls", though another cited it as "the most entertaining novel we have read in a month past." It is considered by some to be a feminist novel. The main character, Helen, is spirited and forthright, unafraid to speak to the men in her life with frankness. Anne Brontë portrays this approvingly, in contrast to the meekness of Milicent who is trampled and ignored by her unrepentant husband. Helen leaves with her beloved son in tow.
Vice is not unique to the men, however; Lady Lowborough's adultery has a particularly devastating effect on her husband, and the malice of Eliza Millward is poisonous to the entire community. The eternal struggle between good and evil is emphasised by heavy use of Biblical references: sinners who repent and listen to reason are brought within the fold, while those who remain stubborn tend to meet violent or miserable ends.
Although themes of alcoholism, animal mistreatment, physical and emotional abuse, unhappy marriage and escape from husband aren't unique to The Tenant as one of the Brontë sisters' novels, there is a marked difference between Charlotte's and Emily's romanticism and Anne's realism and morality.
The novel also looks like it could have some tribute to Emily's Wuthering Heights. The preponderance of "H" names (Halford, Helen, Huntingdon, Hattersley, and Hargrave) recalls her novel, and there are similarities in the names and locations of Wildfell Hall and Wuthering Heights. Charlotte Bronte herself did something alike in Shirley to Agnes Grey.
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