Back in the 1800s, marriage was seriously important—and it was considered especially important for women. In Secrets at Sea, this means that most of our female characters are thinking about getting hitched. Even the girl mice are looking for husbands. And when it comes to picking the right mate, each lady needs to consider how much she cares about her future hubby's rank. For Helena who cares about getting married to someone with a title, that means she's on the lookout for an upper crust mouse; but for Beatrice who only cares about love, rank doesn't matter one bit.
Questions About Marriage
- What does marriage look like for our characters? Are marriages generally happy in this book? Are there any examples of unhappy marriages?
- How is marriage different for mice and humans in this book? And how is it the same?
- How are marriages affected by money? What about class or rank? Are any marriages purely for the sake of love?
- How does marriage relate to other familial relationships? Does marriage help keep families together? Or does it pull them apart?
Chew on This
When it comes to marriage, rank is all that matters—most of the characters in this book value gaining a title when they get hitched.
When it's time to tie the knot, love is the name of the game—most of the characters in this book don't care about class so long as they're in love.