There were intervals in which she could sit perfectly still, enjoying the outer stillness and the subdued light. The red fire with its gently audible movement seemed like a solemn existence calmly independent of the petty passions, the imbecile desires, the straining after worthless uncertainties, which were daily moving her contempt. Mary was fond of her own thoughts, and could amuse herself well sitting in twilight with her hands in her lap; for, having early had strong reason to believe that things were not likely to be arranged for her peculiar satisfaction, she wasted no time in astonishment and annoyance at that fact. And she had already come to take life very much as a comedy in which she had a proud, nay, a generous resolution not to act the mean or treacherous part. (Ch32)

Question: To what extent can a character escape from the social web?

The passage describes Mary being in solitude. It is distinct from both the preceding plot, when the character had to entertain the large number of relatives who drool over Featherstone’s possessions, and the following plot, when she makes an adamant and vigorous refusal to comply with Featherstone’s order to burn one of the two wills. At this point of the story, signs which show Mary's entanglement in the social web are less conspicuous than that of some other characters. She is not engaged, nor is she tied with the monetary benefits linked with Featherstone’s legacy, as she is not a close relative to him. Therefore, readers may question if Mary is really weaved tightly into the social web, just as other characters, and therefore whether an individual can escape from the social web.

In the passage, Mary is separated from the social web in various ways. Set at nighttime, the passage contains no interactions between Mary and other characters, apart from Featherstone laying his vulnerable body on bed. In other words, the physical interactions between Mary and other human beings in the social web are largely cut. A disconnection between Mary and the web is therefore allowed. As the passage describes her activities, it also stresses that the character’s contemplation is centred in her personal inner world (‘her own thoughts’), while the frequent repetition of her body parts (herself, her hands, her lap) also acts to reaffirm to readers her state of solitude, which implies a separation from the social web. The separation is not confined to a physical aspect. Her inner thoughts also manifest her detachment from the social web. Having known and expected the disappointments of life, she spends no time in ‘astonishment and annoyance’, exhibiting her indifference to social events. She even takes life ‘very much as a comedy’. In doing so, she regards life as a show, and treats herself as a critic for the show by commenting on the nature of the show. Her act situates herself as an outsider of the show that resembles society. No social events within the comedy can, aside from affecting her in an emotional or motivational way, directly impact on her personal life. In this regard, she imagines herself being departed from the social web. Moreover, comedy is entertainment, intended to be laughed at. By treating life as a comedy, one displays an indifference, or even contempt, to the solemnity of life. Such indifference marks a character's emotional detachment from a social web.

The detachment from the social web presented in the passage is transient, however. The nocturnal setting is critical. On one hand, it allows Mary to withdraw from social activities. On the other hand, nighttime is transient. As a result, while her moment of solitude takes place at night, her detachment from social activities is meant to be temporal as well. When the day dawns, people would wake up and social activities between her and other individuals would carry on. The transient characteristic of nighttime is parallel to the structure of Mary’s story. As discussed earlier, the passage is situated in between Mary’s social interactions with other individuals. Hence, the passage is merely an intermission between social activities, which suggests that a long-lasting detachment is impossible. Moreover, the ways that Mary interacts with the surrounding nature at night-time also suggests that interactions with other individuals are inevitable in the daytime. While refrained from human interactions, Mary is in interactions with nature. Her stillness is in sync with nature: ‘she could sit perfectly still, enjoying the outer stillness and the subdued light’. In addition, her thoughts about life and desires are also moved by that of the red fire: ‘…which were daily moving her contempt. While it explains Mary’s contempt for society, it more importantly conveys how a character will be affected by or synchronises with its surroundings day by day, even when there are no verbal dialogues between the entities. That says, the mere existence of objects could imply the objects' influences on an entity. When applied to a daytime setting, Mary is very likely to be affected by the other individuals in society. Unless she decides to stay nocturnal and refrain from daytime activities forever, the possibility for Mary to escape from the social web is slim. This also explains why although Mary acts as the critic for the comedy, she at the same time acknowledges her role as an actor in the show: ‘...not to act the mean or treacherous part’.