A TALE OF IDENTITY,

JUSTICE, AND
REDEMPTION
BY
WILKIE COLLINS

AN ASSIGNMENT ON MODERN FICTION

Submitted by: GANGA
Roll Number: AM.HS.I5ELL20013
INTRODUCTION
No Name is a modern novel by Wilkie Collins which explores the themes of
identity issues and illegitimacy in the backdrop of Victorian England.
The novel revolves around Magdalen Vanstone who is on a journey to
retrieve her identity.
On that journey, she had to face many obstacles, trials and tribulations.
Through Magdalen’s character, Collins takes us through the injustice
women had to face in Victorian society.
The following presentation deals with the scene by scene synopsis of the
novel ‘No Name’ and the respective analysis of them.
Scene 1
• Magdalen Vanstone, an 18-year-old girl, is the
protagonist of the story.
• She is a headstrong girl with a talent for amateur
dramatics.
• She lives in the countryside with her parents, older sister
Norah, and their governess and friend Miss Garth.
• Setting of the novel is established and lead
characters are introduced.
• Subplot of ‘love’ is introduced.
• Elements of suspense and mystery is
evident in the contexts where her Mr
Vanstone asks Frank to wait for 12 months.
• Setting of a Victorian lifestyle.

• Magdalen falls in love with Francis Clare, the weak son • Character arc of Magdalen: from a vibrant
young girl to a bold and determined
of an acerbic neighbour. woman.
• Magdalen asks her father’s permission to marry Frank
but he proposes a probationary waiting period of 12
months.
• Frank is sent to London and later to China by his father
to make his fortune.
• The middle-aged Andrew Vanstone and his wife are
dismayed when they discover that Mrs. Vanstone is
pregnant once more.
 • The fact that the father's entire fortune is left to his
brother, rather than being divided among his
• However, things take a worse turn when Mr children, illustrates the unfairness of the laws of
Vanstone dies in a railway accident while on his inheritance in Victorian society.
way to meet his lawyer in London.
• A sense of shock and hopelessness as the Vanstone
• The news causes Mrs. Vanstone to go into daughters are left with ‘no name’.
premature labor, and both she and the child do not • The theme of inheritance comes into action.
survive.
• Instances that shows how important is one’s
• Magdalen and Norah, Andrew's daughters, are identity in the Victorian Society.
informed by the family lawyer, Mr. Pendril, that
• The scene also establishes the basic setting of the
they are illegitimate and have no legal name.
theme of the novel ‘illegitimacy’.
• Andrew and his wife had only been able to marry • Scene also shows how a woman’s complete identity
recently after the death of his first wife in Canada. in Victorian society is dependent upon a man, ie;
• As a result, the girls are left with no inheritance either her father or her husband.
since their father was on his way to sign a new will
after marrying his wife.
• The estate passes to Andrew's estranged brother,
Michael Vanstone, who vindictively refuses to give
Magdalen and Norah any fair share of their father's
fortune.
 Scene 2
• Magdalen, resolved to earn her living on the stage,
runs away to New York.
• Norah stays with Miss Garth, their staunch friend,
and becomes a governess.
• In New York, Magdalen encounters a disreputable
cousin by marriage, Captain Wragge, an amiable
villain who persuades Magdalen he can help her.
• She lives with Wragge and his simple-minded wife
Matilda, and prepares a one-woman stage show
playing various 'characters'. Her career, managed by
Wragge, becomes a great success.
• Magdalen wants to retrieve her inheritance from her
uncle and decides to use Wragge.
• Scene 2 shows how determined ad bold of a woman
Magdalen is.
• The only purpose of the life of women in Victorian
society was to get married and take care of her
family.
• In contrast to all those women, a woman who if
ready to go to any extent to retrieve her identity is
represented.
• a strong-willed and determined young woman who
refuses to accept her fate.
• She is outraged by the injustice of their situation and
refuses to be treated as an illegitimate.
 Scene 3
• Set in Vauxhall Walk, Lambeth
• Magdalen having earned some money, foretakes the
stage and plots to get her inheritance back.
• Mr Vanstone’s only son Noel is physically and
mentally feeble.
• He is looked after by his housekeeper Virginie
LeCount who is a shrewd woman who hopes to
inherit the money.
• As Michael Vanstone died, leaving no will,
Magdalen appeals to Noel.
• She receives a dismissive reply from Mrs. LeCount.
• Determined to take revenge, she visits Noel in
London, disguised as Miss Garth. Her request for
half the fortune is rejected.
• Mrs. LeCount sees through her disguise and snips a
piece of cloth from her dress as evidence.
• Mrs. LeCount is presented as a shrewd woman who
hopes to inherit the money.
• The characterization of Noel and Mrs. LeCount
highlights the vulnerability of the Vanstone estate,
which is left without a clear heir or will after
Michael Vanstone's death.
• In terms of narrative structure, the second scene
serves as a turning point in Magdalen's character
arc. Her identity keeps on shifting from here.
• Magdalen is no longer the passive victim of
circumstance but is instead actively seeking to
reclaim what is rightfully hers.
• This sets up the rest of the novel as a story of
revenge and justice, as Magdalen navigates the
corrupt world of inheritance law and social
hierarchy.
 Scene 4
• Set in Aldborough, Magdalen tries to carry out her
plot to regain her inheritance by arriving at Noel
Vanstone’s under the name Susan Bygrave, With Mr
and Mrs. Wragge posing as her uncle and aunt.
• Mrs. LeCount is again suspicious but Wragge lures
her away to her family in Zurich with a forged letter.
• Captain Kirke, a sea captain, sees Magdalen and is
smitten; makes enquiries about her; love at first sight
but she is privately annoyed by his attention to her.
• Kirke goes back to the sea to avert his over-emotional
confusion
• Magdalen takes up another identity as Susan
Bygrave
• Mrs. LeCount is once again suspicious of Magdalen,
demonstrating the difficulty Magdalen faces in
navigating the corrupt world of inheritance law and
social hierarchy.
• Wragge lures Mrs. LeCount away with a forged
letter; the theme of deception that runs throughout
the novel is highlighted.
• The introduction of Captain Kirke adds another
layer to the narrative, exploring the theme of love
and its complexities.
• Kirke is smitten with Magdalen, but she is privately
annoyed by his attention to her.
• This adds a layer of emotional depth to Magdalen's
character, as she struggles with her own feelings and
desires.
• Noel is fascinated by Magdalen and proposes.
• Magdalen, horrified at the prospect of marriage to a
man she loathes, buys a lethal dose of laudanum and
contemplates suicide, but finally goes through with
the match.
• Mr Wragge arranges for their marriage with the
hope that he will get a huge amount promised by
Magdalen.
• Noel's proposal to Magdalen highlights the theme of
power dynamics, as Magdalen must choose between
her own desires and the pressure to marry for
financial gain.
• Her contemplation of suicide shows her frustration
and hopelessness while navigating issues of
inheritance and social status.
• Mr. Wragge's involvement in the marriage
highlights the theme of greed and self-interest.
• He arranges the marriage with the hope of obtaining
a large sum of money promised by Magdalen.
• The corrupt nature of the world in which the
characters live, where money and power are the
driving forces behind much of their behavior.
Scene 5
• Mrs. LeCount returns from Zurich, understanding • The scene also reveals the conflicting emotions and
that she had been lured. desires of the characters.

• She traces the newly wed couple and arrives in
Scotland whilst Magdalen is away from Noel in
London.
• She reveals the truth about Magdalen to Noel,
produces the cut off bit of clothing and the poison
which they assume was intended for him.
• Greedy nature of Mrs. LeCount is highlighted.
• his scene demonstrates the power dynamics at play,
with Mrs. LeCount using her shrewdness and
influence to gain control over the inheritance.
• the tension is heightened as the possibility of her
regaining the inheritance slips away.

• Mrs. LeCount persuades Vanstone that his life is in

danger, then bullies him into making a new will,
disinheriting his wife and leaving a respectable
legacy to LeCount and the remainder to Admiral
Bartram, his cousin with herself as a substantial
beneficiary.
• LeCount also induces Noel to write a Secret Trust to • The use of the Secret Trust adds another layer of
Admiral Bartram, directing that the money be complexity to the plot, as it precludes Magdalen
passed to young George Bartram, but only on the from marrying George and gaining the inheritance,
condition that he marry someone not a widow while also revealing the societal norms around
marriage at the time.
within six months.
• This Secret Trust precludes Magdalen from
marrying George in order to regain the inheritance.
The stress of writing an angry letter denouncing his
wife is too much for Noel, and he dies from a weak
heart.
Scene 6
• Magdalen is at a low ebb, estranged from Norah and
from Miss Garth, who she thinks betrayed her
husband's whereabouts to LeCount.
• Magdalen is determined to get hold of the letter of
Trust
• She conceives a plot to disguise herself as a parlor
maid and infiltrate Admiral Bartram's house in
order to search for the Secret Trust document.
• Her own maid, Louisa, trains her for this role in
return for Magdalen's giving her the money to
marry her fiancé, the father of her illegitimate child,
and emigrate to Australia.
• Magdalen is at her lowest point, estranged from
those who were once close to her ie her sister Norah
and Miss Garth
• She is determined to regain control of her fate by
retrieving the Secret Trust document
• This shows her resilience and determination, even in
the face of difficult circumstances.
• The readers get to see another child of the same
situation, Louisa’s daughter who is illegitimate
• It also highlights the societal stigma surrounding
illegitimate children and the limited opportunities
for women in Magdalen's time.
Scene 7
• Set in the Bartram house, Magdalen is working as a
maid in the guise of Louisa. She is shown over the
house by his old retainer Mazey who sleeps
guarding his master’s bedroom.
• She searches through the house for the Secret Trust.
• She finds keys in the garden shed, but could not find
the Trust.
• Eventually she locates it and gets to read a part of it
by following Admiral Bartram as he sleepwalks.
• But she is discovered by Mazey and secretly leaves
the house before she is charged for being a thief..
• Sense of tension and suspense through out the scene.
• Another obstacle in Magdalen’s path is Mazey.
• The fact that Magdalen is in close proximity to the
sleeping Mazey, who could wake up and discover
her at any moment, adds a sense of urgency to her
search for the Trust document.
• The scene also showcases Collin’s writing skill in
creating an sense of mystery and suspense.
• The tensions are heightened when Magdalen gets to
read a part of the trust but its short lived as she has
been found by Mazey.
• This sets up the conflict for the next scene as
Magdalen must confront the consequences of her
actions and find a way to escape the clutches of the
law.
Scene 8
• Set in a poor lodging house, Magdalen is ill and
destitute, on the verge of being sent to a hospital or
the workhouse, when a handsome man appears and
rescues her.
• It is Captain Kirke, the sailor who had become
enamored of her after seeing her once at
Aldborough.
• Meanwhile, Norah has married George Bartram,
thus inadvertently regaining half the Vanstone
inheritance.
• Magdalen is completely unwell and lost all of her
hopes
• The unexpected appearance of Kirke, who had fallen
in love with her at first sight, adds a touch of
romance to the otherwise bleak situation of
Magdalen's destitution.
• The resolution of the inheritance plot is also
satisfying, as Norah's marriage to George Bartram
inadvertently allows Magdalen to regain her rightful
share of the Vanstone inheritance. However,
Magdalen's decision to deny herself the money and
try to become a better person shows her growth and
maturity as a character. It also emphasizes the
importance of character and integrity over material
wealth.
• The other half reverted to Magdalen, because her • Magdalen's redemption is symbolized by her
dead husband never made a provision for George decision to deny her inheritance, which she feels she
not marrying within 6 months, or the admiral does not deserve after her past actions. Instead, she
passing away. Magdalen however denies her chooses to live a humble life and is committed to
money, because she is trying to become a better making a positive change in her life.
person.
• Magdalen's love for Captain Kirke represents a new
• Admiring the integrity of Norah and Captain Kirke, beginning for her. Kirke is portrayed as a noble and
she confesses her disreputable past to him and honorable man who loves Magdalen for who she is,
affirms that she will live a life worthy of him despite her past.
henceforth.
• Kirke’s love gives Magdalen hope for the future and
• The novel ends with Kirke and Magdalen professing shows that she is capable of finding happiness and
their mutual love. love, even after enduring so much hardship.
THANK YOU