Woman in white by wilkie collins

Walter Hartright
A drawing teacher, aged twenty-eight, Walter Hartright is from a middle-class background. However, Walter is not financially well-off and is living in rather strained circumstances. He is out of work at the beginning of the novel, and only secured a position as a drawing teacher under the recommendation of his Italian friend Pesco. Walter is the embodiment of the typical Victorian middle-class man. He is brave, industrious, truthful, diligent, resourceful, kind-hearted, and possesses a high degree of integrity. He often displays the Victorian male’s patronizing attitude towards woman, as is exemplified by his infantilizing treatment of Laura Fairlie. Walter’s love and eventual marriage with the wealthy heiress Laura challenges Victorian class prejudices, in which a middle-class person climbs the social ladder by marrying into the upper class and inheriting a huge property. In the story, he acts as the male protector of the weak and self-effacing Laura. He truly takes Laura’s interests to heart and successfully destroys the evil plots of Sir Percival and Fosco. He is also the confidant of Laura’s half-sister Marian Halcombe. Walter is the narrator and the editor of the story. His role as the main narrator of the story gives him an important position in the storytelling of this novel. His views, beliefs, attitudes and prejudice play an important role in shaping the readers’ perception of the narrative.