Agnes busies herself in helping her mother start her school. She learns, however, that he has moved to a different church. Weston again when she returns to visit Rosalie in her new home. Agnes is forced to return home suddenly when her father passes away and she chooses to help her mother start a school instead of returning to the Murrays.Īgnes hopes to see Mr. Weston's heart even though she puts Agnes to much dismay as a result of her behavior and the lies that she tells Mr. Rosalie is never successful in winning Mr. Sensing this admiration, Rosalie takes it upon herself to woo Mr. Weston, the new curate at the church that she attends. Agnes finds her manner of courting not only unbecoming, but also unnatural.ĭuring this time Agnes meets Mr. Rosalie flirts with men to the point she makes them believe she is interested in marrying them, and then turns them down, delighted that she is able to crush them. Although Agnes tries to rein in this girl's flirtatious manner, she has little affect on her. Agnes attention is focused mainly on one of the girls, Rosalie Murray, who reaches the age at which she is introduced to society, entertains suitors and marries, while she is under Agnes' instruction. In her next job, Agnes is in charge of two older girls who are not much more cooperative about learning than her first charges. Bloomfield sites the children's bad behavior and their lack of learning as reasons for Agnes' dismissal. Soon after this incident, Agnes is told her services will no longer be needed. Near the end of her time with this family, Agnes kills a nest of baby birds in order to keep the boy from torturing the birds as he had wanted. The parents will not allow Agnes to punish the children for their misbehavior. He and his sister refuse to learn even the simplest tasks. The boy hits, kicks and bosses Agnes around. In her first job, Agnes is in charge of children who are unmanageable.

When Agnes' father loses what little saving he had when the man whom he sends to invest his money is killed at sea, Agnes decides to help the family out by becoming a governess. She schools her daughters at home, keeping them away from the realities of life. Her mother was born to a rich family that disinherited her when she decided to marry a man with no wealth. Agnes perseveres, though, and soon finds the life that she has prayed to have.Īgnes is the daughter of a clergyman. Difficult students and pampering parents combine to make her job almost impossible. Believing that she will be a capable teacher, Agnes embraces the idea of her job, but soon learns the task is not as easy as she once thought. In her novel, Agnes Grey, Anne Bronte tells the story of a young woman who takes on a job as a governess in order to help her family.

Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë