Chapter Text
Annabel Lee Whitlock, the second of two main protagonists in the webtoon “Nevermore”, has received mixed reviews among readers. While some praise her character, it is equally as common to find others who claim her character as evil or at the very least “icky”. While there are definitely valid points in arguments that degrade her character off the pedestal of “good person”, her character is more complex than just “good” or “evil”. Annabel Lee is a wonderful example of a morally grey character whose actions are determined by her surroundings as well as her upbringing. I also intend to argue that, contrary to those who believe differently, Annabel Lee truly loves her wife, Lenore, and that love is the driving force behind most of her decisions throughout the story.
To understand Annabel’s character, it is important to understand her background. She is the daughter of a wealthy English Ocean Liner magnate and part of high society in England. As a child it is mentioned that she was prone to severe anxiety attacks causing hyperventilation and based on her reactions, we can assume unconsciousness. Her father urged her to hide them, lest anyone see, and treated it as something that she needed to grow out of. We can infer then that any emotion that was not “befitting” of a lady of high society was treated as something to be hidden as well. Her anxiety was treated as something unnatural or forbidden. I believe that this, at least partly, feeds into her pathological fear of going mad. In the late 1890s, a time when any feminine emotion that made women harder to control was described as madness, Annabel Lee’s anxieties cannot come to the forefront. Therefore, as she aged, her attacks became less frequent and her emotions more expertly hidden away behind the mask of the lady of high society.
Also worth mentioning is the fact that Annabel has been shown to be possibly schizophrenic. When in a state of intense fear or guilt, she often sees terrifying figures lurking above her. Throughout the series it becomes clear that this is not the first time she has seen them as the first time the audience is introduced to these figures, Annabel tries to ignore it until it is unignorable. If this was the first time, she would be immediately terrified instead of trying to ignore it. Additionally, it is clear that only Annabel can see them and that Annabel can’t tell the difference between them and reality at times. This is clear as in one instance she is being haunted by the visions in a hallway only to run into the real Lenore and ask, “Oh, pet. Is it really you!?” She has to double check reality as both the vision and reality come in the form of Lenore. This schizophrenia-type condition only gives Annabel more reason to believe that she’s mad.
Another aspect that adds issues to her situation is her existence as a lesbian woman in the late Victorian Era. While the word “lesbian” would not exist in her vernacular, it seems to be the one that the writers have applied to her as most accurate of her sexuality. Regardless of labels though, it is clear that Annabel has an attraction to women. At this time, same-sex attraction is regarded as either a moral sin, a punishable crime, or a severe mental illness. The only reason I believe Annabel does not have crises over this fact is because I don’t believe she has linked her indifference to men to a desire for women. She can explain the indifference through several other reasons and doesn’t need to link it. Even when she is complicit in a plan to marry a woman, it is passed off as an arrangement instead of the obvious attraction they both have for each other. Of course I will argue that she has most definitely realized her attraction to Lenore by the time of their wedding but that is getting ahead of myself.
Additionally, we must address the reality of the world Annabel exists in. She is a woman in late 1890/1900 England. While possible at this time for her to inherit her father’s estate, it would be disgraceful for her to do it without a husband. It is beneath her to work to support herself as a woman of high society. Her expected purpose in life is to enter the marriage market and make a strategic match. She does not have much control over her own life in a male-dominated world. Therefore she takes control where she can get it. She learns through games that she can manipulate outcomes to her will. She learns to be observant and strategize to make her life as advantageous as possible for her. She learns to manipulate situations and people to her will. She convinces her father to play along with her ploy to push marriage back as long as possible; but even then it can only last so long.
It is my belief that her fears and actions are motivated by a desire to keep her own autonomy. Should she be declared mad, she would be locked away, trapped for the rest of her life. If she gets married, she is now beholden to a husband and all that she is belongs to him. If she lives unmarried, she may have some modicum of freedom, but is in more danger of being declared mad. When her autonomy is threatened, she feels like she is losing what little control she has in her life, hence her desperation to keep up appearances.
Additionally, since she is a part of high society, she is expected to participate in the family business in some way. As a woman, that means networking with her father and finding a rich husband to add to the family wealth and providing a better heir for the business to pass the business on to. Every interaction is some sort of business deal. An exchange of goods and services, tit for tat. That is the reality of her situation. Life is a game that she could win and by thinking of it all as a game, her lack of autonomy became more bearable.
It is my intention to go through the scenes of the Nevermore Webcomic to explain Annabel's actions. I will not be going over every scene as I don't want to get too repetitive, but I plan to go as chronologically as possible. The webtoon is ongoing as I write so there is a high likelihood that more flashbacks will appear that may shed some light on arguments I made or ruin my chronology.