Under the Gaslight: The Character of Laura Courtland Essay -- Under th

Under the Gaslight: The Character of Laura Courtland Under the Gaslight does indeed "acknowledge 'luck' or 'chance' or 'fate,' but it reinforces the importance of individual character at the same time that it suggests that integrity is not an absolute stay against the vicissitudes of circumstance" (159). This idea is mainly supported through the character of Laura Courtland--a symbol of both sides of the nature versus nurture debate. Laura was born into a prominent, upper class family, the Courtlands. Her mother, Mary, in particular is a kind and generous woman who instinctively knows when she has "a duty to perform" and acts on it (164). Laura seems to have inherited this determined and honorable manner. She has higher standards than the society she lives in. Regarding love, she realizes that true love is about loving what is on the inside and is not based on looks, class, or wealth. She says, "How happy must those women be who are poor and friendless, and plain, when some true heart comes and says 'I wish to marry you!''' (165). Laura is, as the saying goes, "...