Afi Ruel Gilded Age was over earlier this year, but I have a whole blog series planned for the characters! If you haven’t watched the Gilded Age on HBO and plan to or haven’t seen the whole season 1, please be advised there are spoilers ahead.
If you have, then chances are you probably don’t like Agnes van Rhijhn. But I do…and here’s why:
1. She tries to do the right thing. In my experience, younger women often complain that older women don’t help, mentor, or guide them. Partly true. The other part of that truth is most situations involve one young silly bird (like Marian) and one seasoned crone (like Agnes) where young silly bird doesn’t want to listen. Agnes tried to tell Marian repeatedly that chasing after Mr. Rakes was not it…and what happened? Little bird got burned big time. Most of crones don’t even bother because they know silly birds don’t listen. But Agnes tried and tried repeatedly. Kudos to her.
2. She is clear on her goals and standards: even if it means being called old fashioned or unreasonable. When the woman fitting her dress implied her bustle was out of date, she told her she did not care. When she was told she needed to embrace Bertha Russell, she said no thank you. Point blank. End of discussion.
3. She was a rule breaker: to give an African-American woman a job of status over her other European American servants and lodging in her home seemed to definitely break of social norms and rules at that time. And she heard Peggy out when Chamberlain tried to discredit her character. She gave Peggy a chance based off her work ethic, skill and character alone. Which is more than a lot of people who associate with certain causes can say.
4. She wasn’t a snob…she was selective: Maybe I need to revisit an episode, but it sounded to me like she had it rough while trying to secure a comfortable future for herself and her sister. That snobbish air of hers was really the necessary discernment of someone who’s climbed out of a pit and has no plans of returning or allowing someone to drag them back.
5. She can admit her flaws: I looked at Agnes sideways too when she refused to let that stank, petty, racist Chamberlain go. But considering the social mores at the time, I’d bet money you wouldn’t have either if you were in her shoes. Chamberlain simply wasn’t worth the grace afforded her. But I can respect the fact that Agnes was honest about her reasons for keeping her, petty though they may be.
6. Even she answered to a higher power: It’s the people who come in acting like they answer to no one (Bertha Russell) who you need to be concerned about. Agnes may have been a lot of things, but foolish wasn’t one.
What did you think about Agnes?
