Charlotte Temple is a tragically weak character, shaped by many external factors. Her education, both in school and by her parents, was not teaching her how to deal with life. Montraville, an English soldier "eager and impetuous in the pursuit of a favorite object" (Rowson Anthology 869) and on his way to America, carries off Charlotte and seduces her. She is soon pregnant, and then abandoned. Quickly after this she is wandering the roads in winter in a thin shawl. She is then taken to a hospital and soon passes away, leaving behind a baby. While mistreating Charlotte, Montraville has fallen in love with Julia Franklin, who is "the very reverse of Charlotte Temple" (Rowson 887). Julia is a strong and independent woman. After Charlotte's death, Montraville fights a duel to avenge her honor and is wounded. Julia nurses him back to health, and they are soon married. After this, the tale is over in relation to Charlotte, and the novel comes to an end.
             Susanna Rowson's sentimental novel, entitled: Charlotte, A Tale of Truth was extremely popular and successful. The way that women were portrayed at that time is shown in Rowson's novel. Susanna Rowson says that she wrote this novel to "dear girls" (Rowson 864). In this light, she felt it necessary to show what was wrong with a society, and that the horrible things that happened to Charlotte could happen to any of the young girls who Rowson wrote this novel for. She would not want the readers to judge Charlotte harshly. In the preface, Rowson uses phrases like "unfortunate scenes," "fate of unhappy Charlotte," and "spoilt by a mistaken education" (Rowson 851-2). All of these descriptions paint Charlotte Temple as a victim of temptation, or as a product of the time and environment in which she lived. The novel shows Charlotte as taking steps toward being a strong and powerful, almost feminist ...