Women’s Rebellion to Find Voices in Enola Holmes

Directed by Harry Bradbeer, Enola Holmes (2020) portrays a 16-year-old girl who searches for her mother who disappeared while fighting for women’s rights to vote. In this movie, Victorian women are bound by a law that forbids them from having the right to vote. This article aims to identify and describe women’s rebellion in their struggle for voices in the Victorian era. Employing Bartlett's rebellious feminism within a feminist perspective of John Stuart Mill, the article analyses how Eudoria Holmes, a female character, undergoes dangerous ways in attempt to fight for women's rights to vote. Using the script and cinematographical elements, the film analysis reveals that Eudoria Holmes rebels against the values of Victorian society on three levels: individual, familial, and societal. Becoming an independent and courageous mother, she plants the seeds of rebellion to her daughter, Enola Holmes. Moreover, Eudoria also establishes a secretive women’s circle to build solidarity with the purposes of social and political activism in the form of women's suffrage campaigns.


INTRODUCTION
Discussing Enola Holmes cannot be separated from Sherlock Holmes, a character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes has become one of the most popular characters in detective fiction (Zwartepoorte, 2021). Its popularity makes stories of Sherlock Holmes adapted and repeatedly played through various media, ranging from books, films, and TV series. While the character of Sherlock Holmes has had a tremendous and legendary influence, Holmes' family are rarely discussed in detail. Directed by Harry Bradbeer and written by Jack Thorne, Enola Holmes (2020) tells the story of Sherlock Holmes' younger sister, the last child in the Holmes. It is based on book series with the same title by Nancy Springer (2006). The movie, set in the Victorian era, tells the story of a girl named Enola Holmes who lives and grows up at home with her mother, Eudoria Holmes. Eudoria taught her daughter various things that were inversely proportional to the women in the Victorian era. When she had just turned 16, her mother mysteriously disappeared. It turns out that Eudoria's disappearance is related to her involvement in in a secret society. While searching for her mother, Enola is caught in the middle of a vast conspiracy that could change the course of world political history. With this in mind, this paper examines how Eudoria Holmes rebels against the society to fight for women's right to vote as represented in Enola Holmes (2020) the movie.
Part of the appeal of Enola Holmes is that the main character breaks the "fourth wall," which means she can interact with the audience (Wallis & Shepherd, 2018). This method impacts the message of feminism, which is more readily accepted by the audience without being challenging to

METHOD
This literary study intends to investigate Eudoria's rebellion against society so women can find their voices in Enola Holmes (2020). The study employed the concept of rebellious feminism by Bartlett (2004) from a feminist perspective of John Stuart Mill (2018) to understand and find the meaning of women's rebellion. In addition, Louis Giannetti's mise-en-scéne (2014) was also used to examine the cinematographical aspects of the film.
The main source of the data for this research is Enola Holmes movie (2020). There are several steps used to analyze this movie: first, watch the movie several times in order to fully understand its contents. Second, understand and learn more about the scripts. Third, using conversations, monologues, and narrations selected from the movie for discussion. Fourth, mise-en-scéne cinematographic aspects such as shots, setting, lighting, properties, costumes, and character behavior are analyzed and explained. Fifth, using Bartlett's theory within Mill's perspective, the selected scripts and scenes were examined, classified, and discussed to reveal Eudoria's rebellious acts.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Women's rebellion means something because of the incompatibility of conflicting values. It refers to the rebellion carried out by women because of class and gender discrimination. It is not always negative. Discrimination is basically 'created' by humans or society. That is why discrimination must be challenged, limited, and changed by external pressures to produce a balance between men and women. In Enola Holmes, a women's rebellion aspect is divided into three; an individual act of rebellion, planting the seeds of rebellion in the family, and social activism.

Individual Act of Rebellion
Differences of thought caused the beginning of the rebellion. With these differences, one can carry out acts of rebellion when a person thinks that choices are limited or feels a threat to their freedom. Someone will feel angry or annoyed when the rules have been enforced. In Enola Holmes, Eudoria Holmes makes a rebellion by reading the book of John Stuart Mill 'The Subjection of Women', which was considered incompatible with society in the Victorian era. The image (figure 1) shows Mycroft and Sherlock seen in a bedroom that belongs to his mother, Eudoria Holmes. This scene uses a long shot technique with Mycroft and Sherlock shot from head to toe. This shooting technique focuses on the human character drawn from the image rather than the surrounding environment. To find his mother's whereabouts, Mycroft and Sherlock searched for what was in his mother's room. It appears that Mycroft is holding a book while Sherlock is looking for clues. This scene was taken with back lighting, the direction of sunlight appearing through the window directly behind Mycroft and Sherlock so as to give the appearance of a soft light, which means the object is not so contrasting with the environment because it has a thin shadow. There is also a property showing a book belonging to Eudoria Holmes. The book is titled The Subjection of Women by John Stuart Mill and was one of the banned books in the Victorian era.
The scene reveals that Eudoria has held rebellious ideas, as seen in the practices of reading books related to political ideas and practices based on the principles between women and men. In addition, Mycroft also expressed his surprise about the book he found. Eudoria Holmes is proven to read books related to feminism.
[Mycroft]: Oh, good  In the monologue above, Mycroft holds Eudoria's book and immediately knows that the book is about feminism, which is related to an ideology that aims for gender equality. The monologue reveals the book that Mycroft found relates to the disappearance of Eudoria Holmes. It must be connected to the restricted rights of women in the Victorian era. So, Eudoria reads the book because she felt a difference of opinion and wanted to prove that women also have the same rights as men. The book argued that men and women should be equal because gender inequality can hinder human development (Mill, 2018). Rebellions that start from oneself can continue to the family through parents who teach and guide their children from an early age.

Planting the Seeds of Rebellion in the Family
From the first birth, parents are the first role models for children. Parents are obliged to educate and raise their children well. It started by giving lessons about many things, such as talking and walking, to instilling good ethics and social values. Parents are obliged to educate, guide, and deliver their children to get their own family life when they grow up. Rebellion can also be instilled in the family and may lead to positive or negative things depending on the conditions. In Enola Holmes, Eudoria teaches her daughter about what she thinks is proper and valuable for her daughter's future.
[Enola]: She was not an ordinary mother. She didn't teach me to string seashells or practice my embroidery. We did different things. Reading, science, sports, all sorts of exercise -both physical and mental. Mother said we were free to do anything at Ferndell ... and be anyone.
(00:01:39-00:02:18) After Enola's brothers left their home and her father died, Enola is left alone with her mother. Enola thinks that her mother is fascinating and wonderful. Eudoria teaches Enola that she can be anyone without worrying too much what other people think. The monologue above also reveals that Eudoria is the antithesis of Victorian women. Eudoria rebelled by instilling teachings that she believed to be true in her daughter, even though it was uncommon for Victorian women to do.
As seen in the figure 2, Eudoria and Enola show different behavior from other women in the Victorian era. It starts with the dress and how Eudoria taught her daughter many things that can be said to be inappropriate for women in that era.
This image (figure 2) shows a scene Eudoria and Enola Holmes in a room of their house where they usually conduct some experiments. This scene uses the medium shot technique with a narrower shot. This technique takes pictures of Eudoria and Enola Holmes from waist to head to show their body language as well as their curious facial expressions when they are about to carry out an experiment. This scene also uses natural and back lighting like the sun for shooting, as seen from the light behind Enola that appears through the window, highlighting what Eudoria and Enola Holmes are doing. However, they do not depict women in the Victorian era. It can be seen from the properties, costumes, and make-up used by Eudoria and Enola Holmes, such as using scientific Vol. 05 No. 01, July 2022, p 104-116 glasses, conducting experiments with dangerous tools, make-up and dressing normally unlike women's make-up and clothing in general in the Victorian era.

Figure 2. Parental Guidance
The scene reveals that Eudoria Holmes teaches her daughter about many things that are contrary to what society in the Victorian era did. She teaches Enola to read codes, science, and sports with various exercises ranging from physical (jujitsu) and mind (chess). Enola herself followed her mother in terms of appearance and behaviour, which were very different from women in the Victorian era.
At the end of the movie, the truth reveals that Eudoria wants her daughter to find her freedom, her future, and her reasons without interference from others, and everyone has their way.
[Enola]: So, how to conclude? My name is Enola, which, backwards, spells 'alone.' To be a Holmes, you must find your own path. My brothers have, my mother has, and I must too. But I now see that being alone doesn't mean I have to be lonely. Mother never wanted that. She wanted me to find my freedom, my future, my purpose." (01:55:39 -01:56:12) In the monologue above, Eudoria instills progressive values into Enola that women must live independently, follow their hearts, and not depend on men. The name Enola is also a play on words. If reversed, it will become alone, which means find your way alone. The monologue reveals that Eudoria Holmes as a mother, wants her daughter to have a bright future and is not restrained by society. Eudoria teaches her daughter without anyone's help or does not send Enola to an all-girls school, so she can learn what women in the Victorian era could not do. It is in line with Wollstonecraft (2016), who argued that if women are educated, they can equate themselves with men. It includes women's rebellion through parental guidance because of Eudoria's upbringing as a mother. Eudoria wants her daughter to be able to feel freedom for her future. Everything that Eudoria and Enola Holmes did was in contrast to women in the Victorian Era. Starting from the way she thinks, how she dresses, and how she solves problems. From Bartlett's (2004) perspective, it can be said that Eudoria experiences the first step of the rebellion. Eudoria rebels because of the rejection of oppression and the affirmation of human dignity. She rejects the pressure of the Victorian era against women. She came to believe that women should have the same rights as men, so she took action to instill rebellion by teaching her daughter from an early age what she thought was right. After carrying out a rebellion through the family, rebellion can also be carried out more broadly by a social action that aims to change society.

Social Activism
Social activism is a group of people who carry out activities about an issue that aims to bring change in society. In Enola Holmes, Eudoria Holmes's social activism is that she wants a social change in gender equality. First, Eudoria Holmes started her social activities by joining a secret society.
Second, Eudoria and her secret society participated in women's suffrage campaigns that made them become the first wave of suffragists. Third, Eudoria's disappearance gets her daughter involved in a reform bill, which benefits Eudoria and her secret society.

Joining Secret Society
Judging from the name, this association is secret. It can be described as an organization that carries out activities closed. Usually, they will have symbols or passwords to communicate with each other so as not to be known by other people who are not members. In Enola Holmes, Eudoria joins a secret society that often uses hidden words that only its members know when a meeting is held. Eudoria's disappearance makes Mycroft and Sherlock return home to discover where their mother has gone. However, that is where Mycroft started to suspect his mother, Eudoria Holmes, for using his money for things that were not related to the house or her sister's needs.
[Mycroft]: No madwoman could compile the accounts she sent me over the last ten years. Perfectly clear and orderly, detailing a bathroom which does not exist. And a water closet. Likewise. Moreover, the constantly rising salaries of the footmen, the housemaids, the kitchen maidsgardeners, under gardeners. You get the point. And for Enola, a music teacher, a dance instructor, a governess.
(00:09:00 -00:09:19) In the monologue above, Mycroft does not believe his mother's reports for the past ten years. Even though Sherlock and Mycroft left the family home years before the disappearance of Eudoria Holmes, they did not forget, and Mycroft sent them money regularly. However, Mycroft realized that his mother had tricked him upon returning home. It was seen from the house's condition, which is very messy and neglected. Eudoria also told Mycroft that he needed money to pay for Enola's needs. Enola does not have a music teacher, dance instructor, or nanny because Enola was only educated and raised by her mother, Eudoria Holmes. The monologue reveals that the money Mycroft sent to Eudoria has been used for other purposes. She used the money to fund her secret society.
In Enola Holmes, Eudoria Holmes performs social activism by joining secret society which contain people who have the same goals. The figure 3 shows a scene Eudoria Holmes and several women having a meeting. This can be seen from the setting where they met, which is one of the rooms of Eudoria's house. This scene uses the medium shot technique with a narrower shot. This technique takes pictures of Eudoria Holmes and the women from waist to head to show their body language as well as their turned around with a tense expression of Eudoria Holmes and the women, it shows that they are in serious condition so they have a meeting. This scene uses property such as candles and dim lamps as a lighting in a closed and dark room without windows. The dim colors of light in the image can be mysteriously visible and suspenseful. Meanwhile, this scene uses under and back lighting because the candlelight placed on the front, bottom, and back of the women to emphasize a natural light. Candles are used to highlight Vol. 05 No. 01, July 2022, p 104-116 and have a tendency to make objects stand out in contrast to their surroundings. In addition, low key light is also used in this scene, because it only uses candle lighting so that the light conditions are minimal, making the image produce a contrasting effect between dark and light areas.
The scene reveals there is a group of women in Eudoria's house who have a meeting with her. Eudoria and her secret society have a common goal to discuss, so they have a secret meeting. It includes women's rebellion through social activities by forming or joining secret societies.
Using Bartlett's (2004) concept of rebellious feminism, Eudoria can be considered experiencing the second step of the rebellion, namely solidarity. After experiencing the rejection of oppression and the affirmation of human dignity, Eudoria rebelled by joining a secret society. In Enola Holmes, several women have the same thoughts and goals, so they form an association. It can be called solidarity in the rebellion because the members trust each other, respect each other, and are held accountable for their views on gender equality. Everyone is obliged to have the same rights so that they fight for women's rights to be equal. After joining a secret society, Eudoria and her friends carried out an act of rebellion by holding a women's suffrage campaign.

Women's Suffrage Campaigns
The history of the feminist movement spans three decades or waves, beginning in the eighteenth century. There are four waves of feminism: the first wave, the second wave, the third wave, and the fourth wave. Enola Holmes was set in 1900. The above image (figure 4) shows a scene that explains a hand drawing of baby Enola and the temporal setting of the movie in 1884. This scene uses a close-up technique with a shot of an image to highlight when exactly Enola was born by giving a description of the time with the aim of showing important number and hand drawing in the object. The lighting in this scene uses frontal lighting because emphasizes the shape of object, namely the image of baby Enola is shown on white paper so that the audience's focus is immediately on middle direction. The scene reveals that the year of her birth clearly in 1884. Enola's birth in 1884 coincided with the Representation of the People Act 1884 or the Third Reform Act. In addition, when the scene appears, Enola says that a week earlier, she had turned 16.
[Enola]: A week ago, on the July morning of my 16th birthday, I awoke... (00:03:03 -00:03:07) In the monologue above, Enola's 16th birthday signifies that she is in 1900 since her birth in 1884. The image (figure 4) and the monologue reveal that the real-time setting in Enola Holmes is 1900, which belongs to the first wave and refers to moves that are dealt primarily with women's suffrage.
In the past, women had no freedom due to a chain of rules to consider what they wanted. Every woman must feel that she is a worthy person and has the same privileges and rights as every man. Therefore, some groups must carry out an action or campaign to achieve the desired achievement. In Enola Holmes, Eudoria and her secret society prepare to stage a women's suffrage campaign. This campaign aims to create a community environment where men's and women's voices are equally appreciated. Therefore, Eudoria and her secret society have a house that contains many explosive devices such as gunpowder and bombs.
[ In the dialogue above, Sherlock and Enola find out about Limehouse Lane, where Eudoria and her secret society use the house to store explosive devices. They began to find out what the purpose of Eudoria and her secret society after arriving at Limehouse Lane. In addition, in Limehouse Lane, a pamphlet containing instructions on how to protest was found by Enola.

Figure 5. Protest Pamphlet
The figure 5 shows a scene where Enola is holding a pamphlet in a Limehouse Lane that reads "protest, unrest, and civil disobedience," and also it is a sentence that reads, "These three devices will cause maximum disruption." This image uses the close-up technique with a shot of Enola's shoulder and hands to highlight a pamphlet. For lighting, this scene uses hard light because it has a tendency to highlight the property or the pamphlets that Enola is holding to make it look contrast with the surroundings, so as to make the audience focus on it. The dialogue and the image (figure 5) reveal that Eudoria and her secret society are a militant suffrage group. They plan to go to extremes and make changes to have their voices heard.
Generally, aggressive protests are groundless and ineffective. However, when people do not believe that their aspirations are being heard, they prefer violent protest methods. They feel angry and disapproved, so they choose to use unconventional methods so that their aspirations are listened to. In Enola Holmes, Eudoria clarifies by saying that the government will listen to women's voices if they make noise.
[Eudoria]: You have to make some noise if you want to be heard. (01:54:07 -01:54:11) In the monologue above, Eudoria tells her daughter what she and her society are doing. They make noise by bombing places so that the government hears the voices and the attention is focused on their aspirations. The monologue reveals that Eudoria and her secret society carried out a women's suffrage campaign using a bomb because they were angry at the injustices done to women.
To hold a campaign, a media is also needed a pamphlet so that people can find out information, educate readers, and attract readers' attention. In Enola Holmes, Eudoria and her secret Vol. 05 No. 01, July 2022, p 104-116 society make pamphlets about their actions or campaigns about women's suffrage. They want their voices to be heard so that people who also want to fight for gender equality can join.

Figure 6 & 7. Women's Suffrage Pamphlet
These two images ( figure 6 & 7) show scenes Enola holding a flyer that reads "Votes for Women Public Meeting. Make Your Voices Heard" and "Manchester National Society for Woman's Suffrage Public Meeting" in Limehouse Lane. This image uses the close-up technique with a shot of Enola's hands to highlight a pamphlet. For lighting, this scene uses hard light because it has a tendency to highlight the property or the pamphlets that Enola is holding to make it look contrast with the surroundings, so as to make the audience focus on it.
Through this pamphlet, the images reveal that Eudoria and her secret society created a pamphlet containing jargon for the women's suffrage campaign that will be disseminated to the public. The first pamphlet (figure 6) includes information on political activity or campaigns for women's suffrage, inviting readers to vote for women to hear their voices. Meanwhile, the second pamphlet ( figure 7) contains an invitation to a meeting that can be attended in general to discuss women's suffrage rights. So, women should be given an opportunity such as freedom of opinion, the right to vote, and other civil rights (Mill, 2018).
Perceived from Bartlett's (2004) concept of rebellious feminism, it can be said that Eudoria has gone through the third step of the rebellion: friendship and the primacy of concrete relationships. Having experienced the solidarity within her secret society, they have experienced a close friendship. In Enola Holmes, Eudoria and her secret society share the same thoughts. They talk about their similarities and spend time together. It can be called a friendship in rebellion because friends usually have the same interests. Eudoria and her secret society closeness are intertwined when they often have meetings that make them have a friendly relationship. The purpose of the campaign is to change the upcoming reform bill. They fight for women's suffrage for a better future through a reform bill so that there is a change in the system.

Fight for the Reform Bill
In 1884 or the Third Reform Act, the law did not provide universal suffrage because 40 percent of adult men and all women did not have the right to vote. Since the birth of Enola in 1884, the issue of suffrage has been something Eudoria Holmes wanted to change. Time goes on until 1900, Enola's 16th birthday. Eudoria decided to leave Enola alone with her maid. Her reason for disappearing is due to participating in social activities to fight for gender equality so that women can have the right to vote. It triggers Enola to search for her mother's whereabouts. Her journey is hampered when she meets Viscount Tewkesbury by following all the directions. He is the Marquess of Basilwether, a boy who will be killed while trying to escape from his family.
There is a plot twist in Enola Holmes. It is known that the one who wanted to kill Viscount Tewkesbury was his grandmother, the Dowager Lady Basilwether. By killing Viscount Tewkesbury, she planned to replace her grandson with her living son so that he could inherit the title of Marquess and have a seat in the House of Lords. The Dowager Lady Basilwether will have her son become a consistent voter against liberal reforms. Viscount Tewkesbury is the last hope to give voice to those who support reform. The image (figure 8) shows a scene when Enola finds a newspaper in her dorm about the "deadlock in lords as vote looms," whose last hope is Viscount Tewkesbury having to vote. This image uses the close-up technique with a shot of Enola's hands to highlight a newspaper. For lighting, this scene uses hard light because it has a tendency to highlight the property or the newspaper that Enola is holding to make it look contrast with the surroundings, so as to make the audience focus on it.
The image reveals that Viscount Tewkesbury had to cast his vote for being a determinant in favor of reform. The voice that Viscount Tewkesbury would cast would eventually lead to universal suffrage. Enola realized that some people urgently needed Viscount Tewkesbury's existence until she tried to save the young lord's life. The link between Eudoria's disappearance and Viscount Tewkesbury's assassination plot was a vote for impending reform. In Enola Holmes, only educated people could vote at that time.
[Mycroft]: Reform. God help us. If there's one thing this country doesn't need, it's more uneducated voters. England is going to pot.
(00:37:59 -00:38:10) In the monologue above, Mycroft's opinion is that Britain does not need the voice of an uneducated person. He believed that Britain would resist any reforms. The monologue reveals that Mycroft was one of many who disagreed with universal suffrage.
For many people, this is very unfair because not everyone can get an education. After Mycroft says that, the scene turns to a noble that shows his laziness like an uneducated person. The image (figure 9) shows a scene with the setting in a reading room belonging to the nobles that can be seen from the surrounding visitors. This reading room shows the social status of royalty starting from the property and costumes used such as luxurious sofas and body-fitting suits that are usually only used by the upper class. This scene uses the big close-up technique, with shots that show the facial expressions of a lazy and sleeping nobleman in great detail. This shooting technique highlights the chest to the head.
Vol. 05 No. 01, July 2022, p 104-116 The image reveals of someone behind Mycroft, a noble, showing the opposite behavior to what Mycroft said. It means that not all educated people will have good character and ethics. So, education is not a benchmark for voting because everyone has the right to have their voice heard. The reform desired by the people in Enola Holmes is the realization of a drastic improvement or change in the suffrage system in the political field.
[man]: Without this reform, this country isn't ours. It's theirs. We must petition the Lords. And we've not only got to do it for ourselves but for our children! Vote for change! (00:35:56 -00:36:09) In the monologue above, several people distributed leaflets intending to invite the public to support the reforms. They wanted change and petitioned the gentlemen who had a voice in the House of Lords. The monologue reveals that many people want changes to occur in the political system for their children's future.
Parliament in England is held by two parliaments called the House of Commons and the House of Lords. In the Victorian era, the House of Lords, or the second chamber of the British parliament, was filled by hereditary members who inherited titles and powers. They occupy seats without election or appointment. In Enola Holmes, Viscount Tewkesbury inherits the title and seat from his late father, and they have a familiar voice in support of reform.
[ In the dialogue above, Viscount Tewkesbury and his late father share the same view with forwarding thinking. After his father died, the title and seat in the House of Lords would automatically belong to him. The Dowager Lady Basilwether, the grandmother of Viscount Tewkesbury, thought that the country's future was in danger. He killed his son and plotted murder for his grandson so as not to vote in the House of Lords. The dialogue reveals that Viscount Tewkesbury is finally alive, and his grandmother's time is up. He was able to attend the election thanks to Enola. He cast his vote without anyone's influence while still wanting universal rights.
Close to the end of the movie, the arrival of Viscount Tewkesbury is very influential on the reformation. It made Eudoria, who had previously disappeared, meet Enola.
[ In the monologue above, Eudoria explains to Enola that what she is doing is for her future. She did not want Enola to live in a state of being oppressed and permanently being seconded in society. The monologue reveals that Enola's accidental search for her mother, Eudoria Holmes, led her to meet Viscount Tewkesbury whose assassination plot was related to the reform bill that Eudoria was also fighting for.
At the end of the movie, after Tewkesbury casts his vote and Enola meet her mother, the struggles of Eudoria and her secret society do not stop there. The epilogue of Enola Holmes shows that the reformation has passed. The image (figure 10) shows a newspaper that reads "Reform Bill Latest~ Reform Bill Passed." This scene uses a close-up technique with a shot of an image to highlight a newspaper with the aim of showing important writing or words in the object. The lighting in this scene uses frontal lighting because emphasizes the shape of object, namely a newspaper image displayed in brown which shows the newspapers of that era with large fonts, the audience's focus is immediately directed towards the center and understands the meaning of the image. The image reveals that all of Eudoria's struggles were not in vain, even though the reform bill was passed through Enola and Viscount Tewkesbury. However, if Eudoria had not disappeared to fight for women's suffrage, none of that would have happened.
After the Third Reform Act of 1884, which coincided with the birth of Enola, the actual setting in Enola Holmes is 1900. Following British history, after 1900, the reform bill that was passed was the Representation of the People Act of 1918. Finally, in that year, women over 30 who meet the minimum property qualifications are given the right to vote. However, this has not achieved women's desires because they are still not politically equal to men. In the following years, suffrage laws in England expanded the ballot qualification. It paved the way for women's suffrage years later, so it's no wonder that Eudoria Holmes or other women are still fighting for their rights to be equal to men.

CONCLUSION
The paper has demonstrated how Eudoria undergoes three stages of rebellion in her struggle to find voices for women. Through the analysis of the film script and cinematography, Enola Holmes portrays how Eudoria Holmes rejected the oppression of women in the Victorian era and asserted her human dignity through an individual act of rebellion and planting the seeds of rebellion in the family through an unconventional way of parenting to prepare her daughter's future. The paper also reveals that Eudoria Holmes's third stage of rebellion in the form of social activism is intended to set a path for political changes that would grant women the right to vote and freedom to determine their own life.