Clarence Harvey's complex character is developed with the use of tone, point of view, and language to reveal that his uncertainty and speculative instinct towards others stems from his own doubts about his character.
The narrator's factual tone while describing Clarence shows that there are more layers to his character which are left unseen. It can be understood that there is a sense of animosity from the narrator: "Clarence Harvey might have been more than a pleasant young man, if he had not been smitten with the desire of being thought superior" (1-3). The tone is bitter with a hint of admiration. The narrator expresses that there is potential in Clarence; however, his negative traits overshadow the potential. The narrator's paradoxical tone parallels Clarence Harvey's paradoxical feelings about himself: "when he felt himself most charmed by her powers of pleasing, he was most inclined to despise her" (51-53). Clarence develops contrasting feelings towards Belinda and projects his uncertainty onto her. His ignorance towards her charm shows that he is afraid of being manipulated by someone else because of his arrogance.
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