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Charlotte Bronte’s Villette is the story of Lucy Snowe. After leading a rather tragic life, initially dominated by repression and loneliness, Lucy has taken it upon herself to write her memoirs, and give her personal testament. Standing at the dusk of her life she is able to look back and provide an objective account of herself and those significant in her rather unusual life. Her writings are dominated by the use of natural imagery, which are used by Lucy to portray the personalities, feelings and emotions of her those around her. The imagery, and the relationship with nature it implies, is also an important barometer of Lucy’s own reactions to the situations in which she finds herself. As narrator, Lucy Snowe frequently uses animal imagery, to describe other people. The frivolous and vain Ginevra Fanshawe is initially likened to a “hummingbird” and a “butterfly”, but as Lucy grows less tolerant towards her, she is prese