The Mystery of Edwin Drood by

"It has often been remarked that woman have a curious power of divining the characters of men"(75). This quotation from The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens reflects the opposite of what a typical Dickensian society is supposedly based upon. In this standard society, the plot would be based around the life of a dominant male. Although the title reflects a male name, the movement in the novel is directly related to the exploits of a particular character, Rosa Bud. Fondly called Rosebud by her peers, she is the apple of every man 's eye and the envy of every woman 's. She takes control in the plot not because she evidences forceful or masculine qualities, but because the powerful characters in Cloisterham, males, are all in love or feel a kinship to Rosebud. The power is therefore transferred into her hands as a result of her ability to influence these characters through their love and admiration for her.
Attending school at a nunnery, Rosa 's female friends rarely have any contact with men. Through her betrothal to Edwin Drood, Rosa is the only woman within the nunnery that has a man to court her. She is the only woman mentioned, in the nunnery, that is going to be married off to a man, not God. Rosa capitalizes on this situation by leading the other girls in the nunnery to be her "poor pets"(118). She realizes that the girls as well as the head of the school, Miss Twinkleton, who describes Rosa as her "pet pupil"(14), look at her to be the embodiment of romance because of her prospective marriage. Miss Twinkleton and the girls live their love lives through Rosa, "over her shoulder"(51). Rosa feeds into the situation by making sure that the girls are watching her and letting Edwin know that they "must get married . . . the poor girls would be so dreadfully disappointed" (17). She uses her power over Edwin, which is given through love and devotion to her and both of their parent 's wishes for them to be married, as a way to stay in control at the nunnery.