The cloak Wendell enchants for Emily is a symbol for The Benefits of Accepting Help From Others. Throughout the novel, Emily struggles to accept critiques from others and often disregards their opinions in her leadership efforts. In the same way that she struggles with teamwork in an academic setting, she is well aware that she’ll face the same struggles—if not more—in a marriage with Wendell. Thus, his proposal remains unanswered. Marriages require compromise and teamwork, both of which are skills Emily does not possess. The enchantments embedded within the clock are representative of Wendell’s love for Emily and his desire to protect her, which eventually, in a roundabout way, exemplify the theme of reliance as it is not only imperative to group research expeditions, but to relationships as well.

When Emily asks Wendell how many protective enchantments he placed on her cloak, he replies: “You will never reach the end of them […] That many” (180). With Wendell’s affections starkly out in the open, Emily experiences increasingly numerous moments in which she’s forced, whether directly or indirectly, to rely on him. Wendell’s preoccupation with ensuring not only her safety, but that of her niece,

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