if at all, educated. Women's education consisted of how to be submissive and quiet; they were taught how to disappear by physically and mentally. Their bodies weren’t their own. Men’s controlling nature forced them to remain on the edge of adolescence; they weren’t well educated, they couldn’t speak for themselves, and their appraised and glorified anorexic bodies kept them young. Because of this, many women failed to mature and only found strength in their creative imaginations and friendships. In the convent, Ellena was able to establish herself through small tasks and female connections. Ellena showcases the importance of the female attempts at self-definition. Symbols The Veil (Nun's Habit) - The veil, used by Ellena to aid her escape with Vivaldi after being captured, was given to her by Sister Olivia. This veil appears almost obsessively through the work, symbolising modesty, and reassuring protection and concealment of purpose. Modesty - In the scene where Vivaldi and Ellena meet in a church, Vivaldi falls in love with Ellena because of her beautiful voice and his desire to see her, as she is hidden behind the veil. This unveiling is through nature, not masculine desire as a breeze from the water caught the veil. This is an important scene in relevance to the veil as it shows how Ellena is not passive and does not need to be unveiled by Vivaldi. Reassuring Protection and Concealment of Purpose - Since the veil is given to her by Sister Olivia (later found to be Ellena's mother) it protects her by disguising Ellena as she escapes from her prisons. The veil allows her a means of communicating safely with the other nuns and later Vivaldi. However, the veil is also what keeps her from her immediate marriage to Vivaldi. Relation to The Monk Lewis and Radcliffe both influenced the tradition of the Gothic novel, but did so in different ways. Lewis wrote in the tradition of the masculine gothic, favoring depictions of horror, while Radcliffe preferred the evocation of terror, explaining in her essay "On The Supernatural In Poetry" her belief that "terror and horror are so far opposite that the first expands the soul, and awakens the faculties to a high degree of life; the other contracts, freezes, and nearly annihilates them" (Radcliffe). As an already established author, Radcliffe was a large influence in Lewis's writing career. Their notoriety and aesthetic contrasts led to the