Thomas Cromwell Finds A Sympathetic Portrayal in ‘Wolf Hall’

In Wolf Hall, Mantel takes us back in history when Henry VIII was shaking the very foundation of the Church in his bid to marry Anne Boleyn. Fun times, huh?

Historians and storytellers have already written much about one of the most reformative and turbulent periods of the Tudor rule that it is challenging for a writer to leave their own mark and bring some freshness to it. But Hilary Mantel achieves that with aplomb.

Modern Narrative Style

Let’s start with the writing style itself. When you are reading a story, that’s a few hundred years you expect to read big complicated sentences written in the period dialect. Mantel twists convention on its head and instead gives us modern third person narrative in present tense. It throws one off in the beginning but eventually goes a long way in making the reader feel intimately involved with the plot.

Henry VIII & Anne Boleyn Are Not The Stars Of This Show

Thomas Cromwell Source: Wikimedia.com

What truly makes this different from the other popular versions that focus on the love affair between Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn is the choice of the protagonist, Thomas Cromwell.

History and literature have not treated him well. Though he was the primary force behind England’s church reformation, he made several enemies as his role as Chief Minister for Henry VIII, as he stripped nobility and the priests of their excessive powers. His role in Queen Katherine’s marriage annulment and Anne Boleyn’s beheading truly made him unpopular with the public.

But there are two sides to every story. Mantel presents Cromwell in the most humane light yet. Wolf Hall is his story. In this version of Cromwell’s life, we see how he escapes an abusive childhood to make his own life abroad. We understand the time and circumstances that make him a jack of all trades. And then how he becomes a part of Cardinal Wolsey’s office and learns the intricacies of politics. We watch as he catches the King’s attention his bold but sensible comments. The pace of the growth of his power is astonishing.

Tower of London (Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash)

The more interesting parts of the novel are about Cromwell, the man himself. Mantel does an excellent job in building out these little character details–his relationship with his wife and love for his daughters, his multi-linguism, his knowledge of the law and religion and mostly his willingness to give everyone a chance at their life.

Wolf Hall Is  A Lesson In History

Mantel doesn’t intend, and neither are we fooled in believing that Cromwell is the good guy, nor he is a victim of circumstances. In fact, he is like anyone of us. Trying to make a living. He is an ambitious man, and he wants security for his future generations. The only way to do that is to make the King happy. Everything else follows.

All the other players of the Henry–Anne saga remain the same and pass in and out of the pages: Henry Tudor, Anne Boleyn, Mary Boleyn, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cranmer and Duke of Norfolk. Mantel is brilliant at character sketches, and even the smallest players are drawn out with much detail.

More than passing knowledge of Tudor history is expected from the reader, and I had to often google away my gaps in knowledge. Like any historical novel, there are facts and fiction, and loads of speculation.

At over five hundred pages, this mammoth novel is not for everybody but I wasn’t bored for a minute.

P.S — Wolf Hall is the first of a three part trilogy that details out the life of Thomas Cromwell during Henry VIII’s reign. Bringing Up The Bodies is the sequel and The Mirror & The Light wrap up the series.

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