On Mrs. Coulter, Lord Asriel and higher circles of society.

I think that when Phillip Pullman wrote Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel, he may had probably drawn parallels to the lives of those people who live in High Society, and the pressure that they go under in those circles. Because if you see Lord Asriel born into aristocracy, he is a lord, and Marisa married into that circle. Look how lyra’s life is impossibly fucked up by the consecuences of everybody’s actions when they try to stay within that circle of society or rather defend their positions in it.

Mrs Coulter (according to the show) becomes what she is now thanks to the shame that the whole affair represented, that it was talked about in those circles. Of course, it is in her nature to manipulate to get somewhere, because I don’t think she married Edward Coulter because of sheer luck, that woman probably crafted her way into that marriage (that’s my headcanon anyway) but she takes that part, that manipulative part of herself, and turns it up a whole notch after the affair because of the pressures of that particular part of society and her desire to belong and remain there. And of course, she makes it seem like nothing ever happened, and that’s how Lyra ends up being abandoned and neglected of any loving figure or upbringing for that matter. I also think Mrs. Coulter ends up closing that part of herself (loving Asriel or Lyra) because it wouldn’t allow her to persue her goals, and often those sentiments lead her to ruin within the circles, as i said, that she wants to belong. I think that’s why her golden monkey does not talk, it’s the part of her that always brings her ruin, so why let it run wild? better supress it and make of the situation what she wills.

Lord Asriel to me, its a more simple case, given how stern he is it’s obvious to me that he was born into high society thus.. why he is like he is. There is no side of him that he needs to repress because he was born into a way of living that allows him to be narrow minded. If anybody has seen The Crown, you know what I’m talking about. IRL The Queen always entrusted the care of her children to nannies, because children are fussy things and they get in the way of more important things, Lord Asriel does not bat an eye at Lyra, because to him it’s just not important. The importance of a person comes when they are older, and that’s that.

So, unbestknown to him I do think Pullman reflected that damaging part of aristocracy in both Asriel and Mrs. Coulter.

Keep in mind that I haven’t read the books and all of this comes from what I’ve seen on the show.