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A Pair of Blue Eyes · Chapter
Epigraph explained
The epigraph quotes Shakespeare, comparing a young woman to a violet—beautiful and sweet but fleeting, foreshadowing a transient romance.
What happens
The epigraph quotes Shakespeare, comparing a young woman to a violet—beautiful and sweet but fleeting, foreshadowing a transient romance.
Themes in this chapter
Innocence and Experience
The violet metaphor suggests youthful innocence that is sweet but impermanent, hinting at the loss of innocence through experience.
Key passages
“A violet in the youth of primy nature, Forward, not permanent, sweet not lasting, The perfume and suppliance of a minute; No more.”
Like a violet in early spring, she is forward but not lasting, sweet but temporary—a brief fragrance, nothing more.
The epigraph sets a tone of ephemeral beauty and love, likely referencing Elfride's fleeting romantic entanglements.