# XVII explained — Amaryllis at the Fair

> Chapter companion for Amaryllis at the Fair by Richard Jefferies.

## What happens

Amaryllis is forced by her grandfather to visit the Pamment mansion, where she is treated as a curiosity. Despite Raleigh Pamment's attempts to be pleasant, she rebels against the condescension and the pressure to admire the family's art and status, ultimately fleeing the house and injuring her hand in the process.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Class and Money

Grandfather Iden's worship of the Pamment family and his willingness to sacrifice Amaryllis for social advancement highlight the power of class and wealth.

### Individual vs. Society

Amaryllis's rebellion against the forced visit and her refusal to admire the art represent her struggle against societal expectations and family pressure.

### Gender Roles and Female Experience

Amaryllis is treated as a pawn to be traded or displayed, and her discomfort is dismissed as shyness, illustrating the limited agency of young women.

## Character check-ins

### Amaryllis Iden

Forced to visit the Pamment mansion, she feels humiliated and rebellious, refusing to look at the pictures and fleeing when her grandfather scolds her.

### Grandfather Iden

Eager to please the Pamments, he drags Amaryllis to the mansion and scolds her for her defiance, revealing his worship of aristocracy.

### Raleigh Pamment

Hosts the visit, tries to be polite and apologetic, but his staring and the family's condescending attitude provoke Amaryllis's anger.

### Mr. Iden

Mentioned as Amaryllis's father; her thoughts of him and her mother's worn-out boots influence her decision to comply temporarily.

### Mrs. Iden

Mentioned indirectly through Amaryllis's memory of her mother's worn-out boots, which motivates her to endure the visit.

## Key lines

> Grandfather Iden, aged ninety years, would most certainly have sacrificed the girl of sixteen, his own flesh and blood, joyously and intentionally to his worship of the aristocrat.

The narrator states that Grandfather Iden would have willingly sacrificed his sixteen-year-old granddaughter to please the aristocracy.

_Highlights the theme of social class and the grandfather's idolization of rank._

> She remembered her father. She remembered her mother’s worn-out boots. By yielding yet a little further she could perhaps contrive to keep her grandfather in good humour and open the way to a reconciliation.

Amaryllis thinks of her parents' poverty and decides to comply with the visit to avoid conflict and possibly mend family relations.

_Shows Amaryllis's internal conflict and her pragmatic decision to endure the situation._

> If you cannot even make a horse, do you think you are likely to make a woman do anything?

The narrator suggests that forcing a woman to act against her will is as futile as forcing a horse to drink.

_Emphasizes Amaryllis's stubborn independence and the theme of individual resistance._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/amaryllis_at_the_fair_se/chapters/xvii
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- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/amaryllis_at_the_fair_se/chapters