XXII explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Hypocrisy and Reputation

  Mrs. Trafford's outwardly gracious response to Driffield's remarriage contrasts with the narrator's suspicion of underlying vitriol.

• Artistic Integrity vs. Commercialism

  Mrs. Trafford's promotional efforts highlight the tension between literary merit and the machinery of reputation-building.

Characters to notice

• The Narrator

  Travels with Roy Kear to Blackstable and listens to the story of Driffield's later years.

• Roy Kear

  Shares his knowledge of Driffield's life after Rosie's departure, including Mrs. Trafford's influence.

• Mrs. Barton Trafford

  Described as a devoted but manipulative patron who managed Driffield's career and reputation.

• Edward Driffield

  His post-Rosie life is recounted: he stays with the Traffords, finishes 'By Their Fruits', and later marries his nurse.

• Amelia Driffield

  Mentioned as the nurse who becomes Driffield's second wife, described by Mrs. Trafford as 'not exactly pretty' but with a 'nice face'.

Key passages

• “Mrs. Barton Trafford, exercising a gentle violence, not only took Edward Driffield into her house when the flight of his faithless wife left him what Roy could only describe by the French word désemparé, but persuaded him to stay for nearly a year.”

  Mrs. Trafford, with subtle force, took in Driffield after his wife ran off, and convinced him to remain for almost a year.

  Highlights Mrs. Trafford's controlling yet caring influence.

• “I think it may be not unjustly said that Mrs. Barton Trafford fairly ran over with the milk of human kindness, but all the same I have an inkling that if ever the milk of human kindness was charged with vitriol, here was a case in point.”

  Mrs. Trafford appeared extremely kind, but the narrator suspects her kindness was laced with bitterness.

  Reveals the narrator's cynical view of Mrs. Trafford's motives.