# XXII explained — Cakes and Ale

> Chapter companion for Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham.

## What happens

Alroy Kear and the narrator travel to Blackstable. Kear recounts the aftermath of Rosie's flight, detailing Mrs. Barton Trafford's role in nurturing Driffield's career and reputation, and her reaction to his unexpected remarriage to his nurse.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xxii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cakes_and_ale_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters