Chance · Chapter
VI: Flora explained
Mrs.
What happens
Mrs. Fyne tells Marlow about Flora de Barral's past. After her father's trial, Flora lived with a vulgar, cruel family in Limehouse, who tormented her. She fled to the Fynes' house in distress. Later, she was sent to Hamburg under an assumed name, where a married merchant made improper advances. His wife discovered this and threw Flora out, sending her back to London. Flora survived the journey thanks to a kind stewardess. Mrs. Fyne later revealed the truth about the merchant's intentions. Marlow reflects on Captain Anthony's actions, suspecting he may be a scoundrel but hoping he is a fine fellow. He also analyzes Mrs. Fyne's motives for opposing the match, concluding she wanted to estrange the couple from the Fynes permanently.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Wealth
Flora's fall from wealth and status exposes her to the cruelty of lower-middle-class vulgarity and the predatory behavior of a merchant who sees her as an easy target.
Gender and Women's Roles
Flora is a victim of a man's predatory advances and a woman's jealous rage, highlighting the precarious position of women who lack male protection.
Isolation and Loneliness
Flora is utterly alone and friendless, first in the Limehouse household and then in Hamburg, with no one to defend or understand her.
Characters to notice
- Mrs. Fyne
Relates Flora's history to Marlow, showing her concern and her philosophical views on women's rights.
- Flora de Barral
Her past is revealed: she suffered in a vulgar household, was sent to Hamburg, and was cruelly dismissed by a merchant's wife.
- Marlow
Listens to Mrs. Fyne's account, reflects on Flora's suffering, and analyzes Captain Anthony's and Mrs. Fyne's motives.
- Fyne
Appears at the end, catching a train, looking flustered and solemn.
- Captain Anthony
Discussed by Marlow, who wonders about his character and intentions regarding Flora.
Key passages
“She lived amongst them, a passive victim, quivering in every nerve, as if she were flayed.”
Flora was utterly defenseless and emotionally raw, suffering constant torment from the family she lived with.
Describes Flora's state of intense vulnerability and pain.
“The man with the peculiar cowardice of respectability never said a word in Flora’s defence.”
The merchant, concerned only with his own reputation, did nothing to protect Flora when his wife attacked her.
Highlights the merchant's moral cowardice and Flora's complete lack of support.
“She wanted the protest to be made, emphatically, with Fyne’s fullest concurrence in order to make all intercourse for the future impossible.”
Mrs. Fyne's goal was to make a strong, public objection so that any future relationship with her brother and Flora would be impossible.
Marlow's interpretation of Mrs. Fyne's motives for opposing the match.