# Conclusion explained — Charlotte Temple

> Chapter companion for Charlotte Temple by Susanna Haswell Rowson.

## What happens

Mr. Temple returns to England with his wife and granddaughter, Lucy. Ten years later, while in London, they encounter a destitute and repentant Mrs. Crayton, who confesses her role in Charlotte's ruin. Despite their grief, the Temples show her mercy, securing her admission to an hospital where she dies, a testament to the ultimate misery of vice.

## Themes in this chapter

### Repentance and Forgiveness

Mrs. Crayton's deathbed confession and the Temples' mercy highlight the possibility of repentance and the power of forgiveness.

### Parental Love and Grief

Mr. and Mrs. Temple's enduring love for Charlotte is channeled into raising her daughter, Lucy, as a living memory.

### Consequences of Imprudence

Mrs. Crayton's downfall serves as a moral lesson that vice, however prosperous at first, ends in ruin.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Temple

Returns to England with his family; shows compassion to the repentant Mrs. Crayton.

### Mrs. Temple

Devotes herself to raising her granddaughter, finding solace in her resemblance to Charlotte.

### Lucy Temple

The daughter of Charlotte Temple, now ten years old, cared for by her grandparents.

### Mrs. Crayton

Appears as a destitute and repentant figure, confessing her role in Charlotte's downfall before dying in an hospital.

## Key lines

> I am the viper that stung your peace. I am the woman who turned the poor Charlotte out to perish in the street.

Mrs. Crayton confesses to being the one who cruelly expelled Charlotte, causing her death.

_This moment of confession underscores the theme of repentance and the weight of past sins._

> Greatly as Mr. Temple had reason to detest Mrs. Crayton, he could not behold her in this distress without some emotions of pity.

Despite his justifiable hatred, Mr. Temple feels compassion for Mrs. Crayton in her suffering.

_Illustrates the novel's emphasis on forgiveness and humanity even toward those who have caused great harm._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/charlotte_temple_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxxv-conclusion
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/charlotte_temple_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/charlotte_temple_se/chapters