Daniel Deronda · Chapter
Chapter XLIV explained
Gwendolen, now Mrs.
What happens
Gwendolen, now Mrs. Grandcourt, is preoccupied with thoughts of Deronda and struggles with her marriage. She attempts to educate herself by reading classic authors to understand Deronda's perspective, but is consumed by her role as Grandcourt's wife. She visits her mother and sisters, giving them money, and reflects on her secret hatred and humiliation toward Grandcourt, especially regarding his visit to Gadsmere and the secret of Mrs. Glasher.
Themes in this chapter
Marriage and Gender Roles
Gwendolen's performance as Mrs. Grandcourt and her internal rebellion highlight the constraints and power imbalances in Victorian marriage.
Power and Control
Grandcourt exercises tenacious control over Gwendolen, who feels cowed and humiliated, unable to rebel openly.
Sympathy and Moral Growth
Gwendolen's remorse over Mrs. Glasher and her secret charity toward her sisters suggest a developing moral awareness.
Characters to notice
- Gwendolen Harleth
Now Mrs. Grandcourt, she is preoccupied with Deronda, struggles with her marriage, and feels humiliation and hatred toward Grandcourt.
- Daniel Deronda
Gwendolen thinks of him often, wondering about his ideas and seeking his guidance, though he is not thinking of her.
- Henleigh Grandcourt
Gwendolen's husband, who exercises tenacious control over her and has gone to Gadsmere, causing her distress.
- Mrs. Davilow
Gwendolen's mother, who is deceived by Gwendolen's acting of satisfaction and is kept at a distance.
- Mrs. Gascoigne
Present during the visit, discussing Rex's good fortune.
- Mr. Gascoigne
The rector, who discusses his son Rex's promising future as a lawyer.
Key passages
“And Gwendolen? She was thinking of Deronda much more than he was thinking of her—often wondering what were his ideas “about things,” and how his life was occupied.”
Gwendolen thinks about Deronda far more than he thinks about her, frequently pondering his opinions and daily activities.
Highlights Gwendolen's one-sided preoccupation with Deronda.
“She wondered what books he would tell her to take up to her own room, and recalled the famous writers that she had either not looked into or had found the most unreadable, with a half-smiling wish that she could mischievously ask Deronda if they were not the books called “medicine for the mind.””
She speculates which books Deronda would recommend, remembering authors she found boring, and playfully considers asking him if they are 'medicine for the mind.'
Shows Gwendolen's attempt to bridge the intellectual gap with Deronda.
“No feeling had yet reconciled her for a moment to any act, word, or look that would be a confession to the world: and what she most dreaded in herself was any violent impulse that would make an involuntary confession”
She cannot bear any public admission of her true feelings, and fears her own impulsive actions might betray her.
Reveals Gwendolen's fear of exposure and her need for control.
“She had brought on herself this indignity in her own eyes—this humiliation of being doomed to a terrified silence lest her husband should discover with what sort of consciousness she had married him”
She feels she has caused her own shame, forced into fearful silence to hide from her husband the true reasons she married him.
Captures Gwendolen's remorse and the burden of her secret.
