Daniel Deronda · Chapter
Chapter XXIV explained
Gwendolen struggles with the prospect of becoming a governess after her family's financial ruin.
What happens
Gwendolen struggles with the prospect of becoming a governess after her family's financial ruin. She feels trapped and resentful, unable to find comfort in her mother's or uncle's plans. Her uncle, Mr. Gascoigne, arranges a position with Bishop Mompert's family, but Gwendolen is repulsed by the idea. She reflects on her disdain for labor and her desire for personal preeminence, while her family tries to adapt to their reduced circumstances with dignity.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Privilege
Gwendolen's horror at becoming a governess stems from her view that it is a social descent, highlighting the rigid class structures of Victorian society.
Sympathy and Moral Growth
The narrator appeals for compassion for Gwendolen's plight, emphasizing her lack of a 'clue' in life and the pitiable nature of her sudden misfortune.
Characters to notice
- Gwendolen Harleth
Feels numb and repulsed by the prospect of becoming a governess; avoids the rectory and struggles with her new reality.
- Mrs. Davilow
Tries to comfort Gwendolen and suggests keeping the ornaments; reverses her usual role by attempting to cheer her daughter.
- Mr. Gascoigne
Arranges a governess position for Gwendolen with Bishop Mompert's family; speaks cheerfully about the family's economies.
- Anna Gascoigne
Shows tender sympathy for Gwendolen and merges her own resentment on behalf of Rex into concern for her cousin.
- Mrs. Gascoigne
Works with Anna to furnish the cottage and hopes trouble will have a salutary effect on Gwendolen.
Key passages
“And poor Gwendolen had never dissociated happiness from personal preeminence and éclat.”
Gwendolen had always equated happiness with being admired and standing out.
Highlights Gwendolen's vanity and the source of her despair.
“Surely a young creature is pitiable who has the labyrinth of life before her and no clue—to whom distrust in herself and her good fortune has come as a sudden shock, like a rent across the path that she was treading carelessly.”
A young person facing life's complexities without guidance, suddenly losing confidence and luck, deserves compassion.
Narrator's appeal for sympathy for Gwendolen's predicament.
“It was not in her nature to busy herself with the fancies of suicide to which disappointed young people are prone: what occupied and exasperated her was the sense that there was nothing for her but to live in a way she hated.”
Gwendolen did not consider suicide; instead, she was tormented by the idea of having to live in a manner she despised.
Distinguishes Gwendolen's reaction from typical romantic despair.