Daniel Deronda · Chapter
Chapter XXXVIII explained
Mordecai's intense longing for the arrival of his prophesied friend intensifies.
What happens
Mordecai's intense longing for the arrival of his prophesied friend intensifies. He sees Deronda as the realization of his long-conceived ideal, but is twice disappointed by Deronda's denial of Jewish birth and lack of Hebrew knowledge. Despite these setbacks, Mordecai's vision of Deronda persists, becoming an obsessive companion in his waking and sleeping hours. He attempts to imprint his spiritual legacy on young Jacob through Hebrew poetry, hoping to preserve his ideas.
Themes in this chapter
Jewish Heritage and Nationalism
Mordecai's yearning for a Jewish deliverer and his desire to preserve his spiritual legacy for the Jewish people highlight the theme of Jewish heritage and national continuity.
Fate and Choice
Mordecai's belief in the destined arrival of the nameless stranger contrasts with Deronda's choices that seem to contradict the prophecy, exploring the tension between fate and free will.
Art and Performance
Jacob's imitation of Mordecai's speech as a 'transition from impulse into art' and Mordecai's use of poetry as a means of 'printing' ideas reflect the theme of art as a vehicle for meaning.
Characters to notice
- Mordecai Cohen
Mordecai is consumed by his yearning for the prophesied friend, experiencing deep discouragement after Deronda's denials but clinging to his vision.
- Daniel Deronda
Deronda appears as the stranger who matches Mordecai's preconceived type, but his denial of Jewish birth and lack of Hebrew cause temporary frustration.
- Jacob Cohen
Jacob is Mordecai's young pupil, who learns Hebrew poetry by rote and is frightened by Mordecai's intense prophetic outburst.
- Ezra Cohen
Ezra Cohen is the head of the household where Mordecai lives, regarded with goodwill but not understanding Mordecai's inner world.
- Rebecca
Adelaide Rebekah is Jacob's sister, whom Jacob later imitates Mordecai's terrifying speech to, with some success.
Key passages
“They will open the mountain and drag forth the golden wings and coin them into money, and the solemn faces they will break up into earrings for wanton women!”
Mordecai prophesies that sacred things will be desecrated and commodified for frivolous purposes.
This outburst frightens Jacob and reveals Mordecai's intense spiritual passion.
“The boy will get them engraved within him; it is a way of printing.”
Mordecai believes that teaching Jacob Hebrew poetry will indelibly imprint his ideas on the boy's mind.
This reflects Mordecai's desperate attempt to preserve his legacy through oral transmission.