# David's Story: The Bonnet and the Baby explained — David Harum

> Chapter companion for David Harum by Edward Noyes Westcott.

## What happens

David Harum recounts to John Lenox the story of his wife's reaction to a bonnet he bought her, which led to a violent hysterical fit, the revelation of her pregnancy, a premature birth, and her eventual death weeks later, leaving their child to die at age six or seven.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Marriage

David's attempt to please his wife with a bonnet backfires, revealing the strains and misunderstandings in their marriage.

### Family and Kinship

The birth and death of David's child highlight the fragility of family bonds and the emotional weight of loss.

## Character check-ins

### David Harum

Narrates the story of his wife's bonnet, her illness, and the birth and death of their child.

### John Lenox

Listens to David's story and asks about the outcome.

### Lizer

David's wife, who reacts violently to the bonnet, later dies after childbirth.

### Mis' Jones

The neighbor and nurse who assists during the birth and is praised by David as 'the salt of the earth'.

### The Doctor

Attends to David's wife, reveals her pregnancy, and arranges for a nurse.

## Key lines

> I bought you a bunnit.

I bought you a bonnet.

_David explains his gift to his wife, which triggers her anger._

> that bunnit was enough to kill most any body.

That bonnet was enough to kill anyone.

_David's wife, on her deathbed, acknowledges the bonnet's absurdity with a hint of dark humor._

> nothin' 't I ever heard before nor since ever fetched me, right where I lived, as that did.

Nothing I ever heard before or since affected me so deeply.

_David describes the emotional impact of hearing his newborn child's cry._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/david_harum_se/chapters/xxxix
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/david_harum_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/david_harum_se/chapters