IX explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Power and Ambition

  Ratcliffe uses the offer of a government position to manipulate Carrington and to strengthen his hold on Mrs. Lee, illustrating the use of patronage as a tool of power.

• Ennui and the Search for Meaning

  Mrs. Lee's restless search for purpose is evident as she involves herself in Ratcliffe's political machinations, while Sybil fears her sister's idealism will lead to self-destruction.

• Gender Roles and Marriage

  Sybil's fears about Madeleine marrying Ratcliffe highlight the era's anxieties about women's dependence on men and the dangers of unequal marriages.

Characters to notice

• Mr. Carrington

  Refuses the Solicitor of the Treasury position offered through Ratcliffe, feeling it would compromise his integrity and put him under Ratcliffe's control. He is deeply in love with Mrs. Lee and tormented by his hopeless passion.

• Madeleine Lee

  Agrees to sound out Carrington about the Treasury position, but is disappointed by his refusal. She reflects on Carrington's jealousy and her own past, and is troubled by Ratcliffe's growing influence.

• The Honourable Silas P. Ratcliffe

  Offers Carrington the Solicitor of the Treasury position as a strategic move to test Carrington's loyalty and to further entangle Mrs. Lee in his web of patronage and affection.

• Sybil Ross

  Expresses her strong dislike of Ratcliffe and her fear that Madeleine will marry him. She pleads with Carrington to intervene, revealing her protective love for her sister.

• Little Victoria Dare

  Mentioned by Sybil as someone who urges her to do something about Madeleine's involvement with Ratcliffe.

• Mr. Hartbeest Schneidekoupon

  Mentioned by Sybil as someone who also urges her to act regarding Madeleine and Ratcliffe.

Key passages

• “He was not certain that she herself might not have had some share in proposing the plan, and that his refusal might not have some mortifying consequences for her.”

  Carrington worried that Mrs. Lee might have been involved in suggesting the job offer, and that turning it down could embarrass her.

  Carrington's anxiety about Mrs. Lee's potential involvement and his fear of disappointing her.

• “I understand now why young widows are dangerous, and why they're burned at their husband's funerals in India.”

  Sybil jokes that young widows like Madeleine are so dangerously idealistic that they might as well be subject to the practice of sati.

  Sybil's hyperbolic and darkly humorous critique of Madeleine's tendency toward self-sacrifice.

• “He is always trying to tempt her with power. She might have had long ago all the power he could give her, but I can see, and he sees too, that she always keeps him at arm's length.”

  Ratcliffe constantly offers Madeleine influence, but she resists his attempts to control her through ambition.

  Sybil observes the dynamic between Ratcliffe and Madeleine, noting her sister's resistance to his bribes of power.