Melmoth the Wanderer · Chapter
XXXIV explained
Isidora, in the final stages of pregnancy, pleads with Melmoth to have their child baptized in the Catholic faith, while Melmoth mocks her piety and makes a sardonic promise.
What happens
Isidora, in the final stages of pregnancy, pleads with Melmoth to have their child baptized in the Catholic faith, while Melmoth mocks her piety and makes a sardonic promise. Doña Clara and Fra Jose discover Isidora sleeping peacefully after her disappearance, with Fra Jose more concerned about wine and sausages than supernatural explanations.
Themes in this chapter
Temptation and Faith
Isidora's desperate faith in baptism contrasts with Melmoth's mocking skepticism and satanic temptation.
Damnation and Salvation
Isidora hopes her child's baptism will bring salvation, while Melmoth's promises are laced with hints of eternal damnation.
Family and Dependence
Doña Clara's maternal anxiety and Fra Jose's neglect highlight the fractured family dynamics surrounding Isidora.
Characters to notice
- Doña Isidora
Pregnant and desperate, she begs Melmoth for her child's baptism and expresses fear of dying in childbirth.
- John Melmoth
Mocks Isidora's religious pleas but shows increased tenderness after learning of her pregnancy; promises baptism with cynical reservations.
- Doña Clara
Anxious mother who discovers Isidora sleeping peacefully and fears supernatural causes, but is dismissed by Fra Jose.
- Father Jose
Drowsy and self-indulgent priest who prioritizes wine and sausages over investigating Isidora's mysterious return.
Key passages
“Let your conversion be the first miracle on the list”
Isidora urges Melmoth to make his own repentance the first miracle attributed to her sainthood.
Isidora's plea for Melmoth's conversion as a miracle.
“Swear to me that my child shall be baptised according to the forms of the Catholic church”
Isidora demands an oath from Melmoth that their child will receive Catholic baptism.
Isidora's central request for her child's Christian baptism.
“The agonies of nature throbbed audibly in his heart. He said to himself—it is mine—the fruit of affection—the firstborn of the heart and of nature—mine—mine”
Melmoth feels a rare moment of paternal tenderness, acknowledging the child as his own.
Melmoth's internal recognition of his fatherhood.