# XLVIII explained — Memoirs of a Midget

> Chapter companion for Memoirs of a Midget by Walter de la Mare.

## What happens

Fanny confronts the narrator in the garden, accusing her of betrayal and deceit. The narrator protests her innocence and enduring love, but Fanny reveals her plan to marry Percy Maudlen out of ambition. After the confrontation, the narrator resolves to flee Monk's House, keeping her promise to the showman.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Self-Deception

Fanny accuses the narrator of hypocrisy and betrayal, while the narrator insists on her innocence; both characters engage in self-justification.

### Love and Obsession

The narrator's lingering love for Fanny is met with Fanny's scorn and ambition, highlighting the destructive nature of unrequited affection.

### Class and Social Hierarchy

Fanny's determination to climb the social ladder and 'sneer down' on those above her reflects class tensions and ambition.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown (Narrator)

Confronted by Fanny in the garden; accused of betrayal; resolves to flee Monk's House.

### Fanny Bowater

Confronts the narrator with accusations; announces her intention to marry Percy Maudlen; reveals her ambition to climb socially.

### Midgetina

Mentioned as a name Fanny uses for the narrator; also referred to as 'little Miss Cassandra'.

### Mrs. Monnerie

Mentioned as asking about the narrator's sanity; Fanny plans to use her for social climbing.

### Susan Monnerie

Referred to as 'lovesick Susan' in Fanny's accusations.

### Mr. Anon

Mentioned as 'young Mr. Anon' in Fanny's accusations about the narrator's interference.

## Key lines

> Her head was turned away from me, a striped parasol leaned over her shoulder. With a faintly defiant tilt of her beautiful head, as if exclaiming, 'See, Strangeness, I come!' she stepped firmly on over the turf.

Fanny approaches the narrator in the garden with a defiant posture, her parasol over her shoulder.

_Fanny's entrance is theatrical and confrontational._

> I am going to marry Percy Maudlen. Yes, that weed of a creature. ... I care no more for him than that—

Fanny announces her intention to marry Percy Maudlen, admitting she feels nothing for him.

_Fanny's marriage is a calculated move for social advancement._

> I would keep my word to the showman, and this night that was now in my room should be the last I would spend alive in Monk's House.

The narrator resolves to leave Monk's House the next day, keeping her promise to the showman.

_The narrator decides to escape her current situation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/xlviii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters