Memoirs of a Midget · Chapter
XXXV explained
The narrator returns to Beechwood after six weeks away, feeling changed by her London experiences.
What happens
The narrator returns to Beechwood after six weeks away, feeling changed by her London experiences. She receives a letter from Fanny, who is cynical and self-aware, asking for help finding a governess position. The narrator reflects on Fanny's character and her own sense of displacement.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Self-Deception
Fanny's letter reveals her cynical self-awareness and the masks she wears, while the narrator struggles with her own changed identity and perceptions.
Class and Social Hierarchy
The narrator's return to the modest Beechwood home contrasts with the splendours of London, highlighting class distinctions and Fanny's ambitions.
Characters to notice
- Unknown (Narrator)
Returns to Beechwood, feels changed and disoriented by her London stay, reads Fanny's letter with mixed emotions.
- Mrs. Bowater
Welcomes the narrator back, notices a change in her voice, shares news of Fanny's letter and Mr. Bowater's leg.
- Fanny Bowater
Writes a letter to the narrator, expressing cynicism, self-awareness, and a desire to leave her current situation for a governess post.
- Mr. Anon
Mentioned by Mrs. Bowater as persistently visiting to inquire after the narrator, though he rarely writes.
Key passages
“What is the use of being one’s self, if one is always changing?”
The narrator questions the value of personal identity when it is constantly in flux.
Reflects the narrator's disorientation after her London stay.
“I can see they have taken good care of you and all, preened the pretty feathers. Why, you are a bit plumper in figure, miss; only the voice a little different, perhaps.”
Mrs. Bowater notices physical and vocal changes in the narrator, attributing them to her time in London.
Highlights the theme of transformation and the narrator's altered sense of self.
“Vulgar, vulgar Fanny!”
Fanny labels herself as vulgar, acknowledging her own flaws with bitter self-awareness.
Captures Fanny's cynical self-assessment and the narrator's complex feelings toward her.