# XXXV explained — Memoirs of a Midget

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

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

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