# XVII explained — Miss Mole

> Chapter companion for Miss Mole by E. H. Young.

## What happens

Hannah slips out of the Corder house on the evening of the supper party to avoid Mr. Pilgrim, whose arrival threatens to expose her past. She takes refuge with Mrs. Gibson, and on her walk is accompanied by Mr. Blenkinsop. The chapter explores Hannah's reflections on her past, her evasion of Robert Corder's potential discovery, and the tensions within the Corder household over the impending visit.

## Themes in this chapter

### Truth, Deception, and Moral Ambiguity

Hannah's past with Mr. Pilgrim threatens to be exposed, and she navigates deception to protect herself, while reflecting on the moral ambiguity of her actions.

### Loneliness and the Search for Connection

Hannah's solitary walk and her need for refuge with Mrs. Gibson highlight her isolation and her search for comfort and companionship.

### Gender Roles and Female Agency

Hannah reflects on the unfairness that men can be forgiven a past while women cannot, and she exercises agency by choosing to avoid Mr. Pilgrim and seek her own path.

## Character check-ins

### Miss Hannah Mole

Hannah flees the house to avoid Mr. Pilgrim, reflects on her past actions, and finds temporary comfort with Mrs. Gibson.

### Robert Corder

Robert Corder is displeased by Hannah's absence and secretly relieved she is out of the house, though he resents her engagement elsewhere.

### Ethel Corder

Ethel is anxious about the supper party and argues with Wilfrid over Hannah's role as hostess.

### Wilfrid

Wilfrid teases Ethel and praises Hannah's conversational skills, calling her 'Mona Lisa'.

### Mr. Blenkinsop

Mr. Blenkinsop accompanies Hannah on her walk, showing protective courtesy and discussing Mrs. Ridding's distress.

### Mrs. Gibson

Mrs. Gibson provides Hannah with a warm supper and a comfortable refuge, expressing concern for her tiredness.

## Key lines

> The shadow that fell on Hannah the next morning was not the one of Robert Corder's displeasure. It was a darker one that hung over her all the week

Hannah's anxiety was not about Robert Corder's anger but about a more serious threat that troubled her throughout the week.

_Introduces the central tension of the chapter: Hannah's fear of Mr. Pilgrim's arrival._

> She was thinking that, until this moment, she had not run away from anything since the days when she had believed in the clever bear and pretended a wolf was coming after her.

Hannah realized she had not fled from a situation since childhood games of make-believe.

_Highlights Hannah's self-awareness and the gravity of her current evasion._

> If she had not deceived Mrs. Widdows and gone out to buy the reel of silk, she could not have saved Mr. Ridding's life

Her earlier deception of Mrs. Widdows led to her saving Mr. Ridding's life, showing how actions have unforeseen consequences.

_Reflects Hannah's philosophical musings on the interconnectedness of events._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters/xvii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/miss_mole_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/miss_mole_se/chapters