# XXX: The Consul explained — On a Chinese Screen

> Chapter companion for On a Chinese Screen by W. Somerset Maugham.

## What happens

The chapter focuses on Mr. Pete, the British consul, who is in a state of extreme irritation following a visit from Miss Lambert, an Englishwoman who married a Chinese man named Yü. Despite his efforts to persuade her to leave, she stubbornly refuses, citing a trivial physical attraction to her husband. The consul's frustration highlights his eccentricities, isolation, and the cultural clashes inherent in his position.

## Themes in this chapter

### Cultural Clash and Misunderstanding

The consul's inability to comprehend Miss Lambert's attachment to her Chinese husband, and her refusal to conform to Western expectations, exemplifies deep cultural misunderstandings.

### Colonial Ennui and Isolation

Mr. Pete's eccentricities and loneliness, exacerbated by his bachelorhood and long service in isolated posts, reflect the ennui and isolation of colonial life.

### Hypocrisy and Moral Compromise

The consul's moral outrage at Miss Lambert's situation contrasts with his own obliviousness to the opium trade conducted at his consulate, highlighting hypocrisy.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Pete

The consul, exasperated by Miss Lambert's visit, displays eccentric habits and a short temper, reflecting his isolation and frustration with the cultural misunderstandings he faces.

### Miss Lambert

An Englishwoman married to a Chinese man, she refuses the consul's help despite being unhappy, citing a trivial reason for staying with her husband.

## Key lines

> Women are simply bloody.

The consul, in his frustration, curses women in general.

_This outburst reflects his exasperation with Miss Lambert's irrational behavior._

> There’s something in the way his hair grows on his forehead that I can’t help liking.

Miss Lambert explains her attachment to her husband through a trivial physical detail.

_This remark shocks the consul and underscores the irrational nature of her decision._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se/chapters/xxx-the-consul
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se/chapters