# XXXII: The Fannings explained — On a Chinese Screen

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

## What happens

This chapter introduces the Fannings, a solitary British family living in a fine square house on a low hill facing a river, five miles from the city. Fanning, the deputy commissioner, is a bald, thickset martinet whose aggressive, brusque manner conceals a painful shyness, bolstered by his wife's constant reassurance. Mrs. Fanning is a plain, untidy woman with a love of brilliant colors and a soft musical voice, who devotes herself entirely to her husband and their two young sons. The family lives in near isolation, with only occasional visits from tide-waiters or passing travelers. Despite Fanning's gruff exterior, the household is united by Mrs. Fanning's passionate, selfless love, and they spend their evenings playing piquet and listening to gramophone records from London, dreaming of their children's future.

## Themes in this chapter

### Colonial Ennui and Isolation

The Fannings live in extreme solitude, five miles from the city, with only occasional visitors. Their evenings are spent playing piquet and listening to gramophone records, highlighting the ennui and isolation of colonial life.

### Hypocrisy and Moral Compromise

Fanning's aggressive, bullying manner towards the Chinese is revealed as a facade for his own shyness, while his wife actively reinforces this false persona, illustrating the hypocrisy and moral compromise inherent in maintaining colonial authority.

## Character check-ins

### Fanning

The deputy commissioner, a short, thickset, bald man with a snub nose and black moustache. He is a martinet with a bullying manner that conceals a painful shyness, and he speaks to Chinese in a tone of rasping command.

### Little Mrs. Turner

Mrs. Fanning is a little plain woman, wizened like a crab-apple, with a big nose and bad teeth. She is untidy, wears fantastic clothes, and has a soft, musical voice. She is the selfless, loving center of the family.

## Key lines

> He was a martinet, aggressive, brusque, with a bullying manner; and he never spoke to a Chinese without raising his voice to a tone of rasping command.

Fanning was a strict disciplinarian who always spoke to Chinese in a loud, harsh tone of command.

_Describes Fanning's characteristic behavior towards the Chinese, reflecting his colonial authority and personal insecurities._

> She was a miracle of unselfishness. It was really hardly human.

Mrs. Fanning's selflessness was so extraordinary it seemed almost superhuman.

_Highlights the narrator's admiration for Mrs. Fanning's devotion to her family._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se/chapters/xxxii-the-fannings
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se/chapters