Pointed Roofs · Chapter
III explained
Miriam teaches her first English lesson to the German girls, finding success and acceptance.
What happens
Miriam teaches her first English lesson to the German girls, finding success and acceptance. She feels secure among them, contrasts them with the English boarders, and later plays Beethoven on the piano, experiencing a moment of joy and independence.
Themes in this chapter
Alienation and Belonging
Miriam feels a sense of belonging with the German girls, contrasting with her alienation from the English boarders.
Inner vs. Outer World
Miriam's inner joy and musical reverie contrast with the external demands of teaching and social observation.
Characters to notice
- Miriam
Feels happy and secure among the German girls; successfully teaches her first English class; plays Beethoven on the piano.
- Fräulein Pfaff
Observed by Miriam at the window; later comes to the classroom and sends Miriam to the Saal for music.
- Mademoiselle
Wakes Miriam in the morning with a playful dance; Miriam feels affection for her.
- Emma Bergmann
Sits close to Miriam at breakfast; shows adoring eyes during the English lesson.
- Minna Blum
Sits opposite Miriam at breakfast; participates eagerly in the English lesson.
- Elsa Speier
Sits across the table; Miriam perceives her as cunning and malicious.
Key passages
“Miriam went to bed content, wrapped in music. The theme of Clara’s solo recurred again and again; and every time it brought something of the wonderful light—the sense of going forward and forward through space.”
Miriam fell asleep happily, enveloped in the memory of music, feeling as if she were moving forward through a luminous expanse.
Highlights Miriam's emotional escape through music.
“She felt fairly sure those German eyes did not criticise her.”
Miriam believed the German girls were not judging her.
Illustrates Miriam's growing comfort and sense of acceptance.
“She would play something she knew perfectly, a Grieg lyric or a movement from a Beethoven sonata… on this gorgeous piano… and let herself go, and listen.”
Miriam decided to play a piece she knew well on the beautiful piano, allowing herself to be absorbed in the music.
Shows Miriam's desire for personal expression and independence.