# VI explained — Pointed Roofs

> Chapter companion for Pointed Roofs by Dorothy M. Richardson.

## What happens

Miriam reads Schiller aloud, receives commendation, then struggles through a morning bath and a visit to the swimming bath where Gertrude dives. Later, Pastor Lahmann examines her eyes and speaks of ambition, provoking her fury at the idea of a 'well-willed wife.' Fräulein's cold look disrupts the moment. Miriam overhears a violent argument between Fräulein and Anna over wages, then joins an outing to Hoddenheim, feeling weary and out of place.

## Themes in this chapter

### Gender Roles and Social Expectations

Miriam's fury at Pastor Lahmann's vision of a 'well-willed wife' reveals her resistance to being seen as a tame domestic creature, challenging the era's prescribed female roles.

### Inner vs. Outer World

Miriam's internal turmoil—her longing for the comfort of baths with Harriett, her dread of the outing, and her recoil from the violent argument—contrasts sharply with the outward demands of sociability and duty.

### Class and Social Status

The argument between Fräulein and Anna over 'ha'pence' underscores the power imbalance and economic vulnerability of servants, while Miriam's position as a governess places her in an ambiguous social space.

## Character check-ins

### Miriam

Reads Schiller aloud, feels unity with Fräulein and Minna; later resents Pastor Lahmann's vision of a 'well-willed wife'; overhears Fräulein's cruel argument with Anna; feels weary and fearful during the Hoddenheim outing.

### Fräulein Pfaff

Commends Miriam's reading, then later laughs cruelly during a screaming argument with Anna over wages; leads the outing to Hoddenheim with forced cheerfulness.

### Minna Blum

Draws her chair near during the reading session and comments on Miriam's earnestness; walks silently with Miriam at the rear of the group during the outing.

### Gertrude Goldring

Performs a dramatic dive in the swimming bath, emerging with a raucous laugh; later invites Miriam to help pack lunch for the Hoddenheim outing.

### Pastor Lahmann

Examines Miriam's eyes and glasses, shares a Swiss ambition proverb about a 'well-willed wife,' which angers Miriam; treats her as a girl rather than a governess.

### Anna

Screams and lurches down the basement stairs during a violent argument with Fräulein over her wages; Miriam pities her 'poor wages' and 'bony face.'

## Key lines

> She finished the passage—Fräulein quietly commended her reading and Minna said something about her earnestness. 'Miss Henderson is always a little earnest,' said Fräulein affectionately.

After Miriam finished reading, Fräulein praised her quietly, and Minna remarked on her seriousness, which Fräulein affectionately acknowledged as a trait of Miriam's.

_Highlights Miriam's successful performance and the group's approving, yet patronizing, affection._

> It filled her with fury to be regarded as one of a world of little tame things to be summoned by little men to be well-willed wives. She must make him see that she did not even recognise such a thing as 'a well-willed wife.'

Miriam was enraged at being seen as a docile creature meant to become a compliant wife, and she felt compelled to show Pastor Lahmann that she rejected that ideal entirely.

_Captures Miriam's fierce rejection of traditional gender roles and her desire to assert her individuality._

> She turned and drove Miriam from the room with speechless waiting eyes. The sunlight was streaming across the hall. It seemed gay and homelike. Pastor Lahmann had made her forget she was a governess. He had treated her as a girl. Fräulein's eyes had spoiled it.

Fräulein's silent, expectant gaze forced Miriam to leave the room, shattering the brief, warm feeling of being treated as a girl rather than a governess, which Pastor Lahmann had inspired.

_Illustrates the tension between Miriam's desire for personal connection and the rigid social hierarchy of her position._

> She stood shivering, trying to forget the taunting words, and the cruel laughter. 'You can have your ha'pence!' Poor Anna. Her poor wages. Her bony face.

Miriam trembled as she tried to block out the memory of Fräulein's mocking words and laughter, pitying Anna for her meager wages and gaunt appearance.

_Reveals Miriam's empathy for Anna and her discomfort with the cruelty she witnesses._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/pointed_roofs_se/chapters/vi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/pointed_roofs_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/pointed_roofs_se/chapters