Short Fiction · Chapter
Far Above Rubies explained
Hector Macintosh, a young man of Celtic descent and idealistic temperament, lives with his parents and works as a clerk in his father's bank, but his true passion is writing poetry in private.
What happens
Hector Macintosh, a young man of Celtic descent and idealistic temperament, lives with his parents and works as a clerk in his father's bank, but his true passion is writing poetry in private. He is distant from his mother and her social circle, and his father shows some imagination but is constrained by business. The chapter also follows Annie, Hector's wife, as she faces extreme poverty with courage and resourcefulness, planning to pawn her wedding chemise and seek work as a charwoman. She comforts Hector, who is tormented by despair and a sense of divine abandonment. Meanwhile, Annie's friend, also named Annie, finds a pound note blown by the wind and, after a moment of prayerful hesitation, takes it to her needy friend.
Themes in this chapter
Wealth and Materialism
The chapter starkly contrasts the Macintosh family's comfortable banking life with Hector and Annie's desperate poverty, highlighting the material struggles of the poor.
Suffering and Divine Chastening
Hector experiences a crisis of faith, feeling forgotten by God, while Annie finds comfort in the belief that God is thinking about them and will bring them to their desired haven.
Family and Sacrificial Love
Annie's willingness to pawn her mother's handmade chemise and seek work demonstrates sacrificial love for Hector, and her friend's selfless act of giving the found pound note to a needier friend exemplifies familial devotion.
Characters to notice
- Hector Macintosh
A young poet and bank clerk, idealistic and reclusive, struggling with poverty and despair after marriage.
- Annie Melville
Hector's brave and resourceful wife, who plans to pawn her wedding chemise and seek work as a charwoman to support them.
- Mr. Macintosh
Hector's father, a bank agent who employs Hector as a clerk and shows some suppressed imagination.
- Mrs. Macintosh
Hector's mother, a commonplace and ambitious woman with whom Hector has no intellectual or emotional connection.
Key passages
“It would be like tearing my heart out.”
Hector expresses that parting with the chemise his mother made feels emotionally devastating.
Hector's emotional attachment to the handmade chemise contrasts with Annie's practical view of the pawnshop.
“Is it not a lovely thing to know that God is thinking about you? He will bring us to our desired haven, Hector, dearest!”
Annie comforts Hector by affirming that God is mindful of them and will lead them to safety.
Annie's faith provides solace in their dire circumstances, contrasting with Hector's earlier despair.
“I was never in a pawnshop, Annie. I don't think I should know how to set about it.”
Hector admits he has no experience with pawnshops and would not know how to use one.
Highlights Hector's sheltered upbringing and his reliance on Annie's practical knowledge.