# Reginald on Besetting Sins explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Saki.

## What happens

Reginald tells a cautionary tale about a woman who develops a compulsive habit of telling the truth, which gradually alienates her friends and family, culminating in a disastrous confrontation with her cook.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Moral Facade

The woman's truth-telling is seen as a social transgression, highlighting the value placed on polite fictions over honesty.

### The Absurdity of Social Rituals

The story satirizes the social rituals of visiting, gift-giving, and interactions with dressmakers, where truth is unwelcome.

## Character check-ins

### Reginald

Narrates the story of the truth-telling woman.

### Miriam Klopstock

A friend of the woman who receives a brutally honest opinion about her appearance.

## Key lines

> There was once (said Reginald) a woman who told the truth. Not all at once, of course, but the habit grew upon her gradually, like lichen on an apparently healthy tree.

Reginald tells of a woman who started telling the truth in small ways, and the habit slowly took over her life.

_Opening lines establishing the central irony and metaphor._

> The revenge of an elder sister may be long in coming, but, like a Southeastern express, it arrives in its own good time.

An elder sister's revenge is delayed but inevitable, much like a train that eventually reaches its destination.

_Illustrates the delayed consequence of the woman's truth-telling._

> Every woman tells ninety percent of the truth to her dressmaker; the other ten percent is the irreducible minimum of deception beyond which no self-respecting client trespasses.

Women are almost entirely honest with their dressmakers, but a small amount of deception is always necessary for dignity.

_Highlights the social expectation of polite deception even in professional settings._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_49_se/chapters/reginald-on-besetting-sins
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_49_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_49_se/chapters