Short Fiction · Chapter
The Elk explained
Mrs.
What happens
Mrs. Thropplestance, a wealthy and domineering old woman, controls her grandson Bertie's marriage prospects. During a Christmas house party, Dora Yonelet's mother tries to engineer a match between Dora and Bertie. After Bertie rescues Dora from the family elk, Mrs. Yonelet hopes this will secure the match, but Mrs. Thropplestance reveals that Bertie has rescued several women from the elk before. The vicar's wife reveals that Mrs. Thropplestance actually intends Bertie to marry the Bickelbys' German governess, a combative woman. Ultimately, the elk kills the governess, thwarting Mrs. Thropplestance's plan, and Dora later marries Bertie after Mrs. Thropplestance's death.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Status
Mrs. Thropplestance's control over Bertie's marriage and the property inheritance underscores the importance of social class and status in determining life choices.
Hypocrisy and Moral Facade
Mrs. Yonelet's dramatic announcement of the elk rescue is undercut by Mrs. Thropplestance's revelation that such rescues are routine, exposing the facade of romantic destiny.
The Absurdity of Social Rituals
The repeated elk rescues and the mothers' machinations highlight the absurdity of social rituals surrounding courtship and marriage.
Characters to notice
- Bertie Thropplestance
The younger grandson and heir-designate to Mrs. Thropplestance's property; amiable and easygoing, he rescues Dora from the elk.
- Sophie Chattel-Monkheim
Not directly present; the German governess is unnamed in the excerpt, but the vicar's wife describes her as assertive and combative, and she is ultimately killed by the elk.
- Mrs. Packletide
Not present; no character with this ID appears in the chapter.
Key passages
“Bertie has saved Dora from the elk!”
Bertie rescued Dora from the elk.
Mrs. Yonelet's dramatic announcement of the rescue.
“It was touch and go! She threw her niblick at it, but that didn't stop it.”
It was a close call; she threw her golf club at the elk but it didn't deter the animal.
Mrs. Yonelet's description of the elk attack.
“I pointed out to her that he had rescued Mirabel Hicks from the same predicement a few months previously, and that priority really belonged to the gardener's boy, who had been rescued in the January of that year.”
I reminded her that Bertie had previously rescued Mirabel Hicks and even earlier the gardener's boy from the same elk.
Mrs. Thropplestance's deflation of the rescue's uniqueness.