The Enchanted April · Chapter
II explained
Mrs.
What happens
Mrs. Arbuthnot and Mrs. Wilkins, after meeting at a club, write to inquire about a medieval castle in Italy advertised in The Times. Mrs. Arbuthnot, a pious and charitable woman, struggles with her conscience over using her secret savings for a holiday, while Mrs. Wilkins insists that their current 'goodness' makes them unhappy and that a different, happier sort awaits them at the castle. The chapter explores Mrs. Arbuthnot's inner conflict, her secret longing, and her strained relationship with her husband Frederick, whom she has long since left to God.
Themes in this chapter
Escape and Renewal
Both women see the medieval castle as an escape from their constrained lives, offering a chance for a 'happy sort' of goodness and personal renewal.
Religion and Spirituality
Mrs. Arbuthnot's prayers, her sense of guilt, and her habit of leaving Frederick to God highlight the tension between religious duty and personal desire.
Characters to notice
- Mrs. Arbuthnot
Struggles with guilt and excitement over the prospect of the Italian holiday; prays for guidance but cannot bring herself to ask God to prevent the trip; reflects on her marriage to Frederick and her life of charity.
- Mrs. Wilkins
Impulsive and persuasive; insists that their current goodness makes them unhappy and that a happy sort of goodness awaits at the castle; described as having a 'curious infectiousness' and the eyes of a seer.
- Frederick
Mrs. Arbuthnot's husband; works away from home, is jovial and freehanded when he appears, but bears no resemblance to the original Frederick of their early marriage; Mrs. Arbuthnot prays for him but feels distant.
Key passages
“We have attained it, and we are unhappy. There are miserable sorts of goodness and happy sorts—the sort we’ll have at the medieval castle, for instance, is the happy sort.”
Mrs. Wilkins argues that their current virtuous lives have made them miserable, but a different, joyful kind of goodness awaits them at the castle.
This encapsulates the central conflict between duty and desire.
“She looked as though she were hiding something discreditable but delightful.”
Mrs. Arbuthnot's secret excitement about the trip makes her appear guilty and furtive, like a woman after a secret meeting with a lover.
Highlights the theme of appearance versus reality and the guilt associated with self-indulgence.