The Enchanted April · Chapter
VII explained
The women have breakfast at San Salvatore, where Mrs.
What happens
The women have breakfast at San Salvatore, where Mrs. Fisher has already arrived and taken charge, claiming the honey-colored sitting room and rearranging the bedrooms. Mrs. Wilkins and Mrs. Arbuthnot feel a mix of disappointment and serene acceptance, while Mrs. Fisher asserts her authority and maintains a cool distance.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Money
Mrs. Fisher's assertion of authority and her concern with respectability highlight the subtle power dynamics and class distinctions among the women.
The Contrast Between Appearance and Reality
Despite the idyllic setting, tensions simmer beneath the surface as Mrs. Fisher's control clashes with the other women's expectations of equality and freedom.
Escape and Renewal
The women's arrival at San Salvatore represents a literal and emotional escape from their ordinary lives, with the beauty of the place offering a sense of heavenly renewal.
Characters to notice
- Mrs. Fisher
Already arrived and established at the head of the breakfast table; she has claimed the honey-colored sitting room and rearranged the bedrooms, asserting her authority over the household.
- Mrs. Wilkins
Feels thwarted at not being able to prepare a welcome for Mrs. Fisher, but is too happy in the paradise of San Salvatore to remain disappointed; she makes light-hearted remarks about husbands and beds.
- Mrs. Arbuthnot
Quietly reflects on the moral hierarchy of the party, feeling that she and Lotty should be the hostesses; she is polite but subtly resistant to Mrs. Fisher's assumption of control.
- Scrap
Mentioned as having arrived with Mrs. Fisher and having considered taking the larger sitting room; she is described as a pretty creature and is absorbed in the view, ignoring the others.
- Francesca
The elderly parlourmaid who silently leads the women to breakfast and is addressed by Mrs. Fisher in Italian.
Key passages
“Why, but it's like having the bread taken out of one's mouth!”
Mrs. Wilkins expresses her disappointment at not being able to prepare a welcome for Mrs. Fisher, using a metaphor about having food snatched away.
This illustrates Mrs. Wilkins's initial frustration and her playful, dramatic manner of speaking.
“I suppose you realise, don't you, that we've got to heaven?”
Mrs. Wilkins joyfully remarks to Mrs. Fisher that their surroundings feel like paradise.
Highlights the theme of escape and renewal, as well as Mrs. Wilkins's transformed, serene state of mind.
“One was not sixty-five for nothing.”
Mrs. Fisher reflects that her age and experience give her a sense of security and indifference to the others' behavior.
Reveals Mrs. Fisher's self-assuredness and her reliance on her established social standing.