# VII explained — The Enchanted April

> Chapter companion for The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters/vii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_enchanted_april_se/chapters