The Enchanted April · Chapter
XIV explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Wilkins arrives at San Salvatore, causing a stir among the women. He attempts to take a hot bath, ignores the warning instructions, and causes the stove to explode. Meanwhile, Scrap avoids him by staying in the garden, and Mrs. Wilkins cheerfully meets him in the street, having become transformed by the atmosphere of the place.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Money
Mr. Wilkins's arrival disrupts the women's peaceful routine, highlighting his conventional, middle-class expectations versus the liberated atmosphere of San Salvatore.
The Contrast Between Appearance and Reality
The bath's 'pericoloso' warning is ignored by Mr. Wilkins, leading to an explosion; Mrs. Wilkins's cheerful demeanor masks her past fear of her husband.
Escape and Renewal
Mrs. Wilkins has been transformed by the Italian air, feeling she has found her 'celestial legs' and no longer fears her husband.
Characters to notice
- Mrs. Wilkins
Cheerfully meets her husband in the street, sings as she walks, and has become transformed by the atmosphere, feeling she has found her 'celestial legs'.
- Scrap
Avoids Mr. Wilkins by staying in the garden, calculates his bath will keep him busy, and continues her inquiries into the meaning of her life.
- Mr. Wilkins
Arrives at San Salvatore, insists on a hot bath, ignores the warning instructions, and causes the stove to explode.
- Mrs. Fisher
Disapproves of Mrs. Wilkins not meeting her husband at the station, and is introduced to Mr. Wilkins after the explosion.
- Rose Arbuthnot
Hears Mrs. Wilkins pass beneath her window and sighs, taking cover in her room for breakfast.
Key passages
“When Mrs. Fisher, proceeding on her arrival to the bathroom, saw this word, she went back to her room again and ordered a sponge-bath instead”
Mrs. Fisher, upon seeing the warning 'pericoloso' in the bathroom, decided not to use it and requested a sponge-bath.
Illustrates the women's cautious reaction to the unfamiliar and potentially dangerous bath.
“Mr. Wilkins got into the bath, turned off the tap, and the stove blew up, exactly as the printed instructions said”
Mr. Wilkins ignored the instructions and turned off the tap, causing the stove to explode as warned.
Highlights Mr. Wilkins's disregard for local customs and warnings, leading to a comedic disaster.
“She just walked down the hill singing— Mrs. Fisher could hear her—and picked up her husband in the street as casually as if he were a pin.”
Mrs. Wilkins casually walked down the hill singing and met her husband in the street without any formal ceremony.
Shows Mrs. Wilkins's transformation and her relaxed attitude toward her husband's arrival, contrasting with Mrs. Fisher's expectations.