# The Getting of Wisdom — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for The Getting of Wisdom by Henry Handel Richardson.

- [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/dedication.md): The author dedicates the book to an unnamed little collaborator, acknowledging a shared creative effort.
- [Epigraph](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/epigraph.md): The chapter opens with a biblical epigraph from Proverbs 4:7, emphasizing the supreme value of wisdom and the pursuit of understanding.
- [The Getting of Wisdom](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/the-getting-of-wisdom.md): Laura Rambotham leaves her family home to attend boarding school, experiencing a mix of excitement and anxiety. She is accompanied by her mother and younger siblings to the train station, where she says goodbye and begin
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/i.md): On her last night at home before leaving for boarding school, Laura Rambotham cuts off one of her prized curls to bind a bouquet for her mother, hoping to prove her selflessness. Her mother reacts with anger, upset that 
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/ii.md): On the morning of her departure for boarding school, Laura awakens and deliberately avoids a private conversation with her mother, fearing another uncomfortable talk about growing up. She hides in the summerhouse until c
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/iii.md): Laura travels alone by coach and train to boarding school in Melbourne. She experiences a mix of pride, grief, and embarrassment during the journey, fending off the well-meaning but intrusive sympathy of strangers. Her d
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/iv.md): Laura arrives at her godmother's house and is met with criticism about her appearance, particularly her hat. She then visits the boarding school with her godmother and cousin, where she meets the stern Lady Superintenden
- [V](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/v.md): Laura endures her first day at boarding school, facing ridicule from older girls over her name and background, struggling to find her place, and retreating into tearful isolation at night.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/vi.md): Laura writes home about her life at boarding school, describing her classes, meals, and the other girls. Her mother responds with a stern letter scolding her for vulgar language, lying, and poor spelling, and warns her t
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/vii.md): Laura struggles to adapt to the harsh discipline and social codes of her boarding school. After a humiliating public rebuke from Mrs. Gurley for her informal manner, she becomes timid and avoids her. The chapter details 
- [VIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/viii.md): Laura receives an invitation to spend a monthly holiday at Godmother's house in Prahran. She waits anxiously for Marina to pick her up, enduring humiliation when she is the last girl left. Marina arrives late and takes L
- [IX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/ix.md): Laura returns to school after a disappointing holiday at Godmother's, feeling relieved to be back. She receives a scolding letter from her mother for her lack of gratitude. Laura forms a friendship with Inez and Bertha, 
- [The Purple Dress and the Price of Conformity](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/x.md): Laura adapts to school life, learning that deviation from the norm is the unpardonable sin. She is promoted, begins Latin, and becomes a model pupil. She befriends the wealthy Tilly Macnamara, but struggles with her own 
- [XI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xi.md): Laura's friendship with Lilith Gordon deepens despite her distrust, leading her to foolishly reveal that her mother works for a living. When Lilith is later mocked for her uncle's trade, Laura joins in the ridicule, only
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xii.md): Laura reflects on the public expulsion of Annie Johns for theft, feeling a troubling empathy and fascination that sets her apart from her peers. She struggles with her own nonconformist thoughts and fears being ostracize
- [XIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xiii.md): Laura is promoted two forms at Christmas, now a thin thirteen-year-old with a long dark plait. She and Tilly are the only intimates to skip a class, throwing them together more exclusively. The older girls in their new f
- [XIV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xiv.md): Laura is invited to lunch with Tilly's relatives, where she is told that her cousin Bob is 'gone on' her. The day involves dressing up, promenading Collins Street, and an awkward encounter with Bob, who is more intereste
- [XV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xv.md): Laura continues to struggle with social expectations and her own feelings of inadequacy, particularly in interactions with boys. After a failed attempt to converse with a boy at a cricket match, she reflects on her inabi
- [XVI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xvi.md): Laura visits the Shepherd household for a holiday, where she observes the strained domestic dynamics between the irritable Mr. Shepherd (Robby), his submissive wife Maisie, and his sister Isabella. Despite the tense meal
- [XVII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xvii.md): Laura fabricates an elaborate romantic story about her visit to the Shepherd household, inventing a secret affair with Mr. Shepherd to maintain her social standing among her peers. She skillfully weaves lies about his un
- [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xviii.md): Laura's elaborate lies about a romance with the curate Mr. Shepherd are exposed, leading to her ostracization by her peers. She is humiliated, called a 'lying sneak,' and shunned by former friends like Maria, Kate Horner
- [XIX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xix.md): Laura endures complete social ostracism at school after being branded a liar, and the situation worsens when Chinky is expelled for theft, having claimed she stole to buy Laura a ring. Laura is now seen as a confederate.
- [The Rebel's Return](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xx.md): Laura returns to school after the holidays, facing quiet but persistent ostracism from her peers. She adopts a strategy of slyness and toadying to regain her place, while inwardly rebelling against the injustice of her s
- [XXI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xxi.md): Laura is invited to join the boarders' Literary Society, which marks a turning point in her social reintegration. She struggles to write a piece for the society, first attempting a romantic novel set in Venice, which fai
- [XXII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xxii.md): Laura is assigned to share a room with Evelyn Souttar, a popular and wealthy older girl. Initially resentful, Laura discovers Evelyn chose her as a roommate, leading to a deep friendship. Evelyn's easygoing nature and ac
- [Gut und böse und Lust und Leid und Ich und Du](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xxiii.md): Laura's obsessive friendship with Evelyn Souttar reaches a crisis as Evelyn prepares to leave school. Laura's jealousy, possessiveness, and inability to focus on her studies lead to her failing the midwinter test examina
- [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xxiv.md): Laura returns home for the holidays burdened by her secret failure and the fear of disappointing her mother, who has sacrificed much for her education. She becomes irritable and quarrels with Pin, and feels increasingly 
- [XXV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_getting_of_wisdom_se/chapters/xxv.md): Laura and her friends discuss their future aspirations before parting ways. Laura expresses a desire to see the world but feels like a square peg in a round hole. She leaves school with a sense of unfitness, yet the narr

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