The Getting of Wisdom · Chapter
XVII explained
Laura fabricates an elaborate romantic story about her visit to the Shepherd household, inventing a secret affair with Mr.
What happens
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 unhappy marriage, his aristocratic background, and his future bishopric, captivating her audience despite the risk of exposure. Her success emboldens her, but also strains her friendship with Chinky, who seeks a deeper connection.
Themes in this chapter
Truth, Lies, and Self-Deception
Laura's elaborate fabrications about Mr. Shepherd highlight the theme of deception, as she constructs a false reality to gain social standing and avoid humiliation.
Friendship and the Desire for Belonging
Laura's lies are driven by her need for acceptance among her peers, while her interaction with Chinky reveals the strain on her friendships due to her deceit.
Imagination vs. Harsh Reality
Laura's imaginative romance clashes with the mundane reality of her visit, where she saw Mr. Shepherd as 'overworked, underfed' and felt no genuine affection.
Characters to notice
- Laura Rambotham
Laura invents a detailed romantic narrative about Mr. Shepherd to impress her friends, showing her skill in lying and her desperation for social approval.
- Chinky
Chinky confronts Laura about their neglected friendship and offers her a ring with the inscription 'Semper eadem,' seeking a closer bond.
- Tilly Macnamara
Tilly mocks Laura with a 'lightly mocking smile' and challenges her to reveal details about the visit, pushing Laura to fabricate more elaborate lies.
- Maria Morell
Maria expresses concern about Laura's inventions, warning her not to go to the Shepherd house again, but is drawn into the secret when Laura whispers a detail to her.
- Kate Horner
Kate accompanies Laura on the daily walk and presses her for more particulars about the fabricated romance.
- Dr. Pughson
Dr. Pughson interrupts Laura's pantomime with a 'butcherly gibe' and sends her to the blackboard to work on the Seventh Proposition.
Key passages
“For, crass realists though these young colonials were, and bluntly as they faced facts, they were none the less just as hungry for romance as the most insatiable novel-reader.”
Despite their practical nature, the colonial girls craved romantic stories as much as any avid reader of novels.
This observation explains why Laura's lies are so readily accepted by her peers.
“A strange thing about them was that they came to her quite unsought, dropping on her like Aladdin’s oranges on his turban.”
The ideas for her fabrications arrived spontaneously, as if by magic.
Laura's inventive capacity is portrayed as effortless and almost supernatural.
“She would kill that smile—and if she had to die for it herself.”
Laura was determined to wipe the mocking expression off Tilly's face, even at great personal cost.
This shows Laura's fierce resolve to maintain her fabricated reputation.