The Lost Girl · Chapter
XIII: The Wedded Wife explained
Alvina runs away to Scarborough to escape both Ciccio and Dr.
What happens
Alvina runs away to Scarborough to escape both Ciccio and Dr. Mitchell, seeking solitude. After a few days of freedom, she decides to meet Ciccio in Leeds, where they marry. They travel to London, staying with Ciccio's cousin Giuseppe Califano, and Alvina experiences a deep, mindless submission to Ciccio's influence. They obtain passports and prepare to leave for Italy amid the early days of World War I.
Themes in this chapter
Female Independence and Marriage
Alvina initially seeks independence by running away, but ultimately marries Ciccio and submits to his influence, reflecting the tension between autonomy and marital commitment.
Desire and Sensuality
Alvina experiences a deep, mindless physical and emotional submission to Ciccio, described as a narcotic spell and a swoon of self-forgetfulness.
Illusion vs. Reality
Alvina's dream of Alexander contrasts with her real marriage to Ciccio, and her perception of Ciccio's 'dark transparence' blurs the line between romantic ideal and actual experience.
Characters to notice
- Alvina Houghton
Runs away to Scarborough, marries Ciccio, and submits to his influence while preparing to leave for Italy.
- Ciccio
Marries Alvina, stays with the Tukes, and shows a dark, triumphant pride as they prepare to go to Italy.
- Tommy
Travels with Ciccio to meet Alvina in Leeds; has engaged Ciccio as a personal attendant.
- Mrs. Tuke
Recovering from childbirth; Alvina feels she is exacting and is glad to be free of her.
- Giuseppe Califano
Ciccio's cousin, a London restaurateur who receives Alvina with mixed respect and disapproval.
- Graham
Appears in Alvina's dream as Alexander, her first fiancé, reproaching her for being late.
Key passages
“She took the timetable that hung in the hall: the timetable, that magic carpet of today. When in doubt, move. This was the maxim.”
Alvina uses the train timetable as a modern escape tool, deciding that action is the only remedy for her uncertainty.
Reflects her impulsive decision to meet Ciccio in Leeds.
“The depth of his warm, mindless, enveloping love was immeasurable. She felt she could sink forever into his warm, pulsating embrace.”
Alvina is overwhelmed by Ciccio's passionate, instinctive love, feeling she could lose herself completely in him.
Highlights the theme of desire and sensuality.
“For his face was open like a flower right to the depths of his soul, a dark, lovely translucency, vulnerable to the deep quick of his soul.”
Ciccio's face reveals his innermost soul, a dark and beautiful vulnerability that deeply moves Alvina.
Captures the moment of emotional connection at the Italian Consulate.