# III: The Statement of Mr. Murthwaite (1850) explained — The Moonstone

> Chapter companion for The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins.

## What happens

Mr. Murthwaite writes to Mr. Bruff recounting his travels in India, where he witnesses a Hindu religious ceremony near Somnauth. He recognizes the three Indians from the Verinder estate as Brahmins who have forfeited their caste to serve the Moon god. At the ceremony, the Moonstone is revealed in the forehead of the deity, having returned to its native land.

## Themes in this chapter

### Imperialism and Colonialism

Murthwaite, a European, travels disguised as a Hindu pilgrim, reflecting colonial exploration and the Western fascination with Eastern relics.

### Religion and Morality

The ceremony is a Hindu religious ritual dedicated to the Moon god, highlighting the sacred significance of the Moonstone.

### The Curse and Fate

The three Brahmins are doomed to wander as pilgrims until death, and the Moonstone's return to India suggests a cyclical fate.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Murthwaite

Narrator of the chapter; describes his journey and the ceremony.

### Mr. Bruff

Recipient of Murthwaite's letter; referenced as having met Murthwaite in London.

### The Indians

The three Brahmins who appear at the ceremony; recognized by Murthwaite from the Verinder estate.

## Key lines

> Have you any recollection, my dear sir, of a semi-savage person whom you met out at dinner, in London, in the autumn of 'forty-eight?

Do you remember meeting a somewhat uncivilized individual at a dinner in London in the fall of 1848?

_Murthwaite introduces himself to Mr. Bruff with self-deprecating humor._

> In the wild regions of Kattiawar (and how wild they are, you will understand, when I tell you that even the husbandmen plough the land, armed to the teeth), the population is fanatically devoted to the old Hindu religion—to the ancient worship of Bramah and Vishnu.

In the untamed area of Kattiawar, where even farmers are armed while plowing, the people are fiercely dedicated to traditional Hindu beliefs, worshipping Brahma and Vishnu.

_Murthwaite emphasizes the devoutness and danger of the region._

> There, raised high on a throne—seated on his typical antelope, with his four arms stretching towards the four corners of the earth—there, soared above us, dark and awful in the mystic light of heaven, the god of the Moon.

High on a throne, the Moon god appeared, seated on an antelope with four arms reaching out, dark and imposing in the mystical moonlight.

_Description of the deity during the ceremony._

> And there, in the forehead of the deity, gleamed the yellow Diamond, whose splendour had last shone on me in England, from the bosom of a woman’s dress!

And there, on the god's forehead, shone the yellow diamond that I last saw in England on a woman's dress.

_Murthwaite recognizes the Moonstone in the idol._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moonstone_se/chapters/iii-the-statement-of-mr-murthwaite-1850
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moonstone_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_moonstone_se/chapters