The Old Wives’ Tale · Chapter
VIII: The Proudest Mother explained
In 1893, Constance's son Cyril has grown into a fashionable young man, a new type in Bursley created by the local tailor.
What happens
In 1893, Constance's son Cyril has grown into a fashionable young man, a new type in Bursley created by the local tailor. Constance dotes on him, but he is indifferent to her efforts. The chapter details Cyril's departure for London, his artistic pursuits, and Constance's lonely devotion. She gives him his father's cigars, which he patronizingly approves, and she reflects on his superiority to his father.
Themes in this chapter
Motherhood and Family Dynamics
Constance's intense devotion to Cyril and her loneliness as he grows indifferent highlight the complexities of maternal love and the changing family roles.
Change and Modernity
Cyril represents a new, modern type in Bursley, with fashionable chains and artistic ambitions, contrasting with the provincial past.
Passage of Time and Aging
Constance's obesity, her rocking chair, and her memories of Samuel's cigars underscore the passage of time and her own aging.
Characters to notice
- Constance Baines
Now a proud but lonely mother, she dotes on Cyril, prepares for his departure to London, and struggles with his indifference.
- Cyril Povey
Now a young man of nineteen, fashionable and artistic, he is indifferent to his mother's devotion and treats her with gentle raillery.
- Samuel Povey
Deceased; his cigars are given to Cyril by Constance, and Cyril offers a patronizing verdict on them.
- Amy Bates
The servant who helps with Cyril's luggage and weeps at his departure, earning a sharp rebuke from Constance.
- Mr. Peel-Swynnerton
Cyril's aristocratic friend who knows London and helps arrange his lodgings.
Key passages
“She could scarcely walk because of the weight of a lump of lead that she carried in her bosom. On the brightest days the lump of lead was always there.”
Constance felt a constant, heavy sorrow that made even happy days difficult.
Describes Constance's emotional burden after Cyril's departure.
“He was a good man, amazingly industrious—when once Constance had got him out of bed in the morning; with no vices; kind, save when Constance mistakenly tried to thwart him; charming, with a curious strain of humour that Constance only half understood.”
Cyril was hardworking and kind, but his humor and interests were beyond Constance's comprehension.
Summarizes Cyril's character from Constance's perspective.
“The worst of it was that she was quite incurable. No experience would suffice to cure her trick of continually expecting him to notice things which he never did notice.”
Constance could not stop hoping for Cyril's attention, even though he rarely gave it.
Highlights Constance's unreciprocated emotional investment.