The Painted Veil · Chapter
LVIII explained
Kitty visits Waddington's Manchu mistress and is struck by the serene, enigmatic quality of the Eastern woman's life.
What happens
Kitty visits Waddington's Manchu mistress and is struck by the serene, enigmatic quality of the Eastern woman's life. She reflects on the contrast between Western ideals and the mysterious, profound existence she glimpses in the Manchu, sensing that she is searching for something deeper—perhaps the Tao—that the nuns and this woman seem to possess.
Themes in this chapter
East vs. West
Kitty contrasts the crude Western ideals with the profound, mysterious Eastern way of life embodied by the Manchu woman.
Self-Deception and Truth
Kitty acknowledges she is searching for something important but does not yet know what it is, hinting at her journey toward self-awareness.
Moral Awakening and Redemption
Kitty's encounter with the Manchu and her reflections on the nuns suggest a growing desire for a deeper, more meaningful life.
Characters to notice
- Kitty Fane
Visits Waddington's Manchu mistress; reflects on her search for meaning and the contrast between East and West.
- Waddington
Arranges the visit and translates between Kitty and the Manchu; discusses the Tao as a universal path.
- Mei-tan-fu
The Manchu woman, Waddington's mistress, is described as an idol-like figure with elegant hands and a painted face, embodying the mysterious East.
Key passages
“Here was a different life, lived on a different plane. Kitty felt strangely that the sight of this idol, with her painted face and slanting, wary eyes, made the efforts and the pains of the everyday world she knew slightly absurd.”
Kitty senses that the Manchu woman's existence is on a higher, more meaningful level, making her own worldly concerns seem trivial.
Highlights Kitty's growing disillusionment with her former life and her attraction to Eastern spirituality.
“Tao. Some of us look for the Way in opium and some in God, some of us in whisky and some in love. It is all the same Way and it leads nowhither.”
Waddington explains that the Tao is a universal path that people seek through various means, but ultimately it leads nowhere.
Introduces the concept of Tao as a central philosophical theme in the chapter.