The Painted Veil · Chapter
LXV explained
Walter Fane is buried in a Chinese coffin, with a cross of dahlias from the nuns.
What happens
Walter Fane is buried in a Chinese coffin, with a cross of dahlias from the nuns. Colonel Yü attends the funeral, and Waddington reads the burial service. After the grave is filled, Kitty lingers, feeling a pang of grief, and asks Waddington to stay with her.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Growth
Kitty's grief at Walter's burial marks a moment of painful growth, as she confronts the finality of death and her own emotional awakening.
Sacrifice and Service
Walter's death in service to the cholera-stricken community and the nuns' gift of a dahlia cross underscore the theme of selfless sacrifice.
Characters to notice
- Kitty Fane
Grieves at Walter's funeral, feels a dreadful pang at the sound of earth on the coffin, and lingers at the graveside.
- Walter Fane
Buried in a Chinese coffin after his death from cholera.
- Waddington
Arranges the funeral, reads the burial service, and waits for Kitty.
- Colonel Yü
Attends the funeral with his A.D.C., salutes Kitty, and leaves.
Key passages
“It seemed horrible to Kitty that he must be put into a Chinese coffin, as though in so strange a bed he must rest uneasily, but there was no help for it.”
Kitty found it distressing that Walter was buried in a Chinese coffin, feeling it was an alien resting place, yet she knew there was no alternative.
Kitty's discomfort with the cultural difference in burial customs reflects her lingering sense of separation from Walter and her surroundings.
“She had not wept, but when the first shovelful of earth rattled on the coffin she felt a dreadful pang at her heart.”
Kitty remained tearless until the sound of dirt hitting the coffin struck her with a sharp emotional pain.
The physical sound of burial triggers Kitty's suppressed grief, marking a turning point in her emotional response to Walter's death.