# LXV explained — The Painted Veil

> Chapter companion for The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/chapters/lxv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_painted_veil_se/chapters