# LXVI explained — The Painted Veil

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

## What happens

Kitty and Waddington walk to the archway memorial, where Kitty reflects on Walter's death, the meaning of life, and the nuns' sacrifices. Waddington discusses Tao and the beauty of a well-lived life. Kitty questions whether Walter died of a broken heart and recalls the line 'the dog it was that died.'

## Themes in this chapter

### Suffering and Growth

Kitty grapples with the futility of suffering and heart pains, questioning whether death renders all misery meaningless.

### Sacrifice and Service

Kitty reflects on the nuns' total sacrifice of home, country, love, and freedom for a life of devotion and prayer.

### Self-Deception and Truth

Kitty confronts the possibility that the nuns' faith may be an illusion, and wonders about the truth behind Walter's death.

## Character check-ins

### Kitty Fane

Reflects on Walter's death, the nuns' sacrifices, and the meaning of life; questions the immortality of the soul and the line 'the dog it was that died.'

### Waddington

Walks with Kitty, discusses Tao, the beauty of a well-lived life, and the circumstances of Walter's death; reveals the source of the line from Goldsmith's Elegy.

### Walter Fane

Recently deceased; Kitty reflects on his appearance after death and suggests he died of a broken heart, possibly from experimenting on himself.

## Key lines

> Do you think that the soul is immortal?

Kitty asks Waddington whether the soul lives on after death.

_Reflects Kitty's existential questioning after Walter's death._

> Walter died of a broken heart.

Kitty asserts that Walter's death was caused by emotional pain, not just disease.

_Highlights Kitty's guilt and her interpretation of Walter's suffering._

> It is the Way and the Waygoer. It is the eternal road along which walk all beings, but no being made it, for itself is being.

Waddington describes Tao as the eternal path that all beings follow, uncreated and self-existent.

_Introduces Taoist philosophy as a framework for understanding life and death._

## Links

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