The Painted Veil · Chapter
LXXIX explained
Kitty returns to her father's house in London after her mother's death.
What happens
Kitty returns to her father's house in London after her mother's death. She finds her father, Bernard Garstin, trying to hide his relief at being free from his wife. Kitty visits her mother's body and reflects on their strained relationship, recognizing her mother's influence on her own character. Her sister Doris arrives, weeping dramatically, but Kitty feels unable to feign grief she does not feel.
Themes in this chapter
Self-Deception and Truth
Bernard Garstin hides his relief at his wife's death, while Kitty confronts her own lack of grief and the truth of her mother's influence.
Class and Social Status
Mrs. Garstin's lifelong ambition for social standing is shown as 'base and unworthy' in death, highlighting the emptiness of such pursuits.
Characters to notice
- Kitty Fane
Returns home after her mother's death; reflects on her mother's influence and her own inability to grieve.
- Bernard Garstin
Kitty's father, now a widower, tries to conceal his relief at his wife's death.
- Mrs. Garstin
Deceased; Kitty views her body and reflects on her domineering, ambitious nature.
- Doris
Kitty's sister, who arrives weeping dramatically over their mother's death.
Key passages
“He gave her his cheek to kiss in the manner she so well remembered.”
Bernard offered his cheek for a kiss, a gesture Kitty recalled from their past.
Illustrates the formal, distant relationship between Kitty and her father.
“She guessed at once what her father was trying to hide from her. It was relief he felt, an infinite relief, and he was frightened of himself.”
Kitty immediately sensed that her father felt immense relief at his wife's death and was ashamed of that feeling.
Highlights the theme of self-deception and the hidden truth of Bernard's emotions.
“She had schemed and intrigued all her life and never had she desired anything but what was base and unworthy.”
Mrs. Garstin spent her life plotting and pursuing only low and unworthy goals.
Reflects Kitty's critical view of her mother's ambitions and the theme of class and social status.