The Painted Veil · Chapter
Chapter XXVII explained
Kitty returns home and informs Walter that she will accompany him to the cholera-stricken region.
What happens
Kitty returns home and informs Walter that she will accompany him to the cholera-stricken region. Walter's indifferent response prompts a bitter, flippant remark from Kitty about packing only summer clothes and a shroud, revealing her despair and defiance.
Themes in this chapter
Suffering and Growth
Kitty's decision to accompany Walter to a dangerous region marks the beginning of her journey through suffering, which may lead to personal growth.
Self-Deception and Truth
Kitty's flippant remark about a shroud reveals her self-awareness of her dire situation, yet she masks her true despair with bravado.
Characters to notice
- Kitty Fane
Kitty, wretched and humiliated, tells Walter she will go with him to Mei-tan-fu and makes a bitter joke about packing a shroud.
- Walter Fane
Walter is home, gives instructions to a servant, and responds with cold indifference to Kitty's decision, angered by her flippancy.
Key passages
“I suppose I needn’t take more than a few summer things and a shroud, need I?”
Kitty sarcastically suggests she only needs summer clothes and a burial shroud for the journey.
This bitter joke underscores Kitty's despair and her attempt to provoke a reaction from Walter.