The Princess and Curdie · Chapter
VII: What Is in a Name? explained
Peter and Curdie wait in the dark cavern for the Lady of Light to return.
What happens
Peter and Curdie wait in the dark cavern for the Lady of Light to return. She appears, revealing that she has known Peter for forty years and has kept him poor as a privilege. She tells Peter that he and his wife have royal blood and that Curdie is being trained for a great work. Curdie asks questions about her many names and forms, and she explains that names and shapes are only dresses, while the true self remains the same. She gives Peter a green stone, and they leave the cavern, meeting an old woman outside who is the princess in disguise, instructing Curdie to come to the dove-tower alone.
Themes in this chapter
Perception vs. Reality
The Lady explains that names and shapes are only dresses, and that the true self is unchanging, while appearances vary according to the beholder's character.
Faith and Trust
Peter and Curdie wait in darkness with unwavering faith in the Lady's return, and Curdie's trust is rewarded with deeper understanding.
Sacrifice and Service
The Lady has kept Peter poor as a privilege, and she is training Curdie for a work that will require him to leave his family.
Characters to notice
- Curdie
Asks the Lady of Light about her many names and forms, showing his growing understanding of her true nature.
- Peter
Learns that he and his wife have royal blood and that his poverty has been a privilege arranged by the Lady.
- The White Pigeon
Mentioned as the messenger sent by the Lady to Curdie, and as a form she takes.
- Princess Irene
Referenced as the one who told Curdie that the Lady is her great-great-grandmother.
Key passages
“Shapes are only dresses, Curdie, and dresses are only names. That which is inside is the same all the time.”
Appearances are just outer coverings; the true essence of a person remains constant regardless of how they appear.
The Lady teaches Curdie that identity is not tied to external forms.
“It is a great privilege to be poor, Peter—one that no man ever coveted, but a very few have sought to retain, but one that yet many have learned to prize.”
Poverty is a special advantage that few desire but many come to value.
The Lady explains that poverty has allowed Peter to receive blessings that wealth would have blocked.