The Rise of Silas Lapham · Chapter
Chapter XXVI explained
Mrs.
What happens
Mrs. Lapham, driven by conscience and a desire to support her husband, goes to his office to speak with him about his decision regarding Rogers. She finds him absent and instead encounters a pretty young woman operating a typewriter at his desk, which stirs jealousy and suspicion. Later, she receives an anonymous note urging her to 'ask your husband about his lady copying-clerk.' Consumed by jealousy, she confronts Lapham upon his return, accusing him of impropriety. He denies wrongdoing but refuses to explain, and after a heated argument, he leaves abruptly. Mrs. Lapham, in a frenzy, follows him to his office, determined to uncover the truth.
Themes in this chapter
Marriage and Family Dynamics
Mrs. Lapham's jealousy and confrontation with Silas highlight the strain in their marriage, exacerbated by financial troubles and secrets.
Honesty and Deception
The anonymous note and Mrs. Lapham's accusations revolve around perceived deception, while Lapham's refusal to explain deepens the mistrust.
Gender Roles and Women's Place
Mrs. Lapham's exclusion from her husband's business and her reaction to the female clerk illustrate the era's gendered expectations and anxieties.
Characters to notice
- Mrs. Lapham
Visits her husband's office seeking to support him, but becomes jealous and suspicious upon finding a young woman there; later receives an anonymous note and confronts Lapham angrily.
- Silas Lapham
Absent from his office when Mrs. Lapham visits; returns from New York looking spent and haggard, then faces her accusations and leaves abruptly.
- Zerrilla Millon
The pretty young woman operating a typewriter in Lapham's office; she becomes the object of Mrs. Lapham's jealousy and suspicion.
- Bromfield Corey
Mentioned in a brief passage about his acceptance of Tom's marriage to Penelope, expressing hope for the best and planning to call on Miss Lapham.
- Tom Corey
Mentioned in Bromfield Corey's thoughts regarding his marriage to Penelope Lapham.
- Penelope Lapham
Mentioned as the object of Tom Corey's affections in Bromfield Corey's reflections.
Key passages
“owned her limitations to herself, and above everything in the world she wished the man whom her conscience had roused and driven on whither her intelligence had not followed, to do right, to do what he felt to be right, and nothing else.”
She privately acknowledged her own shortcomings and wanted above all for her husband, whom her moral sense had pushed further than her understanding could follow, to act rightly and follow his own conscience.
Reflects Mrs. Lapham's internal conflict between supporting her husband's moral decisions and her own jealousy.
“Ask your husband about his lady copying-clerk. A Friend and Well-wisher”
Inquire with your husband regarding his female typist. Signed, a friend who wishes you well.
The anonymous note that triggers Mrs. Lapham's jealous suspicions.
“Who is that girl you’ve got in your office, Silas Lapham?”
Who is that young woman you have working in your office, Silas Lapham?
Mrs. Lapham's direct and accusatory question upon her husband's return.