The Tunnel · Chapter
Chapter XX explained
Miriam is deeply shaken after Mr.
What happens
Miriam is deeply shaken after Mr. Hancock abruptly changes his tone, speaking to her in a brusque, official manner. She reflects on their past intimacy, feels betrayed by his sudden shift, and struggles with the pain of realizing their relationship has been reduced to a mere business arrangement. Despite her turmoil, she tries to compose herself before entering the surgery, only to find the room empty and stripped of meaning.
Themes in this chapter
Gender Roles and Patriarchy
Mr. Hancock's sudden shift to a businesslike tone underscores the power imbalance between men and women, and the expectation that women accept such treatment without protest.
Alienation and Identity
Miriam feels alienated and stripped of her sense of self as the surgery becomes a 'prison' and her relationship with Mr. Hancock is reduced to mere duty.
Intellectual Aspiration vs. Economic Reality
Miriam's earlier hopes for a meaningful connection with Mr. Hancock clash with the harsh economic reality of her position as a paid employee.
Characters to notice
- Miriam
Experiences shock and indignation at Mr. Hancock's changed tone; reflects on their past interactions and feels betrayed.
- Mr. Hancock
Abruptly adopts a brusque, official tone with Miriam, causing her distress; appears to have made a deliberate decision to distance himself.
Key passages
“How dare he? It was deliberate. A brusque casual tone, deliberately put on; a tone he sometimes used to the boys downstairs, or to cabmen. How did he dare to use it to her?”
Miriam is outraged that Mr. Hancock speaks to her in the same dismissive way he would address servants or strangers.
Highlights Miriam's sense of personal dignity and the class-based insult she perceives.
“A business relationship—by all means. But he shall acknowledge and apologise. He shall explain his insulting admission of fear.”
Miriam demands that Mr. Hancock admit his fear of intimacy and apologize for his cold behavior.
Shows Miriam's insistence on emotional honesty and accountability.
“The room was stripped, a west-end surgery, among scores of other west-end surgeries, a prison claiming her by the bonds of the loathsome duties she had learned.”
The surgery now feels impersonal and confining, like any other doctor's office, and Miriam feels trapped by her work.
Conveys Miriam's sense of disillusionment and loss of meaning in her daily routine.