# II explained — The Woman in White

> Chapter companion for The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.

## What happens

Walter Hartright reflects on the end of a long, hot summer and his own financial and physical decline. He visits his mother's cottage in Hampstead, where he is greeted by his eccentric Italian friend, Professor Pesca. Walter recounts how he saved Pesca from drowning, an act that inspired Pesca's profound gratitude and a promise to repay the debt. This event, Walter hints, will ultimately lead him into the mysterious story that follows.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Trust

Pesca's hidden political past and his exaggerated English persona hint at layers of deception and the trust Walter places in him.

### Resilience and Recovery

Walter's physical and financial decline contrasts with his rescue of Pesca, an act that sets the stage for his future resilience.

## Character check-ins

### Walter Hartright

Narrator; feeling out of health, spirits, and money; visits his mother's cottage in Hampstead.

### Professor Pesca

Walter's eccentric Italian friend; greets him joyously at the cottage; saved from drowning by Walter.

### Sarah

Walter's sister; mentioned as living with their mother.

## Key lines

> The small pulse of the life within me, and the great heart of the city around me, seemed to be sinking in unison, languidly and more languidly, with the sinking sun.

Walter feels his own vitality fading in sync with the sluggish, dying summer day in London.

_Establishes Walter's melancholic mood and the oppressive atmosphere._

> If I had not dived for Professor Pesca when he lay under water on his shingle bed, I should in all human probability never have been connected with the story which these pages will relate.

Walter implies that saving Pesca's life was the pivotal event that led him into the central mystery of the narrative.

_Foreshadows the importance of Pesca's gratitude and the coming plot._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_woman_in_white_se/chapters/ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_woman_in_white_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_woman_in_white_se/chapters