# XX explained — The Woodlanders > Chapter companion for The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy. ## What happens On Midsummer Eve, the village girls of Hintock gather in the woods to perform a traditional spell to glimpse their future husbands. Grace Melbury, accompanied by her stepmother, joins the group out of curiosity. Dr. Fitzpiers, now deeply infatuated with Grace, and Giles Winterborne, who has been dismissed as a suitor, both position themselves in her path. Following Mrs. Melbury's encouragement, Fitzpiers intercepts and embraces Grace as she runs back, declaring his claim over her. Meanwhile, Fitzpiers mistakenly chases Suke Damson, who mistakes him for her lover Timothy Tangs. The chapter highlights the tension between tradition and modernity, the shifting romantic dynamics, and the consequences of Giles's loss of his home. ## Themes in this chapter ### Tradition vs. Modernity The Midsummer Eve ritual represents enduring folk traditions, while Grace's educated perspective makes her feel 'receded a couple of centuries,' highlighting the clash between old customs and modern sensibilities. ### Love and Marriage The chapter revolves around romantic pursuits and marital prospects, with Fitzpiers's aggressive claim on Grace and the girls' spells for future husbands underscoring the central theme of love and marriage. ### Fate and Irony The ritual is meant to reveal fate, but ironic outcomes occur: Fitzpiers catches Grace while Suke Damson mistakes him for her lover, and Giles is left out despite his positioning. ## Character check-ins ### Grace Melbury Participates in the Midsummer Eve ritual and is caught and embraced by Fitzpiers, marking a new phase in their relationship. ### Edgar Fitzpiers Observes Grace during the ritual, intercepts her on Mrs. Melbury's advice, and later chases Suke Damson by mistake. ### Giles Winterborne Stands in the path of the returning girls but is overshadowed by Fitzpiers; he is dismantling his home for an early exit. ### Marty South Reluctantly helps Grammer Oliver by guiding Grace's path, and observes the romantic entanglements without participating in the spell. ### Suke Damson Mistakes Fitzpiers for her lover Timothy Tangs and leads him on a chase through the woods and into a meadow. ### Mrs. Melbury Accompanies Grace to the ritual and deliberately directs Fitzpiers to intercept her stepdaughter. ## Key lines > Instead of my skellington he'll carry home her living carcass before long. But though she's a lady in herself, and worthy of any such as he, it do seem to me that he ought to marry somebody more of the sort of Mrs. Charmond, and that Miss Grace should make the best of Winterborne. Grammer Oliver predicts that Fitzpiers will marry Grace instead of dissecting her skeleton, but suggests he would be better suited to Mrs. Charmond and that Grace should settle for Winterborne. _Grammer's comment reflects the community's view of Fitzpiers's romantic prospects and the social expectations around marriage._ > You are in my arms, dearest, and I am going to claim you, and keep you there all our two lives! Fitzpiers declares his intention to possess Grace permanently after catching her in the woods. _This moment marks Fitzpiers's decisive romantic claim on Grace, altering their relationship._ > May'st kiss me if 'canst catch me, Tim! Suke Damson playfully challenges who she thinks is her lover Timothy Tangs to catch and kiss her. _Suke's mistaken address leads to an ironic chase with Fitzpiers, highlighting the confusion of identities on Midsummer Eve._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_woodlanders_se/chapters/xx - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_woodlanders_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_woodlanders_se/chapters