The Wyvern Mystery · Chapter
XXXIV: Awake explained
In the stillness of night, the household sleeps uneasily.
What happens
In the stillness of night, the household sleeps uneasily. Charles Fairfield awakens from a nightmare to hear screams from his wife Alice, who is in distress. The chapter contrasts the serene night with the turmoil within the house, as Alice, comforted by Dulcibella, fears for her unborn child and reflects on her mother's death. Meanwhile, Mildred Tarnley, suspicious of the mysterious woman, locks her in her room, fearing her malevolent presence.
Themes in this chapter
Mortality and Aging
Alice's fear of dying in childbirth and Dulcibella's memories of her deceased husband and child underscore the theme of mortality.
Isolation and Entrapment
Alice feels lonely despite being surrounded by people, and Mildred's act of locking the mysterious woman in her room symbolizes physical and psychological entrapment.
Secrecy and Deception
The mysterious woman's presence and Mildred's secretive actions hint at hidden truths and deception within the household.
Characters to notice
- Charles Fairfield
Awakens from a nightmare to hear his wife's screams and rushes to her aid.
- Alice Maybell
Anxious and fearful, she confides in Dulcibella about her loneliness and fear of dying in childbirth like her mother.
- Dulcibella Crane
Comforts Alice with memories of her parents and reassures her about the future.
- Mildred Tarnley
Suspicious and fearful of the mysterious woman, she locks her in her room to prevent her from wandering.
- Lilly Dogger
Sleeps downstairs, still frightened from her earlier encounter with the tall unknown woman.
- Tom Tarnley
Sleeps soundly after his excursion to Cressley Common, undisturbed by the night's tensions.
Key passages
“In his dream, a pale frightened face approached him slowly, and recoiling uttered a cry. The scream was horribly prolonged as the figure receded.”
Charles dreams of a pale, terrified face that screams as it moves away from him.
This dream foreshadows the real screams he hears upon waking.
“Nature, with her gentleness and cruelty, her sublimity and meanness, resembles that microcosm, the human heart, in which lodge so many contrarieties, and the shabby contends with the heroic, the diabolic with the angelic.”
Nature's mix of beauty and harshness mirrors the human heart, where good and evil struggle.
The narrator reflects on the duality of nature and human emotion.
“I have been the cause of so much sorrow and bitterness!”
Alice blames herself for the pain and conflict in her family.
Alice expresses guilt over the rift between Charles and the old squire.