Three Lives · Chapter
I explained
The chapter introduces Anna, a small, spare German woman of about forty, who manages the household for Miss Mathilda.
What happens
The chapter introduces Anna, a small, spare German woman of about forty, who manages the household for Miss Mathilda. It details her struggles with a series of under servants—Lizzie, Molly, Katy, and Sallie—and her protective, scolding, yet caring nature. Anna's difficult life, her sharp voice, and her battles with servants and neighborhood wrongdoers are depicted, along with Miss Mathilda's own conflicts with Anna's strictness and the demands of hospitality.
Themes in this chapter
Servitude and Self-Sacrifice
Anna's life is one of arduous service, managing the household and sacrificing her own comfort for Miss Mathilda, while also caring for and scolding her under servants.
Repetition and Routine
The constant cycle of hiring, training, and losing servants, along with Anna's daily scolding and household management, underscores the repetitive nature of domestic labor.
Characters to notice
- Anna Federner
The good Anna, a small, spare German woman about forty, who manages Miss Mathilda's house with a sharp voice and firm hand.
- Mathilda Haydon
Miss Mathilda, Anna's employer, a large, cheerful but faint-hearted woman who struggles to scold servants and often feels like a rebel against Anna's strictness.
- Molly
A melancholy Irish servant with a bad temper and swear words, kept by Anna out of kindness despite constant battles.
- Sallie
A pretty, blonde, stupid German girl of sixteen, the oldest of eleven children, who becomes Anna's charge and is suspected of meeting the butcher boy.
- Lizzie
A pretty, cheerful Irish girl who was Anna's first under servant but disappeared without notice.
Key passages
“The good Anna was a small, spare, german woman, at this time about forty years of age. Her face was worn, her cheeks were thin, her mouth drawn and firm, and her light blue eyes were very bright.”
Anna is a small, thin German woman around forty, with a worn face, thin cheeks, a firm mouth, and bright blue eyes.
Describes Anna's physical appearance and worn demeanor.
“For five years Anna managed the little house for Miss Mathilda. In these five years there were four different under servants.”
Anna ran Miss Mathilda's household for five years, during which she employed four different maids.
Highlights the turnover of servants under Anna's management.
“Anna was a mother now to Sallie, a good incessant german mother who watched and scolded hard to keep the girl from any evil step.”
Anna acted as a strict, watchful mother to Sallie, constantly scolding her to prevent misbehavior.
Illustrates Anna's maternal role toward the young servant Sallie.