Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Moonstone, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Detective Methods and Genre Standards
Intention, Identity, and Personality
Science and Religion
Gender and Victorian Morality
Class, Wealth, and Nobility
British Imperialism
Summary
Analysis
When Betteredge returns to the house, the servants are panicking and Julia blames Cuff for Rosanna’s death, firing him on the spot—but he asks her to wait a half hour before making a final decision, and then asks Penelope to talk with him and Betteredge. Penelope cries to her father and explains to Cuff that Rosanna’s motive for committing suicide likely related to her feelings for Franklin, who never actually learned of those feelings and is just preparing to leave the estate, after giving up on Rachel. He asks if Cuff might leave, but Cuff insists that it is his job to complete a thorough investigation, and that he will not leave until he explains the case to Julia. Unwilling to hear Rachel insulted, Franklin decides not to follow Betteredge and Cuff to talk with Julia.
Rosanna’s suicide officially shuts down the investigation, which has proven even more catastrophic than the theft, tearing Rachel from Franklin, distancing her from her mother, and devastating Julia, Betteredge, and Penelope, among others. While Betteredge does not, Cuff knows exactly when to turn to Penelope for advice, and she explains the tragic quality of Rosanna’s fate. Because of their difference in class, Franklin simply never noticed Rosanna’s attempts to connect with him as equals, and so while Rosanna ultimately exemplifies the trope of an overly-emotional woman whose entire life depends on the man she loves, she also makes a powerful claim against the emotional gap created by Victorian social stratification.
Themes
