Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Mysteries of Udolpho, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Marriage, Love, and Inheritance
The Wonders of Nature
Mystery and Superstition
Mortality
The Value of Education and Art
Summary
Analysis
The next morning, Emily has breakfast, and then she goes to burn St. Aubert’s papers. As she goes to the closet to find the papers, she’s very nervous and for a second imagines that she sees her father sitting in his old armchair. She scolds herself for being superstitious and then continues with her task, finding the papers exactly where her father said they’d be. Although she knows she shouldn’t look at the papers, she can’t help being curious, and she catches a glimpse of a dreadful-sounding sentence that makes her even more curious.
Once again, the omniscient narration withholds information to create suspense (in this case, the exact nature of the disturbing thing she saw on her father’s papers ). Emily’s desire to be obedient conflicts with her desire to face the truth and seek knowledge, presenting her with a moral issue that doesn’t have a simple correct choice.
Themes
Emily reminds herself that she made a promise to St. Aubert, and so she throws the papers in the fire, still worrying about the sentence she saw and regretting that she may never have any explanation.
Emily ultimately puts loyalty to her father over her own sense of curiosity, but her regret over the action makes it ambiguous as to whether or not she made the right decision.
Themes
Later, Emily remembers a purse that St. Aubert had. She looks inside and finds the miniature portrait of a woman that she saw her father kiss when she was spying on him. Since St. Aubert never said anything about the picture, Emily decides to keep it. She thinks that perhaps the portrait resembles the Marchioness De Villeroi, but she can’t think of why a picture of her would be so valuable to her father.
Emily knows that even though she is literally following St. Aubert’s instructions, she is perhaps not following his intentions when she holds onto the mysterious portrait. Nevertheless, her curiosity gets the better of her. The miniature’s resemblance to the Marchioness De Villeroi (who once lived in the mysterious chateau that Emily and St. Aubert passed on their journey but never actually saw) seems initially to hint at the possibility that St. Aubert had a lover.
Themes
Just then, Emily hears the garden gate close, and Valancourt comes up to see her. Emily isn’t ready to see him because she’s still distracted by all the things she just discovered about St. Aubert. Valancourt tries to cheer Emily up by pretending that he just met her yesterday and telling her about the “friends” he made on his recent journey in the Pyrenees. As Valancourt speaks of the landscape in the Pyrenees, Emily thinks he sounds tender and intelligent.
Valancourt demonstrates that he understands Emily by showing how he, like her, can appreciate nature. The novel presents him as a kind character but leaves just enough doubt that he might be trying to manipulate Emily. This comes through particularly with the suggestion that Valancourt may be the mysterious person from the fishing house who wrote a sonnet about Emily and stole Madame St. Aubert’s bracelet.
Themes
Get the entire The Mysteries of Udolpho LitChart as a printable PDF.
Emily shows Valancourt a tree that used to be St. Aubert’s favorite. Valancourt finally says that he has to leave soon, possibly forever. But he says that he regrets having to leave because he greatly admires Emily’s goodness—and perhaps hopes that at some time in the future he might be able to call his admiration “love.” Emily feels too much emotion to respond, so Valancourt says that he won’t bother her with the subject any longer. He hopes, however, that he hasn’t offended her in any way that would prevent him from seeing her again.
Valancourt and Emily are each tentative to express their feelings, suggesting the difficulties of communication between unmarried men and women at the time. This passage tentatively shows how Emily intends to follow in her father’s footsteps, marrying for love instead of money, although she still remains guarded at this point in the story.
Themes
Emily wants to encourage Valancourt, but she feels like she hasn’t really known him long enough to know his character. On the other hand, she dreads the prospect of having to see Valancourt leave. She knows that the Valancourt family isn’t rich, and Valancourt himself admits that he doesn’t have much to give in terms of material wealth. Valancourt mentions that he’d like to introduce himself to her family, and Emily realizes that Madame Cheron is the one of the only relatives she has left.
Even Emily, who cares more about nature than material things, can’t escape the fact that finances play a role in marriage. Even if Emily herself doesn’t care about wealth, she wants to please her aunt, Madame Cheron, as a way of staying true to St. Aubert’s own final wishes.
Themes
Emily’s hesitations to reply discourage Valancourt. But at last, she corrects him by saying that he has indeed had her “esteem” for a long while. Valancourt is overjoyed and kisses Emily’s trembling hand. Emily cries but says it’s just from the shock, and Valancourt admits that he was himself nervous, putting off his eventual visit to Emily for several days.
As a poet, Emily thinks carefully about the words she chooses. She notably isn’t ready to use the word “love” to describe her feelings with Valancourt, and yet, she also leaves open this possibility of eventual love by using a different positive word to describe her feelings.
Themes
At last, Valancourt has to go, but he promises to return and hopes to meet Emily’s family. He kisses her hand, but just as he’s about to leave, Madame Cheron shows up. She looks shocked and comments that Emily must have already recovered from her grief. Emily introduces Valancourt, who clearly dislikes Madame Cheron and soon finds an excuse to leave, even though he looks like he regrets leaving Emily.
Madame Cheron’s sudden appearance shows in part why Emily was hesitant to encourage Valancourt earlier. Emily knows that even if her intentions with Valancourt are good, it might not look that way on the outside. Madame Cheron’s criticisms of Emily eventually become ironic, as the story shows how little Madame Cheron lives up to her own standards of conduct.
Themes
Madame Cheron talks dismissively about Valancourt to Emily, saying Emily needs someone like Madame Cheron around to guide her. Emily says she can take care of herself and La Vallée on her own. Madame Cheron continues to ask about Valancourt’s family and his intentions, while Emily continues to defend his honor. She mentions how she recently lost her parents, and Madame Cheron at last relents.
Madame Cheron uses the language of morality to discourage Emily from pursuing Valancourt, but in fact, it soon becomes clear that Madame Cheron mostly disapproves of him for economic reasons. Emily begins to learn that morality is more complicated than what St. Aubert taught her.
Themes
Madame Cheron and Emily go back into the chateau. Madame Cheron wants to take Emily immediately to Thoulouse, but Emily gets her to put off the journey until the next day. That night, Emily wanders the chateau, fearing she may never see it again. She goes outside, admiring nature and deciding that she has no choice at the moment but to trust God’s will. Suddenly, in the darkness, she thinks she sees a distant person in a grove and the sound of footsteps. Frightened, she goes immediately back to the chateau and goes to sleep.
The darkness at the end of the chapter once again symbolizes uncertainty—in this case, what will happen to Emily now that she has to go with Madame Cheron. The mysterious noise Emily hears could be Valancourt, once again raising questions of whether he’s the person he seems to be, if he’s tricking Emily somehow, or if perhaps there is another mysterious person who has been watching Emily.
Themes
