Voyage in the Dark

by

Jean Rhys

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Voyage in the Dark makes teaching easy.
Viv is a wealthy older man Maudie used to see quite frequently. He used to shower her in money and gifts, but he soon lost interest. Unfortunately for Maudie, though, she developed strong romantic feelings for him. She talks about him quite often, trying to warn Anna about the fact that rich older men usually lose interest in their young lovers and abandon them.

Viv Quotes in Voyage in the Dark

The Voyage in the Dark quotes below are all either spoken by Viv or refer to Viv. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Homesickness, Memory, and Belonging Theme Icon
).
Part One: Chapter 4 Quotes

‘Only, don’t get soppy about him,’ she said. ‘That’s fatal. The thing with men is to get everything you can out of them and not care a damn. You ask any girl in London—or any girl in the whole world if it comes to that—who really knows, and she’ll tell you the same thing.’ ‘I’ve heard all that a million times,’ I said. ‘I’m sick of hearing it.’ ‘Oh, I needn’t talk,’ Maudie said, ‘the fool I made myself over Viv! Though it was a bit different with me, you understand. We were going to be married!’

Related Characters: Anna Morgan (speaker), Maudie (speaker), Walter Jeffries, Viv
Page Number: 42
Explanation and Analysis:
Part Three: Chapter 3 Quotes

She was sure she could get him to marry her if she could smarten herself up a bit.

She said, ‘Isn’t it awful losing a chance like that because you haven’t got a little money? Because it is a chance. Sometimes you’re sure, aren’t you? But I’m so damned shabby and, you know, when you’re shabby you can’t do anything, you don’t believe in yourself. And he notices clothes—he notices things like that. Fred, his name is. He said to me the other day, “If there’s anything I notice about a girl it’s her legs and her shoes.” Well, my legs are all right, but look at my shoes. He’s always saying things like that and it makes me feel awful. He’s a bit strait-laced but that doesn’t stop them from being particular. Viv was like that, too. Isn’t it rotten when a thing like that falls through just because you haven’t got a little cash? Oh God, I wish it could happen. I want it so to happen.”

Related Characters: Maudie (speaker), Anna Morgan, Walter Jeffries, Viv
Page Number: 162
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Voyage in the Dark LitChart as a printable PDF.
Voyage in the Dark PDF

Viv Quotes in Voyage in the Dark

The Voyage in the Dark quotes below are all either spoken by Viv or refer to Viv. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Homesickness, Memory, and Belonging Theme Icon
).
Part One: Chapter 4 Quotes

‘Only, don’t get soppy about him,’ she said. ‘That’s fatal. The thing with men is to get everything you can out of them and not care a damn. You ask any girl in London—or any girl in the whole world if it comes to that—who really knows, and she’ll tell you the same thing.’ ‘I’ve heard all that a million times,’ I said. ‘I’m sick of hearing it.’ ‘Oh, I needn’t talk,’ Maudie said, ‘the fool I made myself over Viv! Though it was a bit different with me, you understand. We were going to be married!’

Related Characters: Anna Morgan (speaker), Maudie (speaker), Walter Jeffries, Viv
Page Number: 42
Explanation and Analysis:
Part Three: Chapter 3 Quotes

She was sure she could get him to marry her if she could smarten herself up a bit.

She said, ‘Isn’t it awful losing a chance like that because you haven’t got a little money? Because it is a chance. Sometimes you’re sure, aren’t you? But I’m so damned shabby and, you know, when you’re shabby you can’t do anything, you don’t believe in yourself. And he notices clothes—he notices things like that. Fred, his name is. He said to me the other day, “If there’s anything I notice about a girl it’s her legs and her shoes.” Well, my legs are all right, but look at my shoes. He’s always saying things like that and it makes me feel awful. He’s a bit strait-laced but that doesn’t stop them from being particular. Viv was like that, too. Isn’t it rotten when a thing like that falls through just because you haven’t got a little cash? Oh God, I wish it could happen. I want it so to happen.”

Related Characters: Maudie (speaker), Anna Morgan, Walter Jeffries, Viv
Page Number: 162
Explanation and Analysis: