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Introduction
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in What Maisie Knew, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Innocence and Corruption
Money and Society
Hypocrisy
Perspective and Understanding
Summary
Analysis
Maisie’s new living arrangement makes her feel lost and confused. She starts with Beale, who makes no effort to shelter her from the circumstances: he makes a point of throwing Ida’s letters into the fire in front of her, and disparaging his ex-wife in general. Beale is more focused on the many friends he hosts at home, who treat Maisie as a source of entertainment. She is mostly cared for by her nurse, Moddle, who gently encourages her and suggests she will be happy at her mother’s. In the carriage on the way to Ida’s, Moddle tries to stand up for Maisie and scolds Beale for a particularly rude outburst. But this doesn’t stop Maisie from following her father’s instructions and telling Ida that Beale called her “a nasty, horrid pig.”
Maisie is understandably distressed by the sudden upheaval of her family and living situation, but is still too young—her exact age is never stated, but she is probably between five and ten years old—to understand her parents’ divorce. Beale’s neglectful parenting is underscored by his behavior, as he disregards Maisie’s feelings entirely and consciously uses her to hurt Ida without considering the emotional effects that will have on Maisie. Maisie doesn’t understand that she is insulting her mother by repeating Beale’s words until after she has relayed Beale’s message.
Active
Themes
