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Chapter 9
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
Sir Claude visits Maisie alone in her schoolroom. After absentmindedly commenting on the décor, he suddenly asks Maisie if she thinks Mrs. Beale genuinely cares about her. He wonders why she doesn’t write Maisie letters, but Maisie is confident that Mrs. Beale loves her and points out that Ida would not allow it. Sir Claude then explains that he too hasn’t seen Mrs. Beale because of Ida. He tells Maisie that if they both want to see Mrs. Beale they must help—and cover up for—each other. Sir Claude assures Maisie that he will be there for her regardless of Ida’s travels and promises to surreptitiously visit her when she returns to Mrs. Beale. But, he adds, Maisie must keep this a secret from Mrs. Wix too, who can’t be trusted not to tell Ida.
Sir Claude’s questions about Mrs. Beale reflect both his concern for Maisie and his growing affection for Mrs. Beale: Sir Claude wants Maisie to feel taken care of, but he also wants to believe that the woman he is newly in love with is kind and thoughtful toward her stepdaughter. By making Maisie complicit in his hidden affair with Mrs. Beale, Sir Claude strengthens his bond with her—they now share a secret that they neither can tell Ida about.
Active
Themes
