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Chapter 21
Themes
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 frightful, seasick experience on the boat to France is quickly replaced by the overwhelming excitement of being abroad. Sir Claude, attending to business, sends Maisie and Susan Ash out for a walk, and Maisie eagerly shows off her superior knowledge to her maid. Later Maisie asks Sir Claude when they are going to Paris, but he is unsure about continuing there. Paris, he explains, is extremely expensive. Maisie considers for the first time that Sir Claude may not be as rich as she believed. Sir Claude explains that they will stay on the coast until Mrs. Wix arrives. Maisie is overjoyed to see Mrs. Wix the next day but nervously waits for an explanation of her arrival—Mrs. Wix, Sir Claude tells her, was sent to them by Ida.
Maisie’s partial education—from Mrs. Beale, Mrs. Wix, and the lectures she attended with her stepparents—is still significantly more than a servant like Susan would have, allowing Maisie to feel more comfortable in a foreign environment like France. Maisie’s fear that Sir Claude cannot afford to go to Paris demonstrates her growing awareness of the importance of money, but she also may trust him too much—money might just be an excuse. Sir Claude’s announcement of Mrs. Wix’s arrival marks the governess’s return to the story. Maisie has not seen Mrs. Wix since she last left Ida’s house for Beale’s.
Themes
