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Chapter 8
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
Mrs. Wix is overjoyed to be reunited with Maisie and constantly points out how much time they will have together. Maisie, for her part, is excited to actually be learning again, even if Mrs. Wix’s teaching leaves much to be desired. Ida, however, refuses to see Maisie for three full days. Maisie learns that Sir Claude’s visit was a secret, and that Ida does not know about Sir Claude’s acquaintance with Mrs. Beale. When Maisie finally sees Ida, her mother is angry and suspicious, but Maisie falls back on her pretend stupidity. Most of her time is spent with Mrs. Wix and Sir Claude. The latter brings Maisie and her governess presents, and the two of them bond over their shared affection for him. Sir Claude’s attractiveness and gallant behavior only worsens Ida’s jealousy, however, which makes any visit to or from Mrs. Beale impossible.
Compared to the complete absence of education in Beale’s home since Mrs. Beale became the wife rather than the governess, even Mrs. Wix’s subpar teaching is significantly more activity for Maisie. Maisie is also happy to finally be around a maternal figure. While Mrs. Beale becoming her stepmother meant she would no longer be her governess, Mrs. Beale was also unwilling or unable to really be a mother figure to Maisie. Ida’s erratic behavior seems to be even worse than before, as she is evidently extremely jealous of Sir Claude—she even jealous of his relationship with Maisie. While Sir Claude’s affection for Maisie makes it easier for his stepdaughter to cope with her mother’s cruelty, it likely only makes Ida angrier and more distant, as she feels her new husband is undermining her as a parent.
Active
Themes
