Wives and Daughters Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis

Later that week, the Hamleys’ house is in a commotion as everyone prepares for Roger to return. Molly is upstairs in her room when Roger arrives, and she hears him talking to Squire Hamley and Mrs. Hamley. Mrs. Hamley then rushes upstairs, and she begins sobbing when she finds Molly. Through her sobs, she explains that Roger has told them that Osborne, whom Squire Hamley believes represents the future of the family, hasn’t done nearly as well at university as they had expected. In fact, he is close to failing. The situation has driven Squire Hamley into a rage, and Mrs. Hamley feels despair on Osborne’s behalf.

This passage shows the discrepancies between the Hamley family’s expectations for Osborne and the reality of who Osborne actually is as a person. Squire Hamley and Mrs. Hamley’s differing responses to Osborne’s apparent failure are telling. While Mrs. Hamley focuses on Osborne and feels despair on his behalf, Squire Hamley becomes angry, underlining the pressure that Squire Hamley puts on Osborne and the negative repercussions that occur when Osborne fails to meet his father’s expectations.

Active Themes

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Molly goes downstairs to eat with the family. On her first impression, she doesn’t think highly of Roger. She can’t understand why he’s talking at length, and in a jocular tone, while Mrs. Hamley is sitting beside him, barely touching her food. Roger, for his part, doesn’t take much notice of Molly. Over the next few days, the two keep a polite distance from one another. Mr. Gibson comes frequently to visit, and whenever he comes, Molly asks him when she can return home.

This passage shows again that while Molly feels happy at the Hamleys’ house, she would still prefer to be home, underlining the close relationship with her father and reiterating how much Molly values home, which to her represents a place where she feels free to be herself without outside interference.

Active Themes

Meanwhile, Lady Cumnor has found herself with a lot of time on her hands now that her two oldest daughters have married. She begins looking for someone who might be able to help her out around Cumnor Towers, and her youngest daughter, Lady Harriet, suggests Clare. Lady Harriet and Lady Cumnor discuss the string of bad luck that Clare has faced. First, she lost her husband, and now she is working as a schoolteacher but always seems to be in want of money. Clare is now on her vacation from school, so Lady Cumnor decides to write to her and see if she will come to Cumnor Towers. From there, Lady Harriet and Lady Cumnor begin discussing whether Clare might one day remarry. Lady Harriet brings up Mr. Gibson as a potential prospect.

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Lady Cumnor’s desire to find someone to help her out around the house leads to the reintroduction of Clare, who first appeared in the scene near the beginning of the novel during Molly’s first visit to Cumnor Towers. Notably, Lady Cumnor and Lady Harriet bring up Clare’s financial difficulties when discussing her, further reinforcing the class distinctions between the Cumnors and the people who work for them. The mention of Mr. Gibson’s name in that conversation also foreshadows events that will happen later in the novel.

Active Themes

Literary Devices

Wives and Daughters: Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis