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Chapter 18
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Daniel Deronda, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Identity and Self-Discovery
Judaism and Zionism
Marriage, Gender, and Control
Familial Duty
Wealth and Social Class
Summary
Analysis
Daniel spends the night deeply affected by his encounter with Mirah, reliving the moments since he first saw her by the river. His sympathy for her search for her lost family awakens his own unresolved longing to know his mother. While he initially thinks of helping Mirah find her mother and brother, he soon worries that her memories of them may be idealized, and the reality of their lives could be disappointing or even harmful. His thoughts turn uneasily toward the stereotypes and negative impressions he has of Jewish people, which have been shaped by his limited experience. Though he instinctively defends the oppressed, he has rarely engaged with actual Jewish communities, and his imagination conjures troubling images of what Mirah’s lost family might be like. At the same time, her purity and refinement make him recoil from the idea of her being linked to anything sordid.
Mirah’s story unsettles Daniel, not just because of her suffering, but because it forces him to confront his own unresolved longing. Her desperate search for her family mirrors his buried desire to know his mother, a need he rarely allows himself to dwell on. As he considers helping her, he begins to question whether her lost family is as she remembers. His doubts expose his unconscious biases—despite his instinct to defend the oppressed, he has never meaningfully engaged with Jewish communities. The conflict between his ideals and his ingrained prejudices leaves him uneasy.
Themes
Beyond Mirah’s search, Daniel wrestles with his role in her future. He feels a duty to ensure she is protected, yet he does not want to take full responsibility for her or make her dependent on him. His hatred of secrecy compels him to consider telling Sir Hugo and Lady Mallinger everything immediately, but he decides to wait until he has visited Mirah again and learned more from Mrs. Meyrick.
Beyond Mirah’s search, Daniel wrestles with his own role in her life. He feels responsible for her safety but resists the idea of becoming the center of her world. His discomfort with secrecy makes him want to tell Sir Hugo and Lady Mallinger immediately, yet he hesitates. His usual decisiveness falters because this situation is unlike anything he has encountered.
Themes
