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Chapter 22
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
The morning after sending her letter, Gwendolen decides to go see Klesmer. Upon meeting him, Gwendolen immediately declares her intent: she must earn a living and believes the stage, especially as a singer, is her best path. Klesmer listens, then carefully begins to dismantle her illusions. He reminds her that artistry requires lifelong dedication, rigorous discipline, and an inner vocation—things she has never had to develop. Success is uncertain, and mediocrity is the likeliest outcome.
Gwendolen approaches Klesmer with confidence, believing she can carve out a career in performance despite her lack of training. Her assumption that talent alone will secure success reflects her lifelong privilege, as she has never had to struggle for recognition. Klesmer, grounded in the realities of artistic discipline, dismantles her illusions with careful precision. He does not mock her ambition, but he refuses to indulge her fantasies.
Themes
As she absorbs the brutal truth, Gwendolen stiffens with pride, insisting she is willing to struggle. But Klesmer does not relent. She would have to unlearn her current training and make no money for years. Worse, managers would not see her as an artist but as a pretty face, subject to indignities she cannot imagine. When she declares she will accept no charity, he gently offers Catherine’s help, revealing their upcoming marriage. This final blow turns Gwendolen’s disappointment into humiliation. She abruptly ends the conversation, thanking Klesmer with forced composure.
Klesmer’s refusal to soften his words pushes Gwendolen into defensive pride. She insists that she will endure hardship, but she does not understand what true hardship entails. This is the first time someone has spoken to her without flattery, and the impact is devastating. When Klesmer offers Catherine’s help, the revelation of their engagement delivers the final humiliation. Realizing she has no claim to either Klesmer’s guidance or his world, she cuts the conversation short, forcing herself to maintain composure even as her hopes collapse.
Themes
Left alone, Gwendolen burns with despair. Her belief that she’s special, which has always been reinforced by polite society, has been shattered. When Mrs. Davilow returns from church, Gwendolen feigns indifference, refusing to confide in her. Seeing through the act, Mrs. Davilow begins to weep. Gwendolen tells her mother to be quiet, declaring that they must accept their fate and move to Sawyer’s Cottage.
Left alone, Gwendolen experiences something new: the absolute certainty of failure. The polite world that once assured her she was exceptional has abandoned her, leaving her to reckon with her own limitations. Rather than confide in her mother, she retreats into silence, unwilling to expose her shame.
Themes
