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Book 3, Chapter 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Wings of the Dove, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Class Hierarchy in English Society
Illness and Mortality
Moral Ambiguity and Responsibility
Transactional Relationships
Secrecy, Deception, and Misunderstanding
Summary
Analysis
As Milly and Mrs. Stringham travel in the Alps, Milly seems to become ill and lies down. As she’s lying down, she suddenly asks Mrs. Stringham what the doctor said to Mrs. Stringham before they left. Mrs. Stringham is caught off guard and struggles to remember what Milly is talking about. Eventually, Mrs. Stringham remembers that just before they left the U.S., Milly had become alarmingly ill and gone to see a doctor named Dr. Finch. At first, it had seemed like Kate and Mrs. Stringham might have to call off their journey. Ultimately, though, Finch said the change in climate might do Milly some good, and the trip was back on.
This passage makes it clear that Milly is dealing with an illness, though the section doesn’t explain what exactly that illness might be. However, it seems to be something that Milly must deal with persistently, as Dr. Finch didn’t say that Milly had nothing to worry about but instead said that a trip might do Milly some good. It remains to be seen exactly how Milly’s apparent illness will impact her life going forward—whether she will heal from her illness, or whether she will die.
Themes
In the Alps, while lying down, Milly talks with Mrs. Stringham cryptically about an illness she may or may not have. She tells Mrs. Stringham that she worries that she has “everything,” as if “everything” were a kind of disease. Stringham is mystified and asks Milly if she is suffering, and Milly says no. Mrs. Stringham asks Milly if she needs to see a doctor, and Milly again says no. Milly then says that she wants to travel immediately to London. She says she’s seen enough scenery and wants to see people.
Milly’s discussion of her illness is cryptic and mystifying, suggesting that she may not have a full grasp on what ails her. It may also indicate Milly’s inability to accept the seriousness of her illness and the possibility that it may kill her. Milly’s quick decision to go to London raises the question of whether there might be another reason why she wants to go there, aside from her stated reason of wanting to see crowds of people.
Themes
Mrs. Stringham then recalls a man, Merton, whom Milly recently met while he was traveling through the U.S. on a journalistic project. Mrs. Stringham brings up Merton’s name to Milly and asks Milly if she would like to see him in London. Milly responds evasively and then says that Merton is most likely still in the U.S. From Milly’s response, though, Mrs. Stringham can tell that Milly wants to see Merton, and Mrs. Stringham suspects that perhaps part of the point of the trip has been to give Milly a chance to see Merton again. Stringham thinks of Maud, an old schoolmate she knows in London. Maud seemed to have stopped speaking to Mrs. Stringham after Mrs. Stringham’s marriage, but Mrs. Stringham thinks they could still reestablish contact. She decides to write to Maud.
Mrs. Stringham’s thoughts about Merton suggest that Milly’s unstated reason for wanting to travel to London may be to see Merton. Mrs. Stringham then suspects that perhaps Milly wanted to go to Europe in the first place because she wanted to see Merton again. That suggests that Milly is perhaps romantically interested in Merton. However, the reader knows that Merton is engaged to Kate. The difference between what the reader knows and what Milly knows about Merton’s and Kate’s engagement creates narrative tension and is an example of dramatic irony.
Themes
