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Chapter 25
Themes
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
Maisie and Mrs. Wix soon make up. Maisie observes a general change in Mrs. Wix, who takes on a moral power previously unknown to her. Later, after lunch, Mrs. Wix suddenly asks Maisie if she has an “moral sense.” Maisie tries to protest but has to admit that she does not, in fact, have much moral sense. Mrs. Wix’s surprise at Maisie’s lack of concern for morality is all the greater because of how precociously knowledgeable Maisie already is—she is, because of her upbringing, perceptive beyond her years. Later, Mrs. Wix explains that she is not being moralistic for the sake of it, but to protect Maisie. She has, on Maisie’s behalf, already become much more familiar with immorality than she otherwise would have.
Maisie’s lack of “moral sense”—an intuitive understanding of the moral norms of Victorian society—comes from her unusual and chaotic upbringing. Mrs. Wix worries that her unstable childhood will lead Maisie to make bad decisions in her life, and that Maisie’s intelligence will lead her to question too many things if she does not develop a sense of right and wrong. Mrs. Wix sees herself as intervening to “save” Maisie from this fate, just as she wants to “save” Sir Claude from his own behavior.
Themes
Even though Maisie is emotionally moved by Mrs. Wix’s speech, she is still unable to understand why Sir Claude and Mrs. Beale’s love is a crime, and Mrs. Wix can tell that her student isn’t convinced. Days go by without word from Sir Claude, which Mrs. Wix takes as a sign that he is under Mrs. Beale’s power. They each admit the jealousy they feel toward Mrs. Beale, and Maisie excitedly declares that she would kill Mrs. Beale if she treated Sir Claude badly. This makes Mrs. Wix cry and admit that she adores him. They return to the hotel late for lunch, but when they reach their rooms, they’re greeted by none other than Mrs. Beale, who declares that she is “free.”
