Daniel Deronda

Deronda is summoned to his mother’s rooms. Their first meeting is surprisingly marred by a “lack of emotion” (525). She tells him about her past, revealing that she was a famous opera singer who was ordered by her father to marry her cousin. She accepted as a way to maintain her independence, as she believed that she would be able to control her husband. After the couple had a son, she chose to give up the baby because she did not want her child to endure the “bondages of having been born a Jew” (527). She does not like being Jewish and wanted to save her son from the same experience. When Deronda asks what right she had to choose this future for him, she mentions that she recognizes his grandfather’s spirit in him. This same spirit is what inspired her to reach out to her son at the end of her life.

Leonora talks about the pressures of growing up as a Jewish woman. She felt that the pressure to be a good Jewish woman was increasingly strangling her. Daniel Charisi, her father, insisted that she should not pursue a career in the arts. Ephraim, her cousin, encouraged her career, which is why she eventually married him. She performed under the name The Alcharisi. When she gave birth to Deronda, Ephraim fell sick and died. Sir Hugo was one of many male patrons who loved The Alcharisi. He promised Leonora that he would take the child away and raise him as an English gentleman. Leonora did not want to be a mother, particularly not on her own. As a result, Sir Hugo was also placed in charge of Ephraim’s sizeable fortune on Deronda’s behalf. Leonora’s career as an opera singer lasted only nine years. Then, her voice began to falter. Leonora chose to give up her career on her own terms rather than experience the humiliation of a gradual decline. She married again, this time to a Russian aristocrat, and she was baptized. The couple had five children, none of whom know about their half brother. Later, her voice recovered and she was forced to reckon with the reality that she may have given up her dreams too early.

Deronda thinks back to the man who approached him in the Frankfurt synagogue. This man—named Joseph Kalonymos—was the best friend of his grandfather and saw his dead friend’s semblance in Deronda’s face. Many years before, Leonora had told Joseph that her baby had died. Seeing Deronda, Joseph realized the truth and sought out Leonora, criticizing her for hiding her son’s past. In addition, Joseph had in his possession a chest that once belonged to Deronda’s grandfather. Leonora has the address where Deronda can collect this chest. Repeatedly, Leonora insists that her son’s life has been improved without her. She feels no love for Deronda and, when he tries to show affection to her, she pushes him away. As she feels tired, they part for the evening.

Hans writes a letter to Deronda. In the letter, he recounts his experiences with Mordecai and Jacob. He updates Deronda on his art project and mentions his enduring love for Mirah. He also mentions that Gwendolen and Grandcourt have taken a vacation on a yacht and provides an update on Rex Gascoigne. Hans’s insistence on pursuing Mirah annoys Deronda, especially as he knows that Mirah cannot love a person who is not Jewish.

In London, Mirah is confused by Deronda. When she speaks to him, she instinctively does so as though he were Jewish like her. She does not know about his true heritage. Mordecai assures her that there is nothing to worry about. Mirah is also perturbed by someone she has seen recently. She is worried that the man may have been her father. She mentions this concern to Mrs. Meyrick, who makes the younger woman promise to tell her if anyone approaches her. She does not tell Mordecai about her father’s possible return. Anna Gascoigne visits the house and meets with Mirah. As they talk, the subject of Deronda is raised. Both women praise him. Mrs. Meyrick mentions that Deronda and Gwendolen seem beautiful when side-by-side. The comment conjures a strong but strange feeling inside Mirah, which she begins to recognize as jealousy toward Deronda’s “possible lover.” She suspects that she is in love with Deronda, but she fears that he loves Gwendolen.

Deronda meets with his mother again. Leonora reveals that the home in Genoa that once belonged to the family is now gone. Deronda reflects on his mother’s unsentimental approach to tying up loose ends. When he asks whether this will be their last meeting and whether they will build any sort of relationship, she responds simply that any such relationship would be “hard duty” for him. She can never love him as he desires. She knows that the spirit of Deronda’s grandfather lives on through him and this spirit will always lead him to condemn what she has done. She asks her son what he plans to do with his life. Deronda reveals that he intends to live as a Jewish man and do what he can to help the Jewish people. Leonora correctly guesses that he is in love with a Jewish woman. Though she tried hard to prevent her son from growing up as a Jewish person, she admits that her son has “a true Jewish heart” (558). Deronda tells her about Mirah. He says that she is a singer and that she has grown distant from her Jewish identity. This, Leonora suggests, makes Deronda and Mirah much alike. Presenting a necklace containing a portrait of herself, she asks Deronda to take it. She speaks about the nature of love, believing that those in love must subject themselves to one another. She has never allowed a man to subject her but men have subjected themselves to her. Now, she wonders whether they were happier in this arrangement. Deronda parts from his mother, reflecting on the “tragic experience.”

Gwendolen is trapped onboard Grandcourt’s yacht as they sail around the Mediterranean. They pretend to everyone that they are enjoying a pleasant vacation but Gwendolen’s hatred for her husband grows each day. She has visions of his death. Grandcourt is well aware that his wife does not love him but he has no clue how much hatred she has for him. Inwardly, Gwendolen hopes that she will never have a child. She has fantasies about killing Grandcourt and feels a “fiercely impulsive dread” (567). One night, a squall damages the yacht. They must seek out a place to repair the yacht so they head for the nearest port, which happens to be Genoa. These repairs will need a week to complete. As the couple checks in to a hotel, they meet Deronda. Grandcourt knows that his wife could not possibly have planned this meeting but he feels as though Gwendolen and Deronda are somehow conspiring against him. Sensing that his wife will want to talk to Deronda as soon as possible, he insists that they rent a smaller boat and head back out to sea. Gwendolen had hoped to have some time to herself in Genoa. She was particularly elated that she may be able to talk to Deronda. When Grandcourt announces his plan, she is thrown into a pit of despair. She despondently agrees to sail with him.

After saying farewell to his mother and seeing Grandcourt and Gwendolen, Deronda plans to spend an extra night in Genoa. He is not sure why he is extending his stay. That evening, he visits the local synagogue and then walks along the quay. He wonders whether he might run into Grandcourt and Gwendolen as they return from their trip. As he walks, he hears “clamorous talk in various languages” (577). He approaches and finds a group of local men dragging a woman from a boat. The woman is Gwendolen, and she is soaking wet. She spots Deronda, calling out to him. She says that “it is come” and that Grandcourt is dead (578). Speaking to one of the local men, Deronda learns that Grandcourt fell overboard. Gwendolen dived into the water to try to save her husband. Grandcourt drowned and Gwendolen survived. Deronda immediately writes to Sir Hugo to tell him what has happened.

Deronda stays at the hotel to be close to Gwendolen. When she sleeps, he retrieves “a formal, legally-recognized statement from the fishermen who had rescued Gwendolen” (579). The following morning, she admits to him that she wanted to be free of Grandcourt. She calls herself a murderer. Though she cannot bring herself to wish that he was still alive, she is now haunted by his memory and she feels the need to confess everything to Deronda. She admits that she had hid a small knife in a locked drawer in her room and that she had wanted to murder her husband; however, she threw the key overboard before they arrived in Genoa. When they were aboard the smaller boat, he was knocked into the sea. Grandcourt called out for the rope, she explains, and she hesitated for a second before throwing it to him. In that brief second, his face sank beneath the waves. She felt suddenly guilty and dived into the water to save him but she was too late. Deronda tries to assure her that she did not kill her husband and that his death was unavoidable.

Deronda makes Gwendolen promise that she will not tell her story to anyone else. Gwendolen is convinced that she could have saved her husband, but Deronda dismisses this concern. Gwendolen weeps, worried that Deronda thinks of her as a wicked person. Deronda feels only compassion for Gwendolen. He assures her that he believes that she is a worthy person. Gwendolen pleads with him not to forsake her.