10. The Duchess and Jeweller
1. THEME OF THE STORY OR A CRITICISM ON VICTORIAN SOCEITY OR THE STORY AS A MIRROR TO THE SOCIETY OF ENGLAND OR THE STORY OF MORAL DECADENCE OF VICORIAN SOCIETY
Q. No. 1: The Duchess and the Jeweller is a story about the moral decadence of English elite class of those days. Elaborate. OR What is the message or theme of the story? Discuss.
Answer: The period of early 20th century was the period of transition. The higher ups were going up but the lower downs were making their lot better. The authoress also points out how the lower downs were getting lead in spite of their psychological problems.
In the story, we come across two major characters who are truly the representative of both the classes i.e. the higher and lower class. The Duchess represents the aristocratic class of 20th century. She is trying to sell fake pearls to keep up her status. Similarly, she is using her youngest daughter Diana as bait to deceive the jeweler.
Second major character is of Oliver Bacon who is the representative of the lower class. Oliver has been very poor in his childhood. Fortune smiles on him and he becomes the richest jeweller of London but wants to become richer and rise still higher.
To conclude, the story brings before us the bitter reality of that time before us how most of the people of that era loved wealth and how mean ways they could adopt to get wealth. (Words: 182)
2. MEETING OF THE DUCHESS WITH THE JEWELLER OR THE STORY ABOUT HUMAN NATURE OR STORY AS A TUSSLE BETWEEN THE RATIONAL AND HUMAN FORCES (V.IMP)
Q. No. 2: What light does this story throw on human nature? OR Discuss the meeting of Duchess with Oliver. OR How did Duchess deceive the jeweller? Discuss.
Answer: In the story, the authoress discusses human nature. She presents before us the tussle between the rational and emotional forces. A man can get great heights as well as face a deteriorated condition.
In the story, we are told about Oliver Bacon who has been a poor guy in his childhood. Fortune smiles on him and he becomes the richest jeweller of London. But he suffers from a complex. He likes to be invited by the rich and see the rich requesting him for help. The Duchess gets the benefit of that complex. She comes to Oliver and offers fake pearls to sell. Oliver is expert in examining the genuineness of the pearls. When he starts examining the pearls, she makes the use of her trump-card. She knows that Oliver loves her daughter Diana. She exploits the situation and offers Oliver to enjoy the company of her daughter. She also tells that she is hard up these days. She starts crying before him. Oliver ignores everything and gives her twenty thousand pounds although he knows that the pearls are fake.
It is very obvious that emotions are more dominating elements than the reasons. (Words: 193)
3. CHARACTER SKETCH OF OLIVER BACON
Q. No. 3: Draw the character sketch of Oliver Bacon. OR Oliver is the representative of rising middle class of Victorian society. Discuss.
Answer: Oliver Bacon is the representative of the rising middle class of the Victorian Age. He has been very poor in his childhood. We see that he sells stolen dogs to fashionable ladies. Luck smiles on him and he becomes the richest jeweller of London but wants to become richer and rise still higher.
By nature, he is kind and sympathetic fellow. He never forgets his past. He lives alone in his big house and needs a companion to lead a blissful life. He has great experience of knowing the false from the real jewel at a glance. But there is a flaw in his character that causes him face the loss of twenty thousand pounds. This flaw is his past and love for Diana. His past makes him a man suffering from complex. He likes the company of rich people. He likes to be invited by the rich. He feels pleasure when the rich ask him for help. The Duchess deceives him by taking advantage of that complex because she knows that Oliver loves her daughter Diana. This discussion also shows that he is morally weak fellow. (Words: 187)
4. CHARACTER SKETCH OF THE DUCHESS (V.IMP)
Q. No. 3: The Duchess is the representative of aristocratic class of Victorian society. Discuss. OR The Duchess is more loathsome than the jeweller. Comment.
Answer: The Duchess is more loathsome than the jeweller. She is a representative of aristocratic society of Victorian Age. As a human being, the Duchess had no character. She was in such a miserable state that she had to offer fake pearls to get money to keep us her appearance. Further, we see her offering Oliver to enjoy company of her daughter Diana and enjoy long rides with her daughter in the woods. It is what makes the Duchess a low and mean character in our eyes. It also shows the moral decadence of women of high gentry of the Victorian age.
She appears before us as a great psychologist. She was clever and shrewd. She knew Oliver’s weakness. She fired one bullet after the other so continuously that Oliver could no longer resist and signed the cheque. Thus she succeeded in throwing dust in Oliver’s eyes.
The personality of Duchess shows that she is ease-loving. That’s why she has become fat and unattractive. In short, the Duchess represents morally corrupt, vain and showy women of her class. (Words: 177)
The Necklace by Maupassant: https://englishwithnaeemullahbutt.com/2025/07/19/the-necklace-by-maupassant/
Notes on English Literature: http://englishlitnotes.com