The Duchess and the Jeweler by Virginia Woolf
Summary
The story “The Duchess and the Jeweler” reflects the English society of writer’s time. It was an age of change. The high-ups were coming down because of their moral decadence and the commoners were coming up.
Once Oliver Bacon was very poor and lived in a filthy, little alley. He worked very hard and used fair and unfair means to become the richest jeweler of the England. He enjoys his present position. He is suffering from inferiority complex. There is a great difference between his present and past condition. He has become so important that each day he receives invitation cards from the aristocracy of the city. He has become very rich, but he is so greedy that he wants more and more wealth.
One day the Duchess of Lambourne comes to sell some fake pearls. She induces him into buying those fake pearls very cleverly. She uses her daughter Diana as bait. She also invites him to the party where all the aristocracy will be present.
Oliver Bacon buys the fake pearls because he wants to attend the party and spend the weekend with Diana. He loves Diana very much. Besides, he wants to move among aristocratic circles.
He signs the cheque for twenty thousand pounds. The Duchess takes the cheque and leaves. Later, he asks pardon of the picture of his mother.
- The story “The Duchess and the Jeweler” by Virginia Woolf mirrors the society of England. Discuss.
Whenever there is an age of change, the higher come down and lower downs go up. Discuss.
The story describes the decadence of the aristocracy and the rise of the commoners. Comment.
The story is a criticism on Victorian Society.
No doubt, the writer of the story “The Duchess and the Jeweler” reflects the English society of her time. It was an age of transition. The high-ups were coming down because of their moral decadence and the commoners were taking lead in spite of their psychological fixations.
To fulfill her purpose, the writer introduces characters – the Duchess and the jeweler. The Duchess represents the high-ups. The jeweler represents the commoners. His name is Oliver Bacon. At the start of the story, the writer talks about commoners through Oliver Bacon, the jeweler. She tells the reader how the commoners took lead. Oliver Bacon was a commoner because he used to live in a filthy, little alley. Then slowly he took lead and became one of the high-ups of the English society. Now he lived at Piccadilly. It was the most fashionable and expensive place in London.
He had become so important that each day he received invitation cards from the aristocracy of the English society. Even the Duchess of Lambourne waited for his pleasure outside his private office.
Then the writer talks about the high-ups. To get her desired twenty-thousand, the Duchess had forgotten all her nobility. She was always in financial difficulties because of her moral decadence. She gambled. To arrange for the money she sold fake pearls to Oliver twice but this was not all. She had so much moral decadence that she used Diana, her daughter, to entrap Oliver Bacon.
Therefore, we can conclude that the writer has very beautifully reflected the English society of her time. The high-ups were coming down because of their moral decadence and the commoners were taking lead. (276)
- Did the Duchess of Lambourne sell the pearls to Oliver Bacon real? If not, why did the jeweler buy them?
No doubt, the pearls sold by the Duchess of Lambourne to Oliver were false. Oliver Bacon bought them and paid twenty thousand because of two very strong reasons.
Firstly, Oliver Bacon wanted to move among aristocratic circles. It was his greatest desire. He was a commoner. He used to live in a filthy, little alley. He worked hard to get to that position of the richest jeweler of England. Now it was his greatest desire to attend parties of the aristocrat. The Duchess induced him into buying fake pearls by telling him that the Prime Minister was going to attend the party.
The second reason of buying his fake pearls was that he loved Diana. She was the daughter of the Duchess. The Duchess induced him by referring to Diana repeatedly. She said, “The Prime Minister – his Minister – his Royal Highness…” She stopped. “And Diana…” She added. Now he started imagining the party and its atmosphere.
He still hesitated. Now the Duchess addressed him by his Christian name. He offered him to come for a long weekend. There he would be able to go to the woods alone with Diana fro riding. He could not resist and wrote the cheque for twenty-thousand. His words spoken at the end of the story are very important. He said, “For it is to be a long weekend.”
Therefore, we can conclude that Oliver Bacon bought the fake pearls because he wanted to attend the party. He wanted to spend a weekend with Diana. He loved Diana very much. (259)
- Why did the jeweler dismantle himself?
Why did the jeweler remember his past life when he was very poor and lived in a filthy, little alley?
It was very surprising that Oliver, who was one of the richest jewelers of England, dismantled himself repeatedly. However, when we read the story “The Duchess and the Jeweler” carefully, we find that he dismantled himself because of his inferiority complex. There was a great difference between his present and past life. He used to live in a filthy, little alley. His greatest ambition was to sell stolen dogs to fashionable women at that time. Therefore, he sold stolen dogs. Then he became a salesperson and sold cheap watches. Therefore, he was a commoner.
Now Oliver Bacon was the richest jewelers of England. He lived at Piccadilly, the most fashionable and expensive place in London. He wore expensive clothes. The best tailors in Seville Row stitched those clothes. He had become so rich and important that each day he received invitation cards from the aristocracy of the city. Therefore, he dismantled himself just to enjoy his present life of a very rich jeweler. The writer describes his feelings in these words, “…at the memory he would chuckle – the old Oliver remembering the young.”
When the Duchess of Lambourne came to see him, he kept her waiting outside his office and dismantled himself again. He wanted to enjoy his present condition. It was a great achievement that a boy, who used to live a filthy, little alley, was keeping a Duchess waiting. The writer describes his feelings very beautifully. It appeared to him that keeping her waiting; he was enjoying a very big feast.
Therefore, we can conclude that the jeweler dismantled himself because of his inferiority complex. He wanted to enjoy the present condition of the richest jeweler of England. (282)
- Why did Oliver Bacon, the jeweller keep the Duchess of Lambourne waiting?
The jeweller kept the Duchess of Lambourne waiting because of his inferiority complex. He wanted to enjoy his present position of the richest jeweler of England.
When we read the story “The Duchess and the Jeweller”, we find that Oliver Bacon used to live in a filthy, little alley. At that time, his greatest ambition was to sell stolen dogs to fashionable women and he did sell. Then he became salesperson and sold cheap watches. Then he did some other jobs to become rich. Therefore, he was a commoner. He did not anything common with the aristocratic class of that time. Now by working hard, he was the richest jeweler of England. There was a great difference between his past and present life but he has not forgotten his past. Therefore, when the Duchess of Lambourne came to see him, he kept her waiting just to enjoy his present position of the richest jeweler of England. It was a great honor for a boy of a filthy, little alley. The writer comments, “The Duchess of Lambourne, the daughter of a hundred Earls. She would wait for ten minutes on a chair at the counter. She would wait his pleasure. She would wait till he was ready to see her.” It was as if he was enjoying a very big and desirous feast. The jeweler who was once a commoner was now keeping a Duchess waiting. What a great achievement that was!
Therefore, we can conclude that the jeweler kept the Duchess waiting just to satisfy his inferiority complex. He wanted to enjoy his present position of the richest jeweler of England. (272)
- Throw light on the greedy nature and inferiority complex of the jeweler.
What psychological fixation did Oliver Bacon have in spite of becoming one of the richest jewelers of England?
Psychological fixation means a strong unhealthy feeling of love or obsession. We find that the jeweler had two obsessions. Firstly, he wanted more and more wealth. It appears that his greed did not have an end. Secondly, he had inferiority complex and wanted to move among aristocratic circles to satisfy this complex.
When we the story “The Duchess and the Jeweler” carefully we find that to show how greedy Oliver Bacon was the writer gives the examples of a giant hog and a camel. Oliver was greedy like a hog that always wants a bigger and blacker truffle. The writer means to say that Oliver Bacon wanted to become more and richer. Then the writer gives the example of a camel and says, “The camel is dissatisfied with its lot…” Therefore, Oliver Bacon had a strong, unhealthy love for wealth. He was very greedy and was never satisfied.
Secondly, Oliver Bacon had a very unhealthy feeling of inferiority complex. To satisfy his inferiority complex, he kept the Duchess of Lambourne waiting outside his private office. He accepted the fake pearls because he wanted to move in aristocratic circles. He wanted to go to the party where he could see the Prime Minister and Diana.
Therefore, we can conclude that the jeweler had two obsessions. Firstly, he wanted more and more wealth and it appears that his greed did not have an end. Secondly, he had inferiority complex and wanted to move among aristocratic circles to satisfy this complex. (248)
- How did the Duchess deceive Oliver Bacon, the jeweler?
How did the Duchess induce Oliver Bacon into buying fake pearls?
The Duchess induced Oliver Bacon, the jeweler, into buying fake pearls very cleverly. Oliver Bacon hesitated thrice, but each time she induced him by using different tactics. She had many cards up her sleeve. She also had a trump card that she played at the last moment.
She started inducing Oliver very cleverly. Firstly, she started in a very friendly way. She called him ‘dear Mr. Bacon’. Secondly, she mentioned the name of her daughters and told him that she was selling the pearl only for them. She knew that Oliver loved Diana. She was her daughter. Thirdly, to impress him, she started shedding tears. Fourthly, she called him an ‘old friend’ four times just to induce him.
Oliver hesitated. He was doubtful about the pearls. He wanted to test them to know whether they were real. When she saw him hesitating, she used some different tactics. She invited him to a party at her estate. She induced him by telling him that the Prime Minister, his Minister, his Royal Highness, and Diana would be there. Therefore, she tried to take advantage of his inferiority complex and of his love for her daughter. He wrote twenty on the chequebook but hesitated again.
When the Duchess saw him hesitating, she again used some tactics. Firstly, she called him by his Christian name just to create frankness. Secondly, she used her trump card. She again invited him to her estate for a long weekend. There he would go for riding in the woods alone with Diana. He could not resist any more. He wrote thousand and signed the cheque.
Therefore, that was how the Duchess induced Oliver into buying fake pearls. (279)
- They were friends, yet enemies; he was master, she was mistress; each cheated the other, each needed the other, each feared the other. Comment.
This question has three parts and we shall discuss them one by one.
Firstly, we discuss “They were friends; yet enemies.” When we read the story “The Duchess and the Jeweler”, we find that Oliver Bacon was a commoner. Later, he became the richest jeweler of England. On the other hand, the duchess was the member of the aristocracy by birth. Therefore, there was a great class difference between the two. These two classes could never be friends. However, the duchess was forced to call him an ‘old friend’ because o her moral decadence and financial problems. That was how they were friends; yet enemies.
Secondly, we discuss “He was master, she was mistress.” When we read the story “The Duchess and the Jeweler” carefully, we find that Oliver became the richest jeweler of England by using fair and unfair means. Therefore, he was a master in the sense that he a great cheat. On the other hand, the Duchess was a mistress. She was a cheat too. She induced the jeweler into buying the fake pearls so cleverly that she appears to be a mistress in this sense.
Lastly, we discuss “Each cheated other the other, each needed the other, and each feared the other.” When we read the story, we find that each cheated the other. The Duchess cheated the jeweler and sold the fake pearls. The jeweler cheated the duchess in a sense that he kept her waiting without any proper reason. Similarly, both needed each other. She needed him for money and he needed her to go the party and to the woods with her daughter. In spite of that, both feared each other because each knew the secrets of the other. (286)
- Write a note comparing the characters of the Duchess and the Jeweler.
When we compare the characters of the Duchess and the jeweler, we find that the following statement is true for both of them:”They were friends, yet enemies; he was master, she was mistress; each cheated the other, each needed the other, each feared the other.” We shall discuss some points of this statement.
Firstly, we discuss the second part of the statement: “He was master, she was mistress.” When we read the story “The Duchess and the Jeweler carefully we find that Oliver became the richest jeweler of England by using fair and unfair means. Therefore, he was a master in the sense that he was a great cheat. On the other hand, the Duchess was a mistress. She was a cheat too. She induced the jeweler into buying the fake pearls very cleverly.
Secondly, we discuss the third part of the statement: “Each cheated the other, each needed the other, and each feared the other.” When we read the story, we find that each cheated the other. The jeweler cheated the duchess in a sense that he kept her waiting without any proper reason. He knew that the Duchess was telling a lie about the pearls, but he did not show it. It reason was that he wanted to go alone with Diana to the woods for riding. This was a kind of cheating.
Similarly, both the jeweler and the Duchess needed each other. She needed him for money and he needed her to go to the party. In spite of that, both feared each other because each knew the secrets of the other. (265)
- Describe the meeting between the Duchess and the jeweler.
The Duchess of Lambourne came to sell ten fake pearls to Oliver Bacon, the jeweler. However, the jeweler kept her waiting for ten minutes. During those ten minutes, he enjoyed his present position of the richest jeweler of England. After ten minutes, the Duchess came in and tried to sell his fake pearls. She started inducing the jeweler and used different tactics.
Firstly, she started in a very friendly way. She called him ‘dear Mr. Bacon’. Secondly, she mentioned the names of her daughters and told him that she was selling the pearls only for them. Thirdly, to impress him, she started shedding tears. Fourthly, she called him an ‘old friend’ four times just to induce him.
Oliver hesitated. He was doubtful about the pearls. He wanted to test them to know whether they were real. When she saw him hesitating, she used some different tactics. She invited him to a party at her estate. Therefore, she tried to take advantage of his inferiority complex and of his love with her daughter Diana. She tried to move him by telling him that her honor was at stake. Now she was not an ordinary woman, she was the mother of Diana. He wrote twenty on the chequebook, but he hesitated again.
When the Duchess saw him hesitating, she again used some tactics. Firstly, she called him by his Christian name just to create frankness. Secondly, she used her trump card. She again invited him to her estate for a long weekend. There he would go for riding in the woods alone with Diana. He could not resist any more. He wrote thousand and signed the cheque. The Duchess of Lambourne took the cheque and departed. (284)
- Write a note on Oliver Bacon’s journey from filthy, little alley to the Bond Street.
By birth, Oliver Bacon was a commoner. He was very poor. He used to live in a filthy, little street. At that time, his greatest ambition was to sell stolen dogs to fashionable women and he did sell.
However, his mother stopped him from doing that. Then he became a salesman and sold cheap watches.
After that, he took a wallet to Amsterdam. He earned a lot of money from three diamonds. He earned commission on the emerald. He bought a shop in Hatton Garden. He started sitting into the private room behind the shop. In the room, there were scales, a safe and thick magnifying glass.
As soon as he became rich, he started dressing better and better. First, he bought a handsome cab then a car. He also bought a villa at Richmond. Then he bought a grand house at Piccadilly. It was the most central position in London. After that, he bought a shop in the street off Bond Street. His shop was famous in France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and in America.
Now he had become so important that people from the aristocratic circle started sending him invitations to their parties. Even the Duchess of Lambourne waited for his pleasure outside his private office.
Therefore, that was how Oliver Bacon became the richest jeweler of England. (219)
awesome! Thank You!
ReplyDeleteshow quotes this story please need it now
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletehelpful
ReplyDeletekindly give bengali version
ReplyDeleteFantastic efforts...Thanks
ReplyDeletethanks... good job....:)
ReplyDeleteVery very helpful.....
ReplyDeleteits very good..........
ReplyDeletethese notes are very helpful
ReplyDeletechung cư newskyline văn quán
ReplyDeletehateco hoàng mai
chung cư hà nội
dịch vụ hoàn thuế
dịch vụ kế toán thuế
dịch vụ quyết toán thuế
khoá học kế toán thuế
trung tâm kế toán
dịch vụ báo cáo thuế hàng tháng
theo còn có Tiểu Bạch Long Tộc Công chúa tiền nhiệm này, nàng nói muốn
nhìn cái tên Tạp Mạt Tư Đặc kia chết như thế nào!
Một ngày sau, đại quân Đoạn Vân cùng một trăm tên Cự long gặp nhau tại
bầu trời Ma thú sâm lâm.
"Đoạn Vân, ngươi mang theo nhiều thủ hạ như vậy ngăn chúng ta làm gì?"
Long Hoàng Tạp Mạt Tư Đặc vẻ mặt phẫn nộ trừng mắt nhìn Đoạn Vân. Bất
quá từ trong ánh mắt hắn, Đoạn Vân thấy Long Hoàng đối với mình cũng có
sự sợ hãi e dè!
Ha ha, Long Hoàng chó má, hôm nay mà cũng dám uy hiếp lão tử!
"Ta đang muốn hỏi ngươi đây? Phương hướng ngươi đang đi dường như chính
là A Nhĩ Ti Tư của ta! Để cho các ngươi đến lãnh địa của ta phá hoại
không bằng nhường cho chúng ta đến Đường Cổ Lạp Sơn của các ngươi một
phen!" Đoạn Vân cười nói.
"Đoạn Vân, ngươi không cần phải gạt người quá đáng! Ngươi trên Thiên
Long chiến trường, giết hại mười người của Long tộc ta, chúng ta còn
chưa có tìm ngươi tính sổ? Hơn nữa ngươi nghe ai nói là chúng ta muốn đi
dich vu ke toan noi bo
dịch vụ dọn dẹp sổ sách
kế toán cho giám đốc quản lý
She uses her daughter Diana as bait. She also invites him to the party where all the aristocracy will be present. Notes
ReplyDelete6
ReplyDeleteIn detail.. I like it.. Love it.
ReplyDeleteVery comprehensive and fruitfull for students.👍👍👍👍👍
ReplyDeleteVery comprehensive and fruitfull for students.👍👍👍👍👍
ReplyDeleteAwesome ideas about the short story"The Duchess and the Jeweler" by Virginia Woolf.
ReplyDeleteAwesome ideas about the short story"The Duchess and the Jeweler" by Virginia Woolf.
ReplyDeleteAwesome ideas about the short story"The Duchess and the Jeweler" by Virginia Woolf.
ReplyDeleteAwesome ideas about the short story"The Duchess and the Jeweler" by Virginia Woolf.
ReplyDeleteI am having a test on this and i was finding it difficult..till i read your work.. thank you so much ^^ its really helpful
ReplyDeletei need the summary of modern essays????
ReplyDeletei need the summary of modern essays????
ReplyDeletedự án the k park Văn phú Hà Đông là dự án tốt nhất
ReplyDeleteliền kề the green daisy lê trọng tấn
thank you so much for sharing....very helpful
ReplyDeletethank you so much.... highly appreciated
ReplyDeleteI want to know that,how is the dead mother central in the story.??
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU VERY MUCH
ReplyDeleteITS VERY HELPFUL
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteVery helpful for making notes 📒
ReplyDeleteThank you so much
ReplyDeleteGreat work Tahira👍...it's very helpful! Keep it up😊
ReplyDelete... "My greastest inspirations are my greastest aspirations"~ Lien Simte😆
Buy Fine Jewellery Sets online for Women's. Huge Collection. Great Offers and Discounts. Order Now. Avail Easy Returns and Exchange.
ReplyDeleteCan nicely write on similar topics! Welcome to here you'll find out how it should look. blue jewels
ReplyDeleteNice work!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks
ReplyDeleteTo Ardhanarishwara, the blissfully turing one who resides in the third eye plexus (Ajna Chakra) of each aspirant and who denotes the union of my Param Gurudeva Bhagwan Shiva and my Param Gurudevi Maa Shakti, are offered these salutions, prior this little student continues any further with the text,
ReplyDeleteFor more info visit: Makers Makings
MyJobsi.com is a popular and simple job board in the USA.
ReplyDeleteMyJobsi.com aims to concentrate job postings of quality employers, institutions and corporations across the U.S. The job postings can be filtered by state, location, job categories or job title.
Visit for more info: job posting
thanks
ReplyDeleteVery good questions & answers....
ReplyDeleteIt's really helpful for all readers....
Thank u...
Thank u for help
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been remove by the author.
ReplyDeletePlease also make a note of the relation between the Duchess and the Jeweller in the story ' The Duchess and the Jeweller ' by Virgina Woolf
ReplyDeletePlease make a note of the Title of story "The Cask Of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe.
ReplyDeleteDo upload relationship between The Duchess and The Jeweller also
ReplyDeleteVery helpful
ReplyDeleteWhy do they fall To moral decadence?
ReplyDeleteThats great... Thanks
ReplyDeletelighted wall mount mirror manufacturer
ReplyDeleteReally appreciate you sharing this blog article. Really looking forward to read more. Cool.Mobile Phones Price
ReplyDeleteHow does the story reflect the moral decay of its era?(The Duchess And The Jewellers) plz answer koi send kr dy
ReplyDeleteTODAY I GOT MY DESIRED XMAS LOAN AMOUNT $520,000.00 FROM A RELIABLE AND TRUSTED LOAN COMPANY. IF YOU NEED A LOAN NOW EMAIL CONTACT drbenjaminfinance@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHello, I'm here to testify of how i got my loan from BENJAMIN LOAN FINANCE(drbenjaminfinance@gmail.com) I don't know if you are in need of an urgent loan to pay bills, start business or build a house, they offer all kinds of loan. So feel free to contact Dr. Benjamin Owen he holds all of the information about how to obtain money quickly and painlessly without cost/stress via Email: drbenjaminfinance@gmail.com
Consider all your financial problems tackled and solved ASAP. Share this to help a soul right now THANKS.
Nikka Mal Babu Ram Jewllers having beautiful jewellery pieces at genuine prices. Our designs include classic traditional pieces as well as trendy modern designs that you can wear to add a spark to your everyday look or can gift them to someone special in your life. You get the latest collection of gold jewellery as well as diamond, silver and polki jewellery are included in our items.
ReplyDeletethankyou so much
ReplyDeleteThank you
ReplyDeleteGet cash for gold instantly and with complete transparency. Find the real value of your gold and have the financial edge to stay ready for anything in life.
ReplyDelete