51 pages • 1-hour read
The Enchanted April
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Chapters 13-17Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 13 Summary
The days pass quietly for the women at San Salvatore. They keep mostly to themselves and spend only their mealtimes together. April is the most beautiful month of the year in this part of Italy, and they do their best to enjoy it.
Caroline frets, however, at the prospect of Mellersh’s arrival. She finds men tedious and does not relish the thought of one interrupting the routine they’ve developed at the castle. She also understands that her beauty has a noticeable impact on most men and is always chagrined when married men pay her more attention than their wives think appropriate. She wonders if there is a way to politely broach this topic with Mrs. Wilkins but cannot quite figure out what she would say.
Mrs. Arbuthnot passes her time in quiet reflection. She notes that she has stopped praying and no longer thinks of the needy. She feels guilty for having lost touch with what was so important about her life at home but wonders if she had been filling her life with activities and prayers to distract herself from her unhappiness with Frederick. She wishes that he was there now. She reflects that beauty is better when it can be shared with loved ones, even though she and Frederick are not loved ones in the traditional sense. Her religion comes between them, as do his inappropriate books. They are married but in many ways lead separate lives. Mrs. Wilkins continues to encourage her to invite him, but she feels she cannot. She feels a distinct sense of sadness that even Italy cannot cure.
Chapter 14 Summary
The wisteria fades, but other flowers begin to bloom. Caroline finally gives in to Mrs. Wilkins’s overtures, and the two are friends. Mellersh arrives. On the first day of his visit, he ignores the instructions in the bathroom to leave the tap running ever so slightly while the stove that heats the water is on. This results in a loud explosion, (if the tap is turned off, it causes the ancient stove to overheat) and Mellersh runs into the hallway wearing only a towel.
He runs right into Lady Caroline and is mortified. Unlike his wife, he recognized her name at once. She does indeed come from an old, important family, a family that no doubt hires several solicitors. Hoping to be added to their roster, he has prepared for their meeting. He is not able to deliver any of his prepared speech and is sure that she will judge him for his disheveled and unclothed state. She is, however, perfectly mannered. She introduces herself and shakes his hand. He is struck by how polite, how “blue-blooded” she is and hopes even more fervently to make a good enough impression to be employed by someone in her family. Shortly after he runs into Lady Caroline, Mrs. Fisher comes out. She is shocked, but she too is polite.
Chapter 15 Summary
Mellersh, Caroline, and Mrs. Fisher meeting under such bizarre circumstances has the effect of conferring a kind of instant intimacy on the three. Between them “there is a sense of broken ice” (146) and Caroline and Mrs. Fisher are no longer so averse to the idea of a man in their midst. Mrs. Fisher in particular enjoys Mellersh’s conversational skills and the fact that he is happy to listen to her reminisce about eminent Victorians; Caroline finds him exceedingly polite. She also appreciates that he does not fawn over her in the way that many men do.
Mellersh is also kind and caring toward Mrs. Wilkins, even when she admits to him that she lied about the trip: She is not Mrs. Arbuthnot’s guest and she spent much of her savings on the vacation. Mellersh helps Caroline and Mrs. Fisher to give directions to the cook to be frugal while still preparing delicious meals, and each of the women observes what an agreeable addition he makes to their party.
Chapter 16 Summary
The second week begins, and everyone is happy that Mellersh has joined. He is amiable, eager to please, and fits into the social fabric of their group. Indeed, they all observe he has actually improved relations among the women. Mrs. Wilkins notes how happy they are when they are alone and reflects that their relationship has never been so pleasant and respectful. She is grateful that she invited him to San Salvatore and thinks that the beauty of the castle and the opportunity to rest have transformed him.
Mellersh feels more magnanimity toward his wife than he is accustomed to. This is in part because he respects her more for having become friends with someone as high-class as Lady Caroline, and in part because he is grateful to have made Caroline’s acquaintance. He is sure that she will hire him in the future should she need a solicitor and is looking forward to the additional income. He does, however, genuinely like Lady Caroline. He finds her polite and impeccably mannered.
Mrs. Fisher is glad that she did not invite her friend Kate. She feels that she, too, is changing for the better as a result of the vacation. One cannot always grow and evolve in the presence of old friends, and she would like to shed some of her “old skin.” She feels restless as a result of her newfound vigor but does appreciate the chance to take on new characteristics so late in life. Many people stagnate as they age. Mellersh notices her restlessness and wants to inquire if he can help her in some way but feels reluctant to do so in case it would overstep a boundary. Caroline encourages him to approach her just for conversation and see if he can draw her out that way.
Mrs. Arbuthnot ruminates more and more on her husband. She misses him and fears that she has been too pious in her judgment of his profession. She decides to invite him to come to Italy and hopes that their time together can restore some of the love and happiness in her marriage. She has observed that the castle has the power to transform people and to help its residents to approach friendship with more kindness and understanding. Mellersh has also observed this quality. He genuinely likes and admires all of the women there and realizes that his wife does actually possess all of the qualities he would wish for in a spouse.
Chapter 17 Summary
The women have now been at the castle three weeks, and Mrs. Arbuthnot decides to write to Frederick. She instantly regrets her decision and is filled with worry that he will write to say that he cannot come. She hides from the rest of the group down by the water to distract herself and remove the necessity for conversation.
A telegram for her does indeed come, but it is from Mr. Briggs, the castle’s owner. He would like to drop in on the women for coffee. Late in the day when she makes her way back to the castle, she opens it and sighs. She has no wish to see Mr. Briggs, but he is of course the owner and their landlord. Unbeknownst to Mrs. Arbuthnot, he somehow got the mistaken impression that she is a widow and is hoping to begin courting her.
Chapters 13-17 Analysis
Characterization is an important facet of these chapters as the author provides an in-depth window into each member of the group as they experience The Transformative Power of Acceptance and Understanding. Mrs. Arbuthnot now takes center stage: She is the closest to Mrs. Wilkins and has observed first-hand her change of heart about Mellersh. Mrs. Arbuthnot realizes that happiness is better when shared with loved ones. The beauty of the castle would also appeal to Frederick, and she wishes she had the courage to invite him to stay.
When she realizes that she has stopped praying, it dawns on her that prayer had always stood in the way of meaningful self-reflection. Although still a Christian, she admits that she used her piety as a way to distract from her real feelings. She is struck by this and decides that if she wants to be happy in her marriage, she must accept Frederick’s shortcomings and judge his books less harshly. That she does ultimately invite him speaks to her ability to forgive and this novel’s broader interest in acceptance and understanding. Each of the characters transforms their lives not by demanding behavioral changes from their loved ones, but by implementing those changes in themselves.
Caroline, too, embodies transformation during these chapters. She gives in to Mrs. Wilkins’s overtures of friendship and finds that meaningful human connection makes her happy and alleviates some of her existential anxiety. She enjoys friendship and realizes that there is a life beyond grief. Caroline’s transformation is also the result of Mellersh’s arrival. They meet as he is hurriedly running out of the bath wearing only a towel, and each handles the impropriety of the situation with grace. They run into Mrs. Fisher, too, and the result is that Mrs. Fisher and Caroline feel they share a secret of sorts. The ice has been broken, and Lady Caroline also warms to Mrs. Fisher. As in the case with Mrs. Wilkins, Lady Caroline realizes that solitude might be necessary at times, but that friendship is more important and more transformative.
Mrs. Fisher, too, undergoes a transformation during these chapters. She, more than the other women, is set in her ways. She feels entitled to be in control by virtue of her age and social position and initially would rather spend her time alone than in the company of her social inferiors. Nevertheless, in part because of Mellersh’s arrival and in part because of the example set by Mrs. Wilkins, Mrs. Fisher resolves to shed some of the more difficult aspects of her personality. That she wants to fit in better with the group evidences a shift in priorities and shows that she, too, has grown to value friendship more than solitude. Her attitude adjustment is met with happiness by the rest of the group, and they increasingly choose to spend time together rather than apart.
Mellersh’s arrival is instrumental in shifting the group’s dynamics and also speaks to a new understanding of The Demands of Marriage and Propriety. He shines in the light of his wife’s newfound acceptance and understanding, and he arrives in San Salvatore a changed man. Gone are his judgmental ways and indifference toward his wife. The author observes of his arrival:
And so the second week began, and all was harmony. The arrival of Mr. Wilkins, instead of, as three of the party had feared and the fourth had only been protected from fearing by her burning faith in the effect of him on San Salvatore disturbing such harmony as there was, increased it. He fitted in. he was determined to please, and he did please. (157)
Mellersh shows his change of heart by being kind to his wife and to the rest of the party. He helps them with the household orders and does his best to socialize with each woman. The broader argument at work in Mellersh’s transformation is that positive change happens as a result of forgiveness and acceptance. Mellersh does not resolve on his own to become a better man, but when shown love and understanding by Mrs. Wilkins, he finds that he does have it in him to treat those around him with greater care and concern, and his marriage improves as a result.
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