A heavenly meeting..

The Manchu Princess's role in Kitty's spiritual discovery

Harrington Gardens

• Starting point
• middle class
• Patriarchal, hierarchal, vain, repressive

Hong Kong

• Escapes mother and social circle in England
• Geographically but not cultrually escapes
• Superficial, pleasure seeking and adulterous

HOW?

Charlie Townsend

• Affair with Charlie
• tall, six foot two at least, had a beautiful figure; he was evidently in very good condition and he had not a spare ounce of fat on him. He was well dressed, the best-dressed man in the room, and he wore his clothes well.’
• He had told her since that he was crazy about her on that first evening. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He remembered the dress she wore; it was her wedding dress, and he said she looked like a lily of the valley’

Mei-tan-fu

• Exotic+Undesirable
• Arrives broken-hearted
• Purgatorial space

The Manchu Princess

The Manchu Princess

• Ethnically Chinese
• Religious imagery
• 'idol', 'mask'
• 'The Painted Veil'

The Manchu Princess

• Relationship with Waddington
• Relationship not based on physical attraction
• Unattractive: 'It was like a monkey's"
• Relationship not based on physical attraction
• Mutualistic, supportive

The Manchu Princess

• Unconventional relationship, socially condemned
• “his morals were not all one could wish”,” It is very wicked of him. Those things are not done.“ it was ugly like a monkey's” -Sister St. Joseph
• Deeply in love with Waddington's virtue
• Determination, + Devotion

The influence of the manchu princess

• Kitty's common place ideals
• Transformation of Kitty
• ' It does the heart good to look at you'- Mother superior

Hong Kong

• Weak-willed Kitty
• Dorothy: 'Kitty allowed herself to be kissed.' and she allowed herself to be led
• ' She had forgotten how pleasant it was to take one's ease, how lulling to be surrounded by pretty things, and how agreeable it was to receive attention.', 'She had thought herself changed[...]Weak, Weak!'

Hong Kong

• Dorothy: 'Kitty allowed herself to be kissed.' and she allowed herself to be led
• Charlie: ' Whatever could have possessed her to think him this and that? he was a very handsome man.'
• "Soon she found herself asking about so and so and who had broken a collar-bone at polo"
• Feels ashamed

Harrington Gardens

• Empathetic with her father after her mother's death
• Mrs. Garstin death as liberation
• Wishes her daughter will not repeat her mistakes

Bahamas

• Rebuild relationship with father
• Raise her child

Kitty's growth

Reflective and determined to change:
Vain->compassionate

Manchu Princess

Normal life cycle

Kitty's life

Voting session: Does Kitty deserve a spot in heaven?