In the short story “The Duchess and the Jeweller” by Virginia Woolf, the Jeweller is a dissatisfied with a life that includes the finest material things, servants, and a burgeoning jewelry business. But why? Oliver Bacon’s story includes flashbacks to his life as a poor, small boy when his mother constantly berated him to use common sense and to make something of himself. He becomes the richest, most respected jeweler in London who has admirers...
In the short story “The Duchess and the Jeweller” by Virginia Woolf, the Jeweller is a dissatisfied with a life that includes the finest material things, servants, and a burgeoning jewelry business. But why? Oliver Bacon’s story includes flashbacks to his life as a poor, small boy when his mother constantly berated him to use common sense and to make something of himself. He becomes the richest, most respected jeweler in London who has admirers in the business all over Europe. What he does not have is someone to love, someone to share the fruits of his labor with. He is in love with the daughter of the Duchess of Lambourne and he sells his soul to be with her by giving the Duchess money to pay her gambling debts by buying fake pearls from her. Again, he has a flashback to his mother as he stands before her portrait. He justifies his actions by telling himself he will get to spend a weekend with Diana, the daughter of the Duchess, and other aristocrats that will be in attendance.
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