Daniel Deronda, Chapter 51 summary
Chapter 51 of 71 · Book 7: The Mother and the Son · 29 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 51, Deronda meets his mother, Leonora, who reveals his Jewish parentage and explains why she arranged his upbringing as an Englishman. Her account of artistic ambition, family pressure, and illness provokes his anger but also his compassion, while a letter gives him access to his grandfather’s chest.
What happens
- Leonora greets Deronda with admiration but denies having the maternal affection he hopes to receive.
- She reveals his Jewish parentage and defends concealing it as an escape from restrictions she hates.
- Deronda welcomes his ancestry, challenges her decision, and struggles to understand her thwarted ambitions.
- She explains her marriage to Ephraim and her arrangement with Sir Hugo Mallinger to raise their son.
- She describes how illness and Joseph Kalonymos’s accusations compel her to disclose the truth.
- She explains her second marriage, gives Deronda a letter for the family chest, and dismisses him after a farewell kiss.
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In this chapter
What to notice
The question challenges Leonora’s claim that concealment benefits him. It places his right to know his origins against her desire to escape her own inheritance.
Quick check
Why does Leonora give Deronda Joseph Kalonymos’s letter?
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