Daniel Deronda, Chapter 60 summary

What happens

1. Deronda visits Joseph Kalonymos at a Mainz banking house and expresses gratitude for help in discovering his parentage.
2. Kalonymos recalls his lifelong pledge to Daniel Charisi and hands over the chest preserved for Charisi’s descendant.
3. Deronda explains that urgent needs among his friends require his return to England.
4. Kalonymos describes Charisi’s learning, firm convictions, and concern for Jewish distinctness alongside exchange with other peoples.
5. Asked about faith and vocation, Deronda declares himself a Jew and makes service to his people his purpose.
6. They part, and Deronda returns to London while Kalonymos resumes his travels by sea.

In this chapter

What to notice

Deronda gives his attachment a definite purpose. The narrator explicitly identifies speaking this answer as a decisive moment in his resolve.

Quick check