Daniel Deronda, Chapter 38 summary

What happens

1. The narrator explains how Mordecai’s worsening illness intensifies his desire for someone to carry on his spiritual work.
2. Mordecai imagines a strong, cultivated young Jew whose advantages can overcome the barriers that restrict his own influence.
3. He teaches Jacob his Hebrew poetry, hoping that repeated sounds can preserve meanings the child does not yet understand.
4. Jacob interrupts a passionate recitation with an acrobatic trick, prompting a frightening outburst that leaves Mordecai ashamed.
5. Deronda resembles Mordecai’s imagined companion, but his denial of Jewish birth and ignorance of Hebrew repeatedly disappoint Mordecai.
6. During January, Mordecai’s faith revives, distracting him from ordinary activities and increasing his longing to reach the river.

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What to notice

Mordecai treats Jacob’s memory as a way to preserve his spiritual work. The child’s lack of understanding exposes the gap between storing words and sharing a purpose.

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