| The Duchess and the Jeweler is the story | | | | also took the advantage of using imagery |
| of the world's greatest jeweler who had | | | | in order to disclose to the reader this |
| promised his mother to become the | | | | state of dissatisfaction of Oliver |
| richest jeweler in the world in his | | | | through her language of signs and images |
| childhood but now that his dream has | | | | as an alternative to the words. She |
| materialized he does not feel satisfied. | | | | resembles Oliver to a camel that is |
| So trying to achieve satisfaction, | | | | entrapped in the zoo, and is not |
| knowingly he buys fake pearls from a | | | | satisfied with its life, because it can |
| Duchess in exchange for passing a whole | | | | see "the blue lake and the fringe of |
| weekend with her daughter whom he is in | | | | palm trees in front of it." In other |
| love with. The purpose of this essay is | | | | words, Oliver wants more and more and in |
| to show how Virginia Woolf has | | | | spite of all his gatherings he feels |
| successfully presented the inner mind of | | | | like a mere camel that is thirsty of the |
| the characters, their struggle and their | | | | water it sees but is not able to reach |
| communication through the least amount | | | | it. Also the reader reads the Oliver's |
| of verbal communication among them.The | | | | loneliness and his need of a soul mate, |
| silent communication created by Woolf's | | | | when Oliver remembers the days when |
| "The Duchess and the Jeweler" is firstly | | | | "mademoiselle used to pick one (red |
| the communication between the reader and | | | | rose) every morning and stick it in his |
| the story and secondly the communication | | | | button-hole." This picture gives the |
| between the characters in the text | | | | reader the understanding that Oliver is |
| themselves. In better words this story | | | | feeling the lack of an anima in his |
| firstly reveals the mind of the | | | | life; that there has been someone who |
| characters to the reader through the | | | | probably Oliver had a sense of love for |
| least amount of explicit expression of | | | | (image of red rose) and who has left |
| their states and secondly presents the | | | | Oliver due to his greed for money. This |
| interaction among the characters of the | | | | is confirmed later on by the text |
| story through the fewest possible | | | | itself: "but mademoiselle had married |
| dialogues among them.The first stance in | | | | Mr. Pedder of the local brewery- no one |
| the unvoiced communication between the | | | | stuck roses in his buttonholes." This |
| reader and the story is the revelation | | | | sentence again confirms his loneliness |
| of the childhood memories of Oliver | | | | and his need of a wife, though this is |
| Bacon that takes place without the | | | | not mentioned directly by Oliver |
| author's giving voice to them. The very | | | | himself.The revelation of the dominance |
| first acquaintance of the reader with | | | | of Oliver's mother over his life and the |
| Oliver's childhood takes place when he | | | | fact that she has been dictating him all |
| addresses himself: "you who began life | | | | her life and is even now after her death |
| in the filthy little alley" and then | | | | dictating her, is understood through his |
| falls in to his childhood memories. This | | | | constant remembrance of his mother in |
| very short statement of Oliver to | | | | all his choice makings in his life |
| himself is very expressive of his | | | | though this is never mentioned directly |
| childhood and also of his attitude | | | | in the story. He remembers his mother |
| towards this period of his life. Through | | | | reprimanding him when he stole dogs as a |
| the author's prior descriptions of the | | | | child and when he buys the fake pearls |
| living place of Oliver, his servant and | | | | from the duchess at the end of the story |
| his habits it is revealed that Oliver | | | | he asks the forgiveness of the old woman |
| Bacon is a very affluent man now while | | | | in the picture and again feels like a |
| this short self-address reveals his | | | | little boy. So these constant |
| childhood poverty. Also it is through | | | | rememberings of his mother also imply to |
| his retrospections that the readers get | | | | the reader his mother's dominance over |
| aware that he has started with selling | | | | him even after her death though this is |
| stolen dogs, continued with selling | | | | just understood and never stated.The |
| watches in a little counter, and finally | | | | reader also gets aware of Oliver's |
| has promoted to his present profession | | | | arrogance and pride, in his contacts |
| as a jeweler. So it is mostly through | | | | with his workers though there hardly |
| Oliver's silent remembrances that the | | | | takes place a conversation with them; In |
| reader gets familiar with his early | | | | the first contact of the workers with |
| days. Also this little talk of Oliver to | | | | Oliver at his shop, there is no spoken |
| himself shows the reader that he has a | | | | communication; however through their |
| pre-occupation with his childhood and | | | | "envying look" the reader understands |
| all the efforts he has gone through in | | | | their attitudes to Oliver and his |
| order to save all his money. Though he | | | | indifference to them is revealed as the |
| never mentions this, his constant | | | | author says " it was only with one |
| retrospections show the importance that | | | | finger of the amber-colored glove, |
| his childhood has for him. As an example | | | | waggling that he acknowledged their |
| when Oliver is in his room just before | | | | presence." This unspoken interaction |
| the entrance of the Duchess, he starts | | | | between them is to a large extent |
| thinking of his boyhood passed in misery | | | | expressive of their attitude towards |
| and hard times. This shows how Virginia | | | | each other.As mentioned earlier, this |
| Woolf cunningly, without explicit | | | | unspoken communication between the |
| mentioning of Oliver's pre-occupation | | | | reader and the text takes place among |
| with his childhood, interacts with the | | | | the characters of the story as well. The |
| reader through the character's | | | | very first silent communication among |
| retrospections and gives the reader the | | | | the characters occurs when Oliver as a |
| chance to get involved with the text. | | | | youngster is passing through a group of |
| Therefore the mind of Oliver and also | | | | jewelers discussing the price of gold |
| his general history is disclosed to the | | | | and "one of them would lay a finger to |
| reader through the least number of | | | | the side of his nose and murmur, |
| spoken words of the character.Woolf has | | | | 'hum-m-m,' as he passed. |