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