The Silent Communication in "The Duchess and the Jeweler" by Virginia Woolf

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