Previous
Chapter 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Brilliant Career, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Womanhood
Class and Poverty
Ambition, Respectability, and Pride
Love
Maturity and Suffering
Summary
Analysis
Sybylla’s Uncle Julius is set to return from Sydney to Caddagat in September, and he will be bringing with him a young gentleman named Everard Grey. Grey is the orphaned son of English aristocrats, who had his fortune stolen by distant relatives. Mrs. Bossier found and educated him, and she now considers Grey her adopted son. Sybylla has recovered from her illness and injury, and when Julius and Grey arrive in the evening, Sybylla will be allowed her first look in the mirror.
Julius and Everard’s impending arrival marks the first appearance of men besides Frank Hawden at Caddagat. Everard Grey’s life story is dramatic and reads almost like a storybook, in contrast to Sybylla’s own life, which she considers dull.
Themes
On the afternoon before Uncle Julius and Everard Grey arrive, Mrs. Bossier sends Sybylla on an errand. Frank Hawden decides to accompany her, which annoys Sybylla because her grandmother has warned her against encouraging young men. Mr. Hawden’s dislike of Sybylla has turned to infatuation, and he claims that he likes her even though she isn’t pretty. Sybylla attributes his feelings to the fact that she is the only young woman present and Hawden is of an age when young men lust after any woman they see.
Though Sybylla remains unconventional and strong-willed, Mrs. Bossier’s influence on her is evident in Sybylla’s reluctance to be alone with a young man. This instinct proves correct when Hawden launches his unrequited pursuit of Sybylla. Additionally, Sybylla’s belief that she is unlovable returns, as she refuses to believe that Hawden might like her for any reason beyond lust.
Themes
Hawden and Sybylla return late in the afternoon, so Sybylla is only half-dressed when Uncle Julius arrives, and she can’t greet him until dinner. Aunt Helen helps Sybylla dress for dinner, and Sybylla reflects that evening wear is “one of the prettiest and most idiotic customs extant.” After she dresses, Sybylla joins Helen and Mrs. Bossier in the drawing-room, which Uncle Julius has had illuminated much more brightly than Sybylla is used to.
Sybylla’s quip about evening wear being a “pretty” and “idiotic” custom represents her mixed feelings on the customs of femininity. The change in lighting in the drawing-room is also symbolic: Caddagat is not a utopia impervious to change, but a regular (if lavish) estate. The fact that Julius is the one to change the lighting also demonstrates his power as a man––where Caddagat was once governed by women, now that a man has arrived, he has dominion over the house.
Themes
Literary Devices
Aunt Helen gives Sybylla a hand-mirror, and Sybylla sees her reflection for the first time since her arrival. She is surprised to see that, while her face is still plain, Aunt Helen has styled her hair and dress to call attention to Sybylla’s attractive figure. Even her face is so alight with joy and youth that Sybylla no longer thinks herself ugly. Sybylla asks Aunt Helen to confirm that she is not “completely hideous,” and Aunt Helen tells her that no one could call Sybylla ugly, or even plain. She takes Sybylla’s face in her hands and says, “brilliant is the word which best describes you.”
Aunt Helen has been the character who best understands Sybylla, which adds credibility and meaning to her validation of Sybylla’s desire to be “brilliant.” Helen is always sensible, and the fact that she sees brilliance in Sybylla implies that Sybylla’s ambitions are perhaps not as impractical as she thinks.
Themes
Literary Devices
Get the entire My Brilliant Career LitChart as a printable PDF.
Uncle Julius comes in for dinner. He is well-respected in all surrounding areas as generous and jolly, and Sybylla is proud to call him uncle. He greets Sybylla with a hug and an exclamation of how nice she looks. Aunt Helen introduces Sybylla to Everard Grey. Everard looks at Sybylla with an admiration that sparks a feeling she has never felt before. He asks if he may greet her with a kiss, and she says he can kiss if he catches her. Everard chases Sybylla around the garden until she starts laughing and Everard catches up to her. He gives her a kiss, and they return to the family on the veranda––Everard is “in triumph,” and Sybylla is “very red and uncomfortable.”
Sybylla continues to mature as she has her first encounter with a young man her age. The unfamiliar feeling that results from his admiration hints that Sybylla might have burgeoning romantic or sexual urges, despite her dislike of marriage. Everard and Sybylla’s playful chase around the garden, however, shows that they have not entirely outgrown their childishness. Their contrasting reactions to the kiss also highlight the double standards surrounding romance for men and women. Everard emerges “in triumph,” viewing his successful chase of Sybylla as a conquest, while Sybylla expresses in simple, humble language that the situation has made her uncomfortable.
Themes
Mrs. Bossier arrives at the veranda. She looks at Sybylla disapprovingly, but Uncle Julius reminds his mother that she herself kissed boys in her youth, and Mrs. Bossier relents with a smile. Everard remarks to Aunt Helen that Sybylla is very excitable, and he is surprised when Helen tells him that Sybylla thinks herself plain-looking. During dinner, Sybylla examines Everard’s appearance, and she notes he has the “cold rather heartless expression” common of the English aristocracy.
The revelation that Mrs. Bossier was less conservative in her youth indicates the expected transition from girl to woman in the 19th century. Young girls and boys have more freedom in their interactions than men and women. Additionally, Everard’s surprise that Sybylla dislikes her appearance suggests that her insecurities are not grounded in fact. Sybylla’s interest in class also reappears here––she characterizes the English aristocracy as “cold” and “heartless,” signifying a lack of humanity associated with both aristocrats and Englishmen.
Themes
After dinner, the family sings together. Everard Grey has a well-trained baritone and plays the piano with skill. Uncle Julius encourages Sybylla to sing. She resists––she likes to sing, but only when no one can hear her. Julius insists, however, so Sybylla sings an old song called “Three Fishers Went Sailing.” Everard accompanies her on piano, and his playing lets her forget her audience and sing comfortably. After her performance, Everard enthusiastically compliments Sybylla’s voice. He is educated in the arts, and his praise excites Sybylla. She wonders if she could truly become a singer.
“Three Fishers Went Sailing,” also known as simply “Three Fishers,” is a song adapted from a poem written in the mid-19th century. Perhaps its most famous line is, “Men must work, and women must weep.” This speaks to the themes of gender division and labor that run throughout the novel. The fact that Sybylla and Mrs. Melvyn bear most of the responsibility for the Melvyn family seems to contradict the song’s assertion of female helplessness.
Themes
After the song, Everard and Uncle Julius encourage Sybylla to continue performing, so she recites a poem and dresses up as “a fat old Irish woman” to perform a comedy routine. Everard continues to compliment her. He wants to bring her to Sydney and have her properly trained, and though Uncle Julius shuts down that idea, Sybylla is very pleased with herself.
In her excitement at Everard’s praise, Sybylla once again demonstrates her desire for affirmation and her susceptibility to others’ opinions. His proposal of training Sybylla to perform also adds plausibility and possible action to Sybylla’s hope for a career in the arts, bringing Sybylla’s ambitions into sharper focus.
Themes
