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The Discovery of the Truth 6: 1
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Moonstone, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Detective Methods and Genre Standards
Intention, Identity, and Personality
Science and Religion
Gender and Victorian Morality
Class, Wealth, and Nobility
British Imperialism
Summary
Analysis
Cuff is certain that Godfrey Ablewhite was murdered by the Indians, who smothered him with a pillow in order to get The Moonstone. The coroner’s report confirmed the cause of death, and Mr. Luker confirmed that the box found in Godfrey’s room was the same one in which the Moonstone was given to him. The Indians had tampered with the trapdoor in the roof so that they could enter the room silently and close the door from outside. A nearby house under construction had a ladder leading to the roof, which was found untied the day after Godfrey’s murder. The street was quiet and seldom visited by the police, so it was unlikely that anyone could have detected the thief.
The Indians easily executed their brilliant, complex plan, suggesting that they were well ahead of the English detectives—they knew whom to follow and how to retrieve the Diamond from the start. They did this not through mysticism or magic, but merely by beating the protagonists at their own investigative game. But the events still raise one interesting question: what would have happened, and who would have the Diamond, had Franklin gotten home on time the night of the murder and gone immediately with Gooseberry to the scene?
Themes
Beyond what is already known, investigators have also discovered a gold thread “of Indian manufacture” in the room and heard reports of three Indian men nearby, heading out of London to Rotterdam by steamer. And it is quite unlikely that the mechanic could have murdered Godfrey alone without the employees staying in the neighboring rooms hearing him. The Ablewhites are offering ample reward for finding the killers, and while the mechanic has proven untraceable, there are some leads in regards to the Indians.
Cuff assures the reader that he has ample evidence for the obvious conclusion that the Indians are responsible for Godfrey’s death. For once, the Ablewhites and Verinders agree on something—finding the Indians—although this is likely to be exceedingly difficult. Although the reader never learns about the Verinders’ reaction to Godfrey’s death, it is unlikely that they were particularly distraught—like Colonel John Herncastle, he broke the bond of family for the sake of self-interest, and, as with the Colonel, the Diamond got its revenge on him.
Themes
