The Pupil Sparknotes

2004 Question 2

Affluence versus poor, an age-old battle, especially during the “two worlds” time period of Victorian England. In Henry James’s The Pupil, this battle is brought to life as a poor young man, Pemberton, attempts to negotiate a salary as an in-house tutor for a very wealthy family, the Moreens. Through the use of diction and detail, James creates a specific tone that surrounds each character. Taken together, these various tones create a central tone of mockery and ridicule of the relationships amongst the characters. Additionally, James tells this story through the perspective of an omniscient narrator, that focuses mostly on the perspective of Pemberton, with a few shifts to a more neutral position. This perspective facilitates

a full understanding of the relationship between Pemberton and his employers as well as displaying the unhealthy relationship between Mrs. Moreen and Morgan Moreen.
The use of iaxronic diction in this passage creates a tone of mockery and scorn that surrounds the Moreens and a tone of pity that surrounds Pemberton, thus depicting the Moreens as arrogant, Pemberton as timid, and establishing the Moreens’ relationship with Pemberton as one in which they feel superior.

The diction that surround Pemberton include words such as “poor” (line1), “nervously” (line 13), and “squeezing out” (line 65) create a tone of timidity that surrounds him. This tone paints a picture of Pemberton as a scared and poor young man, afraid to be assertive. The diction that surrounds Morgan Moreen, the alleged pupil of the story, include words and phrases like “only with the casual observation” and “the honor of taking his education in hand” create a tone of arrogance that surrounds the boy as well as a tone of ridicule towards the boy for acting in such ungrateful ways. The words “casual” and “honor” are clearly rooted in sarcasm and begin to illustrate the child’s deeply unsettling belief that he is above everyone else and does not need to pay respect to others. The diction that surrounds Mrs. Moreen includes words like “affable” (line 8), “save when she lowered her voice to sigh” (lines 32-33), and “expensive identity” (line 68). These phrases establish a tone of pompousness and frivolity that surrounds Mrs. Moreen, thus depicting her as a shallow and affluent woman. The diction also creates an undertone of derision that shames Mrs. Moreen for being so out of

touch with the rest of the world, furthering her image as shallow and affluent. The combination of these three tones and three identities begins to shed a light on the relationship between the three characters. Pemberton’s timidity is a direct result of the Mrs. Moreen’s affluence as well as the child’s arrogance. The tone created through the diction that surrounds each character highlights their flaws and the relationships that it begins to display enable the other rhetorical devices present to expand on the complexities of the relationship between the three characters.
The use of detail when describing the clothes and appearances of the Moreens creates a tone of ridicule and derision towards the Moreens’ way of life thus depicting them with an elevated sense of entitlement and legitimizes Pemberton discomfort in being assertive with Mrs. Moreen. Henry James writes that Mrs. Moreen “sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suede through a fat, jeweled hand and, at once pressing and gliding…” (lines 9-11). This detail illustrates the extravagance of Mrs. Moreen but the inflicted tone is one of mockery. Between the soiled gloves and the fat hands, James mocks Mrs. Moreen’s affirmations of her own wealth. Through this, Henry James might be trying to take a jab at the aristocracy of the Victorian Era. However, more importantly, this illustrates some of the frustration in Mrs. Moreen and Pemberton’s relationship. Pemberton desperately needs to work for Mrs. Moreen, and he is upset that she is so concerned with her seemingly pathetic excuses for wealth and not with his salary. Henry James describes the boy as “somehow, sickly without being delicate, and that he looked intelligent…only added to the suggestion that, as with his big mouth and big ears he really couldn’t be called pretty, he might be unpleasant” (lines 48-53). Such a description creates a tone of ridicule towards the boy. The boy’s sense of entitlement is clear, as evidenced by his “big mouth” and “might be unpleasant.” This not only contributes to the understanding of his relationship with his mother and with Pemberton, but also with the interlocking dependencies between the three. In relation to his mother, Morgan Moreen is treats her with almost no respect and clearly does not value her role in his life. This is evident in the detailed description of his looks as well as the previously mentioned diction utilized to describe him. In relation to Pemberton, the detail described and the implied tone indicate that Pemberton does not like the boy, due to his blatant rudeness and general unpleasantness. The detail used in this piece highlights why the characters do not like one another but yet simultaneously need one another to continue on. This sentiment is further solidified through the point of view utilized by Henry James.
Henry James uses the perspective of an omniscient narrator that shifts to focusing on Pemberton’s thoughts which depicts Pemberton as a weary teacher and illustrates a relationship between the three in which a lowly Pemberton is forced to work for an affluent and out of touch family.

The excerpt begins with a mostly neutral understanding of the scene. This facilitates a well-rounded depiction of Pemberton and the Moreens. However, in line 27 the point of view shifts to emphasize Pemberton’s emotions. The narrator says “Pemberton supposed it was precisely to approach the delicate subject of his remuneration. But it had been only to say some things about her son which it was better that a boy of eleven shouldn’t catch” (lines 27-31) The brief thoughts of Pemberton are given in a subtle way that clearly illustrates him as a charcter and build on his desperation in his relationship with Mrs. Moreen. He is so eagerly waiting for her to bring up his salary, that with each moment she doesn’t he is unable to manage. This portrays him as desperate and afraid, thus weak. Furthermore, it deepens the understanding of his dependency on Mrs. Moreen. After line 31, the point of view returns to a more holistic view of each character, only to return to Pemberton’s thoughts in line 50 to the end of the excerpt. The final paragraph begins with the line “Pemberton only wondered, while he took up his hat, what ‘all that’ was to amount to” (lines 72-73). This ending establishes him as desperate

and lacking confidence and exemplifies his dependency on the Moreens.
The last line of the excerpt is Morgan Moreen saying, “in the shape of the mocking, foreign ejaculation, ‘Oh, la-la!’” (lines 73-74). This solidifies his arrogances and the role of Pemberton as a teacher that would make the child more bearable and thus Mrs. Moreen’s need for Pemberton. The overall diction, detail, and point of view in this excerpt greatly contribute to the development of this relationship built on fear and affluent apathy.