Chapter 16 Summary: Dr. Simon Jordan's Correspondence About Grace Marks
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
Chapter 16 is a letter from Dr. Simon Jordan, dated May 15, 1859, written from Kingston, Canada West (now Ontario). The letter is addressed to his friend Dr. Edward Murchie in Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Simon begins by congratulating Edward on his engagement to Cornelia Rutherford. He admits he suspected it from earlier letters and expresses envy at Edward's ability to "bestow his heart." Simon confesses that he feels he has a heart-shaped stone rather than a real heart, and that he is doomed to wander lonely. He anticipates his mother will use Edward's engagement to push him toward marriage, and he should obey the biblical command to "be fruitful and multiply," but he lacks a real heart to give.
Simon mentions his mother is currently praising Miss Faith Cartwright as a potential match. He recalls meeting her years ago and notes she is said to have improved by a stay in Boston, though he doubts Boston improves anyone. He worries that her moral virtues are being emphasized because her physical charms are lacking. He says only a different type of maiden could transform him into a lover.
He turns to his professional work with Grace Marks. He admits he has little progress to report. His method is gradual and cumulative: he aims to wake the dormant part of her mind, to probe below the threshold of consciousness, and discover buried memories. He approaches her mind like a locked box needing the right key. He wishes she were madder; instead, she manifests composure a duchess might envy. He has never known a woman so thoroughly self-contained. Apart from the incident at his arrival (which he missed), no outbursts. Her voice is low and melodious, more cultivated than usual for a servant, with barely a trace of Northern Irish accent.
He describes their sessions: she sits and sews calmly while he tries in vain to open her up like an oyster. She converses frankly but tells him as little as possible. He has learned about her childhood poverty, her father being an inebriate and possibly an arsonist, but he is not convinced heredity causes insanity.
Simon ends by saying boredom is driving him mad; there is little society except a Dr. DuPont, a devotee of the Scottish crackpot Braid. He has decided to ask his landlady if he can dig in her back garden to plant cabbages for distraction. He closes the letter and goes to his cold, lonely bed.
Key Events
- Simon congratulates Edward on his engagement to Cornelia Rutherford.
- Simon reflects on his own emotional emptiness and his mother's matchmaking with Faith Cartwright.
- Simon provides an update on his treatment of Grace Marks: minimal progress, her composure, the locked-box metaphor.
- Simon reveals he has learned about Grace's father's alcoholism and possible arson, but he dismisses simple heredity explanations.
- Simon mentions Dr. DuPont as a rival medical visitor with different views on hypnosis.
- Simon decides to dig a garden for distraction, highlighting his boredom.
Character Development
Dr. Simon Jordan emerges as a deeply self-aware yet emotionally detached individual. He confesses to a friend that he possesses a "heart-shaped stone" and envies those who can love. His scientific mind is frustrated by Grace's composure; he wishes she were more obviously mad so he could use his methods. His boredom and loneliness are palpable, leading him to seek solace in gardening. He is analytical but also vain—he criticizes Dr. DuPont as a "crackpot" dismissively. His letter shows he values friendship and candor, yet he remains isolated.
Grace Marks (described secondhand) is characterized by Simon as unnaturally composed, self-contained, and articulate. She speaks in a cultivated voice and sews calmly. She resists his probing by giving surface-level details about her past while withholding deeper memories. Simon sees her as a locked box, suggesting she has agency in what she reveals.
Edward Murchie is only referenced as Simon's old friend, now newly engaged, serving as a foil to Simon's loneliness.
Faith Cartwright is presented as a worthy but unappealing potential wife, representing the conventional match Simon's mother desires.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
The locked box – Simon uses this metaphor for Grace's mind, suggesting he wants to force entry into her memories. It reflects 19th-century views of the female psyche as something to be unlocked by male science.
Heart of stone – Simon's self-description underscores the motif of emotional numbness. He contrasts his stone heart with real hearts of flesh, linking to themes of love, tenderness, and the inability to connect.
Hypnosis and consciousness – Simon's method of probing below the threshold of consciousness aligns with early psychological theories. He references Braid (a real figure associated with hypnotism), and his rivalry with Dr. DuPont hints at competing medical paradigms.
Heredity vs. environment – Simon mentions Grace's father's alcoholism and possible arson, but he refuses to accept heredity as the sole cause of madness, showing a more modern, environmental view.
Letters as intimacy – The entire chapter is a letter, a private form of communication. It allows Simon to be more honest than he might be in person, revealing his loneliness and self-doubt.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 16 is the first extended insight into Dr. Simon Jordan's interior life and his approach to Grace. It establishes his scientific ambition, his emotional vulnerabilities, and the limitations he faces. The letter format gives readers direct access to his voice, creating a sympathetic yet critical portrait of the doctor. The chapter also deepens the mystery around Grace by affirming her conscious resistance to psychological probing. Simon's boredom and his plan to dig a garden foreshadow later developments—both literal digging and metaphorical digging into the past. The rivalry with Dr. DuPont sets up alternative interpretations of Grace's mind that will be explored later. Overall, this chapter grounds the novel's psychological drama in the specifics of 1859 medical practice and personal isolation.
Study Questions and Answers
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How does Simon describe his emotional state, and what does it reveal about his character?
Simon says he has a heart-shaped stone and cannot bestow his heart. He envies Edward for having a heart to give. This reveals his deep loneliness, self-consciousness about his emotional capacity, and a hint of self-pity. It also aligns with his profession—he studies minds but cannot connect emotionally. -
What metaphors does Simon use for Grace's mind, and what do they imply about his method?
He calls her mind a "locked box" needing the right key and compares trying to open her to opening an oyster. These metaphors imply a belief that her memories are hidden and require forceful or clever entry. It shows he sees his role as unlocking her rather than listening to her narrative on her own terms. -
Why is Dr. DuPont mentioned, and what does Simon think of him?
Dr. DuPont is another visitor, a devotee of Braid (a founder of hypnotism). Simon dismisses him as a "crackpot" and a "queer duck." This introduces a rival scientific perspective and shows Simon's professional biases. It hints that alternative methods (like hypnosis) will be attempted later in the novel.