Chapter 17: Simon's Dream and Mrs. Humphrey's Crisis
⚠️ 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
Simon Jordan dreams of exploring the attic passageway of his childhood home, a forbidden realm where maids once slept. In the dream the corridor becomes larger and the doors are locked; behind them sit women waiting for him. The final door opens onto the sea, and he sinks into it. The maids abandon him while objects once belonging to his dead father rise up, re-forming into a monstrous figure. Simon wakes in a sweat, reflects on the dream's connections to Grace Marks's story—the Atlantic crossing, burial at sea, household items, and an overbearing father. He considers recording the dream for diagnostic purposes, pondering the theories of Moreau de Tours, Maine de Biran, and others about the subconscious. As he sits at his writing table, his landlady Mrs. Humphrey enters carrying his breakfast tray. She collapses, shattering the crockery. Simon revives her, learns that her husband has abandoned her and that the maid Dora assaulted her and took her wedding ring before leaving. Mrs. Humphrey has not eaten for two days. Simon goes to the market to buy food—an unfamiliar errand—cooks a meal, and shares it with her. Overcome with pity, he offers to advance two months' rent. She kisses his hand in gratitude.
Key Events
- Simon dreams of his childhood attic, locked doors, maids, and his father's possessions re-forming as a monster.
- He wakes, records the dream, and analyzes its psychological meaning.
- Mrs. Humphrey faints while delivering Simon's breakfast.
- Simon revives her and cuts her stay-laces to ease her breathing.
- Mrs. Humphrey reveals Dora left after a violent confrontation over unpaid wages; Major Humphrey is also gone.
- Simon visits the market, buys food, and cooks a meal for her.
- He offers to advance two months' rent to delay her financial ruin.
- Mrs. Humphrey kisses his hand, leaving Simon conflicted about his involvement.
Character Development
- Simon Jordan: For the first time the reader sees Simon's vulnerable inner life through his dream—his repressed childhood curiosity, guilt about his father, and buried desires. His professional detachment cracks as he feels "protective pity" for Mrs. Humphrey, yet he struggles with self-control and his own imagination. His trip to the market reveals his ignorance of everyday life and his class assumptions.
- Mrs. Humphrey: Previously a distant figure, she is now revealed as resourceful but desperate, trapped in an abusive marriage and sudden poverty. Her dignity survives despite hunger; she weeps but also manages a hint of ironic wit.
- Dora: Though absent, her actions demonstrate the brutal economic realities of domestic service—she strikes her mistress and steals a ring rather than remain unpaid.
Themes, Symbols, and Motifs
- Dreams and the Subconscious: Simon's dream is rich in Freudian imagery—locked doors, forbidden rooms, watery depths, paternal resurrection. Atwood uses it to illustrate contemporary psychological theories (Moreau de Tours, Maine de Biran) about hidden memory and the "animal life" below consciousness. The dream directly connects Simon's own repressed history to Grace's trauma.
- Memory and Identity: Lost objects from the father's life float up "like bubbles," suggesting that traumatic memories can resurface unbidden. Simon's reflection on amnesia as "a drowning of recollection" ties this theme to Grace's amnesia claim.
- Class and Charity: Simon's awkward expedition to the market underscores his class privilege; he is unused to buying food or managing a household. His offer of rent money is both generous and patronizing, echoing the power imbalance between doctor and patient, man and woman.
- Father-Son Legacy: Simon's father appears in the dream as a dead hand regenerating into a monster. This connects to Simon's professional ambitions and his guilt about surpassing or failing his father's expectations.
- Gender and Vulnerability: Mrs. Humphrey's helplessness is both real and performed; she uses her tears and kisses to secure Simon's help, even while maintaining her pride. Simon's "protective pity" carries an undercurrent of sexual fantasy, which he quickly suppresses.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter deepens Simon Jordan as a character, showing his private anxieties and his vulnerability to emotional entanglement. It also advances the subplot of his lodging situation, setting up a potential romantic or dependent relationship with Mrs. Humphrey that may distract him from his main work with Grace. The dream acts as a miniature case study in Victorian psychology, directly exploring the tension between rationality and the unconscious—a core theme of the novel.
Study Questions and Answers
-
How does Simon's dream reflect his own psychological state?
The dream reveals Simon's buried guilt about his father's death and his repressed curiosity about women and sexuality. The locked doors and abandoned maids show his fear of intimacy and failure; the resurrection of his father as a monster suggests unresolved paternal authority. His decision to record the dream demonstrates his belief that the unconscious mind holds keys to mental illness. -
Why does Simon decide to help Mrs. Humphrey despite his misgivings?
Simon is moved by a combination of pity, professional duty (he is a doctor), and a sense of personal honor. He also sees an opportunity to practice the compassion he preaches to Grace Marks. But his help is ambivalent: he knows staying will bring "disorder" and "chaos," and he envies the absent Major Humphrey's freedom. His choice is both noble and impulsive. -
What does the market scene reveal about Simon's character?
Simon is unfamiliar with the "universe" of food purchasing; he is disoriented by simple tasks like finding milk or apples. He feels judged by working-class women. This scene underscores his class privilege and his theoretical rather than practical approach to life. It humanizes him by showing his awkwardness, but also his willingness to step outside his comfort zone for another person.