‘The Colonel’s Lady’ by William Somerset Maugham

This short article will serve as a helpful FAQ when you are studying “The Colonels Lady” by William Somerset Maugham. This study guide is not intended to be used as an alternative to the short story, but as a supplementary summary. Hopefully, this will make studying for your exams a little easier.

The Colonel’s Lady by William Somerset Maugham is a short story about Colonel George Peregrine and his reaction to a successful book of poems entitled When Pyramids Decay by E.K. Hamilton. It just so happens that the poetess is his own wife, Eva, who published the book under her maiden name.

The Illusions of Love and Society

“The Colonel’s Lady” is a short story written by William Somerset Maugham, which explores the complexities of human relationships and the illusions that people create to maintain their social status. The story is set in India during the British colonial period, and it revolves around the life of Mrs. Louise Cary, the wife of a retired British colonel.

The story begins with the narrator meeting Mrs. Cary in a social gathering in Simla. She is described as a charming and vivacious woman who is admired by many, including the narrator. However, the narrator also reveals that there are rumors about her past and that she is not as respectable as she appears to be.

Mrs. Cary’s husband, Colonel Cary, is a strict and conventional man who believes in maintaining the British way of life in India. He is aware of the rumors surrounding his wife’s past and is deeply ashamed of them. He has created a false image of his wife in his mind, and he expects her to behave according to his expectations.

Mrs. Cary, on the other hand, is a woman who is trapped in a loveless marriage. She is frustrated with her husband’s rigid attitudes and his inability to understand her. She has created an illusion of herself as a respectable and virtuous woman, which she maintains by being discreet and avoiding scandal.

The conflict in the story arises when Mrs. Cary’s former lover, Mr. Ali, reappears in her life. Mr. Ali is a wealthy and influential Indian man who had an affair with Mrs. Cary before she got married. Mrs. Cary is still in love with him, and she is torn between her loyalty to her husband and her desire for Mr. Ali.

The climax of the story occurs when Colonel Cary discovers Mrs. Cary’s relationship with Mr. Ali. He is devastated and feels that his reputation has been tarnished. He confronts Mrs. Cary, and she confesses her love for Mr. Ali. Colonel Cary, unable to bear the shame, dies of a heart attack.

The story ends with Mrs. Cary reflecting on the illusions that people create to maintain their social status. She realizes that she had been living a lie and that her actions had led to the death of her husband. She is filled with guilt and regrets her past actions.

“The Colonel’s Lady” is a story about the complexities of human relationships and the illusions that people create to maintain their social status. It shows how people are often trapped by their own expectations and beliefs, which lead them to make choices that have far-reaching consequences. The story also highlights the cultural and social tensions of the British colonial period in India and the impact of colonialism on the lives of the people.

What’s the short story about?

At first, the Colonel thinks nothing of his wife’s poems, treating her work with indifference. But, when Eva’s poems turn out to be quite a success both in bookstores and in the eyes of the literary critiques, he pays greater attention to her written words. It so transpires that the author describes a long lost clandestine relationship with a younger man.

He soon becomes jealous even though the Colonel “supposed he’d been in love with her when he asked her to marry him, at least sufficiently in love for a man who wanted to marry and settle down, but with time he discovered that they had nothing much in common.”

Although, he, himself, was cheating on his wife with Daphne, a girl “with whom he was in the habit of passing a few agreeable hours whenever he went to town,” the Colonel feels hurt by his wife’s confessed betrayal.

What are the overarching themes of the story?

Misogyny and gender inequality is rampant. The Colonel does not view his wife as his equal and frequently mistreats her. It is not always clear whether he does this knowingly/willingly or whether he is just ignorant. Whether that means he is willfully ignorant is also up for debate. The Colonel never gives his wife the respect she deserves and constantly belittles her. This is not just misogyny, one could argue the Colonel is just a bad person.

How does the title tie into the theme of the story?

The very title of the short story hints at the following misogyny: “The Colonel’s Lady”. The story, by expression of the title, is about Evie. Yet, she is not the most important subject in the story title. She is referred to as his property. As if her value is defined entirely by him. Which, coincidentally, is exactly how he sees her.

How is hypocrisy displayed in the story?

An important point of contention is when The Colonel believes that Evie is having an affair. He immediately becomes angry and cruel, he cannot fathom that she would dare do something like this. This is hugely hypocritical as it is something he would do. In fact, he actually has done so during the course of the book. This points back to the theme of misogyny.

Does the Colonel love his wife?

Yes, it seems the Colonel does love his wife. He certainly sees some value in her, unfortunately, he asses her value rather crudely. He decides her value by pondering what can she do for him. Does she improve his social standing or hurt it? Does she make his life easier or harder? Her value, again, is decided by what she does for others. Not who she is as a person. Evie clearly has value as she is a successful poet. This doesn’t matter to the Colonel unless it directly benefits him.

How do gender roles become reversed during the story?

As Evie begins growing in popularity, she starts to improve her own social standing drastically. The standing of George (the Colonel) improves too. But not as much. Eventually, the Colonel begins being referred to as “Evie’s husband George”. This is interesting for two reasons. First, Evie has become the “male” like person of value in their relationship. This directly goes against the Colonel’s view of their relationship and how he perceives them. And how he wants others to perceive them. This is also when the title of the book becomes flipped. The books start by defining Evie as someone who belongs to George, “The Colonels Lady”. Now, George belongs to Evie, “Evie’s husband George.”

William Somerset Maugham was an English short story writer, playwright, and novelist who was born in 1876. He died in France in 1965.

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