Questions Fingersmith – Part 2

1. What has happened to Sue, Maud and Gentleman?
Sue went into the madhouse, instead of Maud. Gentleman and Maud had thought of this plan before Sue came to Briar. Maud and Gentleman went to London. They didn’t go to the big house Gentleman had promised, but they went to Lant Street. Maud finds out she was tricked too:
“’Damn your attitudes now!’ I say. ‘Tell me what this means. Whose house is this? Is it yours?’
(…)
‘Not mine,’ he answers at last.
‘Not ours?’ He shakes his head. ‘Whose, then? Where, then?’
He rubs at his eye. He is tired. ‘It is theirs,’ he says nodding to the woman, the man. ‘Their house, in the Borough.’
The Borough… I have heard him say that name, once or twice before. I stand for a moment in silence, thinking back across his words; then my heart drops. ‘Sue’s house,’ I say. ‘Sue’s house, of thieves.’

2. How did they trick Sue?
They tricked Sue by letting her look like Maud Lilly. Way before the doctors came to diagnose Maud Lilly, actually Sue, Maud let her wear her own gowns and made her look like a real lady. First the doctors talked to Sue. The doctors were told that Sue was the mad Maud Lilly, who thought she was a maid while she actually was a lady:
“He takes them first to talk with Sue. Of course, they suppose her his wife, turned mad, thinking herself a servant, speaking in the manner of a maid, keeping to a maid’s room.”

Maud claimed she was the real maid, and Sue only acted like a maid. Because of the fancy gowns Sue was dressed in, the doctors believed Maud. Maud also confirmed Sue to be Maud when they arrived at the madhouse by saying: “My own poor mistress. Oh! My heart is breaking!”

3. What is the difference in narrative between the first part and the second?
The first part was told from Sue’s view. It was told from how Sue experienced the swindle. She is already giving us hints that there will be a plot twist by several statements:
“Or perhaps I only think that now, when I know what dark and fearful things were to follow.” The first chapters of part one tell Sue Trinder’s history.

The second part was told from Maud’s view. The first chapters are also history, but then Maud’s history. This becomes relevant to the story later on. Then Gentleman comes, and talks about a swindle to free Maud out of the house. Sue is involved in it.

4. What does Maud tell about her past? About her mother and how she got to Briar, for example.
Maud starts her story at the day she was born. She says her mother died after she had given birth to Maud. Maud says she was born in the madhouse, where her mother was strapped to a table to keep her from plunging on the floor:
“I imagine a table, slick with blood. The blood is my mother’s. There is too much of it. There is so much of it, I think it runs, like ink. I think, to save the boards beneath, the women have set don china bowls; and so the silences between my mother’s cries are filled – drip drop! drip drop! – with what might be the staggered beating of clocks. (…) For this is a madhouse. My mother is mad. The table has straps upon it to keep her from plunging to the floor; another strap separates her jaws, to prevent the biting of her tongue; another keeps apart her legs, so that I might emerge from between them.”

She grew up in the madhouse, helping the nurses:
“I pass my first ten years a daughter to the nurses of the house. I believe they love me.”

Then she tells about her uncle, who had come to get her from the madhouse to work for him. After a few days, she will go to Briar. Mrs Stiles comes to get her.
The first weeks at Briar, Maud was a reluctant child. Because of the punishments she gets, she quickly adapts to Briar’s lifestyle.

5. Who are Agnes and Mrs Stiles and what is their relationship to Maud?
Agnes was Maud's maid before Sue was her maid. "Then Barbara leaves me, to be married, and I am given another maid. Her name is Agnes." Mrs Stiles is the housekeeper of Briar. She helps other people, which are new in Briar. She instructs them and she gives the new people a tour through the house. "The woman sets me very near the door and stands at my back, her hands like claws upon my shoulders."

6. What is the plan Maud and Gentlemen concoct? Why does Maud agree?
Gentlemen's plan is to bring a girl from London to Briar. He wants to use her and then cheat her. They will put her into the madhouse, so that Maud has liberty and can have the fortune. "This is the plan. He means to bring a girl to Briar, from London, and install her as my maid. He means to use her, then cheat her." Maud is okay with this plan, because due to this she can be free. "You won't be troubled - too troubled - by all I've said? I shake my head."

7. Is Maud a likable character of not? Explain your answer.
I think Maud is not really a likable character, because due to her someone else (Sue) ends up in the madhouse. Maud's freedom means someone else hers (Sue) captivity. The best way for freedom for Maud is by not using someone else, but by using her connections.

8. Now you read the same story from a different point of view. What is different compared to the story that Sue has told us?
In part one you hear the point of view from Sue and in part two the point of view from Maud. What different is in part two, is that you know the plan that Maud made with Gentlemen and in part one we only heard the plan that Sue and Gentlemen made, so Gentlemen is involved in both the plans.

9. How does Maud feel about Sue?
Maud feels horrible about leaving Sue at the madhouse. When Maud and Gentleman make the plan she doesn’t feel that horrible, because her experience with the madhouse wasn’t that bad. She had a good childhood and liked that place better than living with her uncle. When she sees Sue’s reaction and after leaving her there and driving away she does feel horrible.
During her stay at Mrs Sucksby she thinks the whole time about getting Sue out of the madhouse. This is also the reason for her to escape from Lant street. She wants to get Sue out of the madhouse and life in London without being locked up all the time.

10. What happens to Maud after they left Sue at the asylum? Why does Gentleman take her there?
After they left Sue at the madhouse, Gentleman takes Maud to Lant Street. She is going to live my Mrs Sucksby. Gentleman takes her there because Mrs Sucksby wants have her in the house to tell her the truth about her life. Maud is very afraid because she knew about the past of Sue that they were all thieves. Mrs Sucksby gives her the most upper room off the house, a room together with Mrs Sucksby. She has to be in that room the whole day and the door is locked all the time so she can’t escape. One day Dainty had to watch Maud because everyone was out. At one moment Maud has a chance to escape, and she takes this chance. She is outside running without shoes, because Mrs Sucksby took them away so that would be another argument she wouldn’t escape.
Maud goes to a friend of her uncle Mr Lilly. She thinks he is going to help her but he sent her to a lady’s home. At that point she decides to go back to Lant Street, and except her life there.

11. Who turn out to be the mastermind of the entire plan?
Mrs Sucksby turned out to be the mastermind of this whole plan. She wanted to have Maud at her home instead of Sue because of their past. Mrs Sucksby knew the mother of Maud and she wanted to tell Maud the truth of her past and of the past of her mother.

12. What does Maud learn about her past?
When Mrs Sucksby tells the story about the past of Maud the book fully changes. Maud and Sue were switched at their birth. So Sue’s past is Maud’s past and Maud’s past is Sue’s past.
The mother of Maud slept at Mrs Sucksby’s house because she ran away from home because her father and brother wanted to punish her because she was pregnant without a husband. She gave birth to Maud there and wanted Maud to be save all her live. When the news came the father and brother knew where they were Maud had to get out of the house as soon as possible. So they switched the two babies. Now Sue’s past is a mad mother and a soldier father.

13. What is the role of Marianne Lilly in this story and her fortune?
The role of Marianne Lilly is in this story a big role, if she wasn’t there, there wouldn’t be a baby switch. Mrs Sucksby told Maud the story about a woman, a woman which was pregnant, but didn’t have a husband. This woman had run away, her father and brother were looking for her: “The lady’s pa and brother have tracked her down after all.” This woman was afraid that they would kill her baby, so she got a plan. She named her baby Susan: “Her look is strange. Her silence is strange. She slowly shakes her head. She draws in her breath – hesitates, for another second – and then says: ‘Susan.’” This woman is Marianne Lilly and her plan was to switch babies. This other baby would go with her father and Susan would stay by Mrs Sucksby. Marianne Lilly set half of her fortune on this other baby: “But I swear, I’ll settle a half my fortune on her; and Susan shall have the rest.” Mrs Sucksby thought since that time about a plan, to get all the money, the whole fortune.

14. Why did Sue had to be put in asylum?
Sue had to be put in asylum, because she was the person pretending to be Mrs Rivers. Sue is kept in the madhouse as Mrs Rivers, Richard’s wife. When Maud mother’s statement is opened, the fortune will go to Richard, because Sue is stated as mad, the people will think that this is Maud, Mrs Rivers: “We keep Sue as my wife in the madhouse, and with the opening of her mother’s statement, her share of the fortune – Maud’s share, I mean – comes to me.” Than already half of the fortune would be divided, but there is also another part: “‘But the other share,’ Richard goes on, ‘- which to say, Sue’s real share – Mrs Sucksby stands also to get.” Maud has to pretend to be Sue, so Mrs Sucksby will also get this share: “What will it hurt you, then, to be passed off as Sue, and so make Mrs Sucksby rich?’” Mrs Sucksby tries to convince Maud by saying that she also will become better of it: “I got plans for us both, sweetheart, that grand!”

15. How does Maud react to all this information she has been given? Where does she turn to and does she have any luck in doing so?
Maud doesn’t know what to think anymore. She believes that she still will be killed, so she wanted to flee. Maud hoped that Dainty would fall asleep, but she didn’t, than Maud got a plan. Maud went with Dainty to the toilet, because Dainty had to stay near to Maud. Maud asked if Dainty could get some sanitary napkins, Dainty did so and Maud fled. Maud went to Mr Hawtrey’s shop, there Mr Hawtrey was found as well. Mr Hawtrey send Maud, accompanied by a woman, to a house for ladies: “‘House for ladies,’ she says, ‘like you.’ ‘Like me?’ ‘Like you. Poor ladies, widow ladies – wicked ladies. I shouldn’t wonder. – There!’” Maud didn’t have any luck by turning to Mr Hawtrey, so she returned to Mrs Sucksby: “‘Dear girl,’ she says. ‘We supposed you lost. We supposed you drowned, or murdered –’”