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The Discovery of the Truth 6: 3
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Moonstone, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Detective Methods and Genre Standards
Intention, Identity, and Personality
Science and Religion
Gender and Victorian Morality
Class, Wealth, and Nobility
British Imperialism
Summary
Analysis
Sergeant Cuff summarizes Mr. Luker’s statement about Godfrey Ablewhite. Soon after the theft, Godfrey Ablewhite approached Mr. Luker with the Moonstone, asking the gem dealer to purchase it and offer him a small sum upfront. Mr. Luker valued it at 30,000 pounds, but was dissatisfied with Godfrey’s explanation of how he got the Diamond—until Godfrey modified his story.
Godfrey immediately tries to turn his new acquisition into a profit—unfortunately, he is too rash to consider how to avoid suspicion. Despite all the speculation about whether the Indians attacked Godfrey intentionally or by accident, it appears they were onto the right suspect from the beginning—although it is unclear how.
Themes
Godfrey’s modified story goes as follows: after drugging Franklin, he began to worry about his debts and found himself unable to sleep. Through a door connecting his room to Franklin’s, he heard Franklin get up and followed him to Rachel’s room, where he saw not only Franklin take the Diamond, but also Rachel watching him do so. After bringing the Diamond back to his room, supposedly, Franklin called Godfrey over and told him to deposit the Diamond in his father’s bank, because “it’s not safe here.” Franklin fell asleep and Godfrey took the Diamond to his room. Because Franklin did not remember his actions the next morning, Godfrey realized he “might [keep the Diamond] with perfect impunity.”
Although Godfrey admits to helping give Franklin the laudanum, in this version of his story he claims that the (drugged, unconscious) Franklin gave him the gem. Of course, the reader, already familiar with the book’s multiple unreliable narrators, should recognize that Godfrey has every incentive to try and legitimize his theft—but nobody knows how he really got the Moonstone from Franklin. If Godfrey’s story is true, it would mean the Diamond was stolen without a single culprit. (But arguably, Godfrey is the only morally responsible party because he kept the Diamond knowingly.)
Themes
