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Volume 4, Chapter 12
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Mysteries of Udolpho, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Marriage, Love, and Inheritance
The Wonders of Nature
Mystery and Superstition
Mortality
The Value of Education and Art
Summary
Analysis
Meanwhile, Emily continues to fear the fate of Valancourt, which Theresa has sent someone to investigate. Emily feels that after escaping so many dangers and inheriting such a large fortune, she should finally be happy, but she still struggles with melancholy. Emily goes to visit Theresa and senses at once that Theresa must have found out Valancourt is dead. Theresa doesn’t know for sure, but she fears he is dead, since no one has had contact with him recently.
The most recent trace of Valancourt in the story was a bloody stain in Count de Villefort’s garden (which may or may not have actually been Valancourt). Previously, Emily allowed a bloody stain to trick her into believing her aunt was dead, but while the stain didn’t come from Madame Montoni herself, she was in a near-death condition, raising concerns about Valancourt’s current fate.
Themes
Emily blames herself for Valancourt’s death, but Theresa tries to console her that he may still be alive. Theresa tries to offer Emily some wine, but she’s too distraught to take it. Just then, Valancourt himself walks in, and Theresa screams. Valancourt goes toward Theresa but soon has to rush over to help Emily, who has fainted and is about to fall off her chair.
Valancourt’s seeming return from the dead once again draws a parallel between him and Ludovico, who did something similar at the end of the previous chapter. Valancourt shows as soon as he returns that he is committed to protecting Emily by tending to her when she faints.
Themes
Emily feels a wide range of emotions and manages to hold back her tears. She tells Valancourt how they were just discussing the possibility of his death. Theresa says that Emily still loves Valancourt, but Emily herself denies that she loves him. Theresa notes that Valancourt has changed: he is thinner, and his arm is in a sling. Emily says she must go, but Valancourt volunteers to leave instead, going out in the rain to an inn at the nearby village.
Valancourt’s poor health and his arm in a sling suggests that he was the man who got shot in Count De Villefort’s garden after all. Valancourt continues to act repentant around Emily, making the sacrifice of going out in the rain by himself in order to prevent her from having to do the same. Ultimately, his different appearance helps suggest that perhaps he has changed due to her recent rejection.
Themes
Emily eventually goes back to Thoulouse. All the while, Valancourt can’t stop thinking about her. He goes to the garden at Thoulouse to watch her in secret, as he has many times before. He goes back to Theresa, just wanting to talk about Emily more and be in the place where she was. He gives Theresa almost all the money he has on him, and he also gives her a ring as a present to give to Emily.
The fact that Valancourt continues to watch Emily, even after being shot the last time he did so, illustrates how obsessed with her he is. Unlike Count Morano, however, who focuses his obsession on capturing Emily, Valancourt turns his obsession more inward, going to great lengths to try to make himself worthy for Emily by donating even more money to Theresa.
Themes
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