Moral Judgment and Hypocrisy

Where it surfaces

• II

  Lady Henry condemns Julie's deceit while herself having participated in fabricating Julie's background, exposing societal hypocrisy.

• Chapter VI

  Lady Henry's concern about others feeling insulted if they knew Julie's mother broke the seventh commandment, while she herself is not morally outraged.

• IX

  Lady Henry judges Julie harshly for the gathering, while Julie points out the hypocrisy of her treatment.

• Chapter XII

  Lady Henry's judgment of Julie is seen as harsh and hypocritical by the circle, who believe Julie has been wronged.

• XIII

  The chapter presents a moral evaluation of Warkworth, contrasting his heroic military deeds with his discreditable private life and treatment of his family. Delafield struggles with this judgment, reserving his final verdict.

• XIV

  The characters' judgments of Julie based on her past and the social hypocrisy surrounding her situation are central to the chapter.

• XIX

  Delafield acts as a moral judge, believing he has the right to prevent Julie from meeting Warkworth, while Julie rejects his standards, accusing him of tyranny in the name of values she does not share.

• Chapter XX

  Julie's internal turmoil reflects the theme of moral judgment, as she fears the revelation of her near-elopement would cut her off from the 'straight-living, law-abiding world,' contrasting her own actions with the social norms represented by Lord Lackington's deathbed piety.

• Chapter XXIII

  Delafield's internal judgments of Julie's past and Lady Blanche's hypocrisy in her confidences highlight the theme of moral judgment and the gap between public and private selves.