Short Fiction · Chapter
Reginald on Besetting Sins explained
Reginald tells a cautionary tale about a woman who develops a compulsive habit of telling the truth, which gradually alienates her friends and family, culminating in a disastrous confrontation with her cook.
What happens
Reginald tells a cautionary tale about a woman who develops a compulsive habit of telling the truth, which gradually alienates her friends and family, culminating in a disastrous confrontation with her cook.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This excerpt is the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Egbert…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Hypocrisy and Moral Facade
The woman's truth-telling is seen as a social transgression, highlighting the value placed on polite fictions over honesty.
- The Absurdity of Social Rituals
The story satirizes the social rituals of visiting, gift-giving, and interactions with dressmakers, where truth is unwelcome.
Characters to notice
- Reginald
Narrates the story of the truth-telling woman.
- Miriam Klopstock
A friend of the woman who receives a brutally honest opinion about her appearance.
Key passages
“There was once (said Reginald) a woman who told the truth. Not all at once, of course, but the habit grew upon her gradually, like lichen on an apparently healthy tree.”
Reginald tells of a woman who started telling the truth in small ways, and the habit slowly took over her life.
Opening lines establishing the central irony and metaphor.
“The revenge of an elder sister may be long in coming, but, like a Southeastern express, it arrives in its own good time.”
An elder sister's revenge is delayed but inevitable, much like a train that eventually reaches its destination.
Illustrates the delayed consequence of the woman's truth-telling.
“Every woman tells ninety percent of the truth to her dressmaker; the other ten percent is the irreducible minimum of deception beyond which no self-respecting client trespasses.”
Women are almost entirely honest with their dressmakers, but a small amount of deception is always necessary for dignity.
Highlights the social expectation of polite deception even in professional settings.
