# Blanche Stroeve — The Moon and Sixpence character guide > Blanche Stroeve in The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Blanche Stroeve, Stroeve, Blanche **First appearance:** 0011-xii ## Snapshot Dirk Stroeve's quiet English wife, whose still surface conceals a will capable of choosing Strickland over the husband who adores her. ## Who they are She keeps Dirk's studio, sews by the stove, and offers the narrator nothing but a guarded civility that he cannot read. When Strickland enters their household, first as a patient and then as something else, she makes a choice that astonishes everyone who thought they knew her, and her self-command becomes more frightening than any outburst. Her silence and her final refusal to be rescued are what make her, in the narrator's reluctant admission, a tragedy rather than a scandal. ## In the story ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xix) Quietly sewing, she expresses dislike for Strickland and is embarrassed by her husband's effusive praise. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxii) Remains pleasant but silent, appears to conceal something, and is embarrassed by her husband's frankness. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxiii) Mentioned as part of the charming household, though not directly present in the scene. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxv) Initially refuses to have Strickland in her house, expressing hatred and fear, but eventually yields after an emotional appeal. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxvi) Proves a capable and devoted nurse despite her hatred of Strickland; mends his shirt and watches him silently; her expression shows perplexity and alarm. ### [Chapter XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxvii) Mentioned as having gone out to do the marketing; her reaction to the situation is unknown. ### [XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxviii) Pale and resolute, she tells Dirk she is leaving him for Strickland, rejecting his pleas and offers of support. ### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxix) Referenced as having left Stroeve for Strickland; Stroeve recalls her shuddering at his touch and her decision to go with Strickland. ### [Chapter of Reflection on Blanche Stroeve's Betrayal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxx) Blanche Stroeve is the subject of the narrator's analysis; her decision to leave her husband for Strickland is examined. ### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxxi) Slaps Stroeve in the street and refuses to acknowledge him, showing cold indifference and possibly cruelty. ### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxxii) Blanche is with Strickland at the café, appears composed and demure, but the narrator reflects on her violent passions and reckless decisions. ### [XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxxiii) Mentioned as the subject of Stroeve's anxiety; the narrator saw her with Strickland but she gave no indication of her feelings. ### [Chapter XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxxiv) Blanche is reported to have taken oxalic acid after a quarrel with Strickland. She is conscious but in great suffering, refuses to see Stroeve, and is taken to the hospital where she is listed as too ill for visitors. ### [XXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxxv) In hospital after drinking oxalic acid; refuses to see anyone; lies silently crying; vocal cords burned. ### [XXXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxxvi) Lies still in the hospital, refusing to speak, and dies from acid burns. ### [XXXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xxxix) Deceased; her memory and the painting of her nude body dominate Stroeve's emotional turmoil. ### [XLI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xli) Discussed as a tragic figure; her past as a seduced governess and her suicide are revealed. ### [XLII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xlii) Referenced in the narrator's accusation that Strickland killed her out of fear. ### [XLIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/chapters/xliii) Her tragic union with Strickland is discussed; the narrator speculates on her feelings of dismay and her attempts to bind Strickland to her, despite his aloofness. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/characters/blanche_stroeve - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_moon_and_sixpence_se/characters