The Lifted Veil

With the powers of insight and foresight, Latimer’s self-proclaimed double consciousness deepens the solitary life he already leads. He differs markedly from his brother and father, whom Eliot characterizes via the traditional tropes that typify an English gentleman. This difference leads to Latimer’s examination by the phrenologist Mr. Letherall in an episode that also introduces the theme of experimental science and the nature of consciousness. Phrenology claims that the shape of an individual’s skull reveals certain character traits and abilities; though now widely regarded as pseudoscience, the practice was in its heyday during the Victorian era. Latimer’s resentment—and immediate hatred—of Mr. Letherall reflects his recognition that his entire educational and professional experience depends upon Mr. Letherall’s evaluation of his still-developing facial shape (6); after this assessment, Latimer’s father reorganizes his education to correct his supposed deficiencies. Eliot comments on the nature of Victorian-era education by highlighting Latimer’s struggle to pursue those subjects that naturally interest him rather than those forced upon him.

Latimer’s instincts tend toward the poetical. He fits the traditional image of a Romantic poet in his love for nature, emotional sensibilities, and interest in experiencing the sublime. Romanticism was the literary period directly preceding the Victorian era. In The Lifted Veil, Eliot joins these two literary movements together in Latimer, giving him the inclinations of a Romantic poet but the surroundings and experiences of a Victorian gentleman. Latimer’s narration—particularly once he gains the power of insight—thus acts as a commentary on various aspects of Victorian life, including its strict adherence to manners, social and gender norms, and propriety. Latimer’s power of insight allows him to perceive the true thoughts and emotions behind the social front the other characters present to him. He feels deceived and concludes that the behavioral codes so valued in middle- and upper-class society are inauthentic (14). In this way, the manners and social personas that Latimer previously took at face value constitute the titular “veil,” hiding the private lives of his closest companions.

This discrepancy between public and private lives informs Latimer’s interest in Bertha. His love is the relief of not knowing her too closely and their relationship an analogy for the necessity of an inner life that is kept private. Knowing too much about the inner lives of his other family and friends distances Latimer from them (15), while not knowing everything about Bertha allows him to dream, hope, and delude himself into believing they can sustain a meaningful relationship. Even after experiencing a vision of Bertha as his wife in which Latimer can perceive her hateful thoughts toward him, Latimer still cannot rid himself of his interest in Bertha. His power of foresight does not dispel his present feelings: “The fear of poison is feeble against the sense of thirst” (20). Rather, Latimer continues to feel jealous of her relationship with Alfred and dreams that Bertha secretly prefers him. In this way, Latimer chooses to rely more heavily on his present experiences than the visions his power of foresight offers him. What’s more, these present experiences are largely wishful thinking, as Latimer has direct evidence that Bertha is not who he hopes she is: “She was keen, sarcastic, unimaginative, prematurely cynical, remaining critical and unmoved in the most impressive scenes” (15). That Latimer nevertheless persuades himself that Bertha might share his feelings reflects the novella’s cynical depiction of sympathy, which it suggests is mostly ignorance coupled with psychological projection.