The Whalebone Theatre

The country estate of Chilcombe is both the key setting of the novel and a recurring motif. Through her depiction of the house and its grounds, Quinn explores The Complexities of Familial Bonds and examines the deep social changes that lead to the decline of the aristocracy. To that end, it soon becomes clear that the characters have a complex relationship with Chilcombe. The females who are born and reside there lack status, for tradition dictates that they can never inherit the house. Rosalind’s responsibility is to produce an heir, while Cristabel and Flossie are viewed as surplus to the estate’s requirements. At the same time, the inheritance of Chilcombe is shown to be a dubious privilege for the male characters. Jasper and Willoughby are weighed down by the responsibility of owning and running Chilcombe, while Digby dreads inheriting the estate and eventually abandons his inheritance entirely.

From the novel’s beginning, Chilcombe is presented as a once-grand “saggy old heap” (204). Its tired, deteriorating state reflects the slow death of the traditional English class system and its landed gentry. Over the course of the narrative, the tide of progress is illustrated in the evolution of the estate. Becoming a post for evacuees and Allied troops during the war, the house is gradually stripped of its role as a symbol of privilege, finally serving the practical function of community accommodations. Chilcombe survives due to Flossie’s perceptive adjustments based upon the demands of social change. While males were once crucial to the continuation of Chilcombe, a woman ultimately emerges as the natural inheritor of the estate.

Homer’s epic poem The Iliad features heavily in Cristabel’s formative years. Jasper and Annabel read the poem to her while she is still in the womb, and Maudie also reads aloud from the poem in Cristabel’s early years. Cristabel loves the heroism of Homer’s text, which fuels her desire for adventure. However, she also realizes that all the inspiring characters are men. When Cristabel questions this disappointing issue, Maudie replies, “We haven’t read all the books yet” (85). Consequently, The Iliad comes to symbolize Cristabel’s quest to create her own epic narrative and cast herself as the undisputed hero.