We know you've heard it before, but it's really true in What Maisie Knew: home is where the heart is. For Maisie, this means not just where her heart is since she loves Sir Claude just as much as she loves Mrs. Wix. By the end, she realizes that his heart isn't hers the way Mrs. Wix's is.
His loyalties are divided, but as Maisie says, repeating Mrs. Wix's words, she's all that the governess has got. So maybe this means home is where two hearts are. But the main thing to notice is that, like family, home in James's novel is something that characters actively create, not something they're born into.
Questions About Home
- Why is James's denouement set in France?
- What is the significance of the fact that both of Maisie's parents leave England, Beale for America and Ida for South Africa?
- Why does Maisie choose to make a home with Mrs. Wix, rather than with Sir Claude and Mrs. Beale?
Chew on This
What Maisie Knew charts its protagonist's quest for a home.
All of James's characters leave their homes because no one in What Maisie Knew feels at home.