The Lamp of Psyche

One must imagine having found the perfect partner and appreciating all the exciting new features that one can reveal about the partner day after day. Experiencing all those blissful moments of excitement, joy and unconditional affection, everyone else can only dream of. This is the moment one realizes to be one of the chosen ones; the one who has the privilege of finding their soul mate. Then, one day, one has to discover that all the affection for the soul mate disappears and it was all just an illusion because one has revealed an unpleasant secret about the partner’s past. This discovery is something one never wanted to find out about because this dark stain on the partner’s soul will change the love forever. All the unconditional affection is blown away and nothing is left but knowing that the person, one thought one was in love with, is someone completely different and the glamour of desire and love is gone.

Edith Wharton’s uncollected short story “The Lamp of Psyche” was originally published in Scribner’s Magazine in October 1895. It tells the story about a woman named Delia who finds out about a detail in her husband’s past, which, for her, is not acceptable and changes her love to him forever. Delia becomes disillusioned after not being able to restrain herself, just like Lucius Apuleius’s Psyche, and shines a lamp on her husband.

Delia Corbett, who is past thirty, married her second husband, Laurence Corbett, who is fifty-two, two months ago. She has never been more content in her life; she has longed for this happiness for a long time. Delia is certain of their love and believes that no one could ever break a love such as theirs: “Love had set his golden crown upon her forehead, and the awe of the office allotted her subdued her doubting heart.” (White 3) Due to the fact that “to her had been given the one portion denied to all other women on earth, the immense, the unapproachable privilege of becoming Laurence Corbett’s wife.” (White 3) Delia feels privileged above all other women.

Delia Benson, as she was named during her first marriage, used to be Laurence Corbett’s guest, while still being married to her first husband Benson. Back then, she already wondered what it would be like to be Corbett’s wife and not just his guest. Delia has felt great affection for Laurence at that time already and dreamed about secretly meeting him in his library and putting her hand in his. (White 4)

During her first marriage, Delia never seemed to be happy. They married very young, when Delia was nineteen, but she thinks that she has once loved him because he had beautiful blue eyes and always wore a gardenia in his coat. These shallow arguments were some of the reasons why she wanted to get married to Benson. Delia likes to compare Benson with a poodle she once owned and other valueless things that she bought when she was still in her teens. Due to Benson’s weak character, Delia always felt underwhelmed. Although Delia already had feelings for Corbett, while still being married to Benson, a divorce was never been an option for her; however, “[…] she was expected not only to keep Benson for life, but to conceal the fact that her taste had long discarded him.” (White 5) She tried to hide her true feelings for Corbett and both Benson and Corbett never suspected anything. After Benson’s decease, Delia felt blissful since Benson’s death “[…] freed her from the obligation of concealment”. (White 6) Owing to the fact that it would have been inappropriate for a woman at that time to get involved with someone new right after the husband’s death, Delia had to put up with two years of widowhood, before getting married to Laurence Corbett. (White 6)

However, now she is finally where she wants to be; side by side with Laurence Corbett. For her, Laurence is like a god. She is under a spell whenever he is on her mind or around her. He makes her blush like she is eighteen (White 9). Delia finds Laurence complete and well-equipped, just what she has always wished for (White 6). It is as “[…] if she walked in a cloud of delusion, dense as the god-concealing mist of Homer” (White 6). Sometimes, she even has to assure herself whether he is genuine or not. Delia thinks of Laurence Corbett as being the most admirable man she has ever met in her life (White 6).

One day, when Corbett returns home, he holds a letter for Delia from her aunt in his hands. Delia’s aunt, Aunt Mary, lives in Boston, but they have not seen each other since Delia’s husband passed away. Moreover, they have not written to each other either. Delia reads the letter and comes to know that her aunt is ill, owing to the fact that she fell down the stairway bringing water on her knee. Consequently, Corbett suggests that Delia and he could go and spend the winter with Aunt Mary, making Delia even happier.

“I’ll do more than think; I’ll act; I’ll take you to Boston to see your Aunt Mary” (White 7)

Going to Boston side by side with Laurence Corbett opens Delia a new door to re-enter the Boston society. This time as someone new and reputable. Laurence is a man at whose side Delia can gain the social prestige she had never obtained when she was married t o Benson who was never truly accepted by the Boston society. Delia is aware of the fact about Corbett “that if he were cosmopolitan enough for Fifth Avenue, he was also cultured enough for Beacon Street.” (White 9) Beacon Street is a renowned street in Boston in the upper-class neighborhood Beacon Hill. Laurence wants to arrange the voyage therewith they could go and visit Aunt Mary the following month. Delia knows that Laurence must find it hard to leave his beloved Paris and she appreciates his sacrifice for her greatly (White 5-8).

In Chapter two, the setting changes when the Corbetts leave Paris to go and visit Delia’s aunt the following month. At first, they have to take a ship to New York and then they have to take a train up to Providence in Rhode Island, where they are being picked up at the Pro vidence Station (White10).

Delia’s aunt, also known as Mrs. Mary Hayne, is known in Boston from Back Bay to South End - which means that she is known throughout the noble-minded parts of Boston. Delia’s Aunt Mary is a Boston Brahmin, meaning that she is a member of Boston’s upper-class. She has had the main influence on Delia in her youth, as Delia spent two years with her aunt because both her parents had passed away. Mrs. Mason Hayne lives on Mount Vernon Street in Boston’s renowned neighborhood Beacon Hill in a wide brick house, which has been passed down her family and which Aunt Mary never intends to give away (White 9-10).

When the Corbetts arrive at Providence Station, Cyrus, the black chore man who works for Aunt Mary, waits for them to escort them to Delia’s aunt. Delia, however, does not feel too comfortable in his presence, probably because she feels ashamed and fears that Laurence might not like anything at all once they reach Boston. Even though Mrs. Mason Hayne is Delia’s aunt, the Corbetts stay at a hotel during their visit, as Laurence does not want to interfere in Aunt Mary’s daily routine (White 10).

When they arrive in Mount Vernon Street, they find Aunt Mary on crutches. Delia fears that her aunt, on whose opinion she counts a lot, might not like her new husband or that Laurence might not like her aunt. However, Aunt Mary seems to be truly happy about their visit since “[…] there w as no reservation in the uncritical warmth of Mrs. Hayne’s welcome […]” (White 11). Corbett, however, thinks that Mrs. Hayne does not seem to care much about her apparel or her house because “one saw at a glance that Mrs. Hayne had never had time to think of her house or her dress.” (White 11) Things in the house are described as old, monotonous, grey and anarchistic (White 11).

In chapter three the mood of the story changes when Delia wants to find out what her husband thinks of her Aunt Mary and how Aunt Mary likes Laurence. For three days, Delia avoids asking her husband what he thinks of her aunt and she is relieved when he declares that he finds her charming and that he values her. Delia is certain that Aunt Mary likes him as well; however, she is not keen on asking her aunt straightforward about what she thinks of her new husband, and doesn't really know why (White 11-12).

After a couple days of acclimatization, Mrs. Hayne follows her usual routine and the Corbetts follow their own interests, such as dining out. During the day, Delia helps her aunt run errands, such as “[…] reading aloud to her the reports of the various philanthropic, educational, or political institutions in which she was interested […]” (White 12), while Corbett goes to the club or the public library (White p.12).

Just as Delia has already assumed, three weeks after their arrival in Boston, Aunt Mary tells her that she finds Delia’s husband delightful, relieving Delia once more. Aunt Mary wants to know more about Corbett such as why he left America and went to live in Paris. Delia’s tells her that he followed his sister, who was unhappily married to the Comte de Vitrey in Paris, in order to take care of her (White 13-14).

Consequently, as Corbett lived in America before he moved to Paris, Aunt Mary is certain that Corbett served in the Civil War. Therefore, she asks Delia about it. Delia, however, does not think that he was in the war. Her aunt cannot understand why someone would not be in the war if he was physically and mentally fine, especially since her family, including her husband and one of Delia’s cousins, served their nation (White 14-15).

Delia has not thought about the war in a long time, which is why she did not ask her husband about it, but at that moment, she is overtaken by the past and when Aunt Mary asks her about the reason why Laurence has not been in war, Delia cannot give an answer.

“Then of course he was in the war?” Mrs. Hayne continued, laying down the pamphlet. “You’ve never told me about that. Did he see any active service?” As she spoke Delia grew pale; for a moment she sat looking blankly at her aunt. “I don’t think he was in the war at all,” she said in a low tone. Mrs. Hayne stared at her. “Oh you must be mistaken,” she said decidedly. “Why shouldn’t he have been in the war? What else could he have done?” […] “I really don’t know,” she said, coldly. “I never asked him.” (White 15)

In the last chapter of the short story, it is described how Delia deals with the war issue. The fact of Corbett’s absence in the war bothers Delia all day long and all she wants is to return to Paris and escape from the impasse in Boston which seems to crush her. Thus, two weeks after the talk with Aunt Mary, the Corbetts leave Boston and return to Paris. Throughout the last two weeks in Boston, Corbett can tell that something is bothering Delia, but assumes that the reason for his wife’s behavior is simply the fact that she misses Paris. However, he wonders why she wants to leave so suddenly. Delia worries that her aunt might ask Laurence about the war issue and she is afraid of losing her social prestige, which she has just regained, as a consequence of this dilemma. Delia has to restrain herself from yelling at her husband and asking him why he was not in the war. Nevertheless, she still thinks of Laurence as being perfect but she feels like she is being disloyal to him, because she keeps asking herself why he was not in the war over and over again, although the war was a long time ago. She hopes that it is just a passing mood and that it will all be gone when they are back in their beloved Paris. Yet, nothing changes after their return. Back in Paris, they follow their usual routine, but Delia’s thoughts about the war issue are still with her all day (White 15-17).

After being back in Paris for quite a while, Corbett returns with a little present for Delia one afternoon. It is a frame with a portrait of a United States cavalry officer in uniform. As a result, Delia cannot restrain herself anymore and asks him about his earlier life, whether he was weak or ill, when he was supposed to be in war. Laurence denies all of it and consequently, Delia is brave enough to ask him why he did not serve in the war. However, Corbett answers that he does not know why he was not in the war.

Delia gets mad and tells him that the only ones who stayed at home were either physically or mentally ill or a coward, leading to the fact that she accuses him of being a coward and at that moment the frame drops from her hands to floor.

“Reasons for remaining at home? But there were none; every man of your age went to the war; no one stayed at home who wasn’t lame, or blind, or deaf, or ill, or— “Her face blazed, her voice broke passionately. Corbett looked at her with rising excitement.

“Or—?” he said.

“Or a coward,” she flashed out. The miniature dropped from her hands, falling loudly on the polished floor. The two confronted each other in silence; Corbett was very pale. “I’ve told you,” he said, at length, “That I was neither lame, deaf, blind, nor ill. Your classification is so simple that it will be easy for you to draw your own conclusion.” (White 19)

After that, Laurence leaves the room and Delia breaks down crying (White 17-20). Delia knows that she has been a fool and that she has to apologize; therefore she follows him into the library after calming down. Corbett accepts her apology because he assumes that she has just been nervous and invites her to go and see a new play at the Palais Royal to settle their dispute. For Delia, however, her love to him has changed. It seems like dark shadows circle around Laurence which cannot be put away anymore. Corbett’s decision not to fight in the war has shattered Delia’s picture of her perfect husband. She does not look up to him anymore like she used to and for her, he has nothing secretly about himself anymore. Delia has the glass of the frame replaced by a cheaper one which looks exactly like the old one. This replacement can be compared to how her love to Laurence has changed. Her ideal has been replaced by a cheaper version of Corbett with many flaws and “[…] her love had undergone a modification which the years were not to efface.” (White 20) The replaced crystal represents the clarity about Laurence which Delia has always wanted to have. Like Psyche, a mortal woman in Greek mythology, Delia could not help it, and shone a lamp on her lover - and is disenchanted as a consequence. This is probably not the kind of clarity Delia wanted to obtain.

Delia will never escape her past and will always be in her personal civil war between her beloved Paris and Boston or even New York, since her husband is originally from New York, and this war might even crush her eventually.

Sources, Research articles and further reading:

Hoi Ling Lee, Veronica. “The Boundaries Within the Self” “Trespassing and Re-defining Boundaries: Edith Wharton's Mobilization of Her Characters against Prejudice and Reproduction”. Diss. The University of Hong Kong, 2008. The HKU Scholars Hub. Web. 02 Jan. 2014. 11-47 < http://hub.hku.hk/bitstream/10722/51565/3/FullText.pdf?accept=1 >.
Fracasso, Evelyn. “Prisoners of Love and Marriage” Edith Wharton’s Prisoners of Consciousness : A Study of Theme and Technique in the Tales . Westport: Greenwood Press, 1994. 11-38. Print.
Somers,Reneé. “The Literary Spaces of Class and Gender: Edith Wharton’s Early Short Fiction” Edith Wharton as Spatial Activist and Analyst . New York: Routledge, 2005. 69-93. Print.
Stein, Allen. “Edith Wharton: The Marriage of Entrapment” After the Vows Were Spoken: Marriage in American Literary Realism . Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1984. 209-230. Print.
Kornetta, Reiner. "The Lamp of Psyche". Das Korsett im Kopf : Ehe und Ökonomie in den Kurzgeschichten Edith Whartons. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang GmbH, 1995. 230-235. Print
Somers, Reneé. Edith Wharton as Spatial Activist and Analyst . New York: Routledge, 2005. Print.
White, Barbara. Wharton’s New England . Hanover: University Press of New Hempshire, 1995. Print.

Image(s) used:

Amore e Psiche (1707–09) by Giuseppe Crespi: Psyche's use of the lamp to see the god is sometimes thought to reflect the magical practice of lychnomancy, a form of divination or spirit conjuring. Public Domain.