Solidifying The Christian Narrative

     The poem Our Inner Selves following Chapter VII of The Moonstone throws the reader into an “Oriental” scene, depicting sword swallowing and other Eastern practices that during the time of The Moonstone’s writing would have fetishized the lands unknown. By placing this poem directly after the Chapter’s proceeding Miss Clack’s narrative, the reader is influenced into pondering upon the mysticism of the Eastern culture, reaffirming Miss Clack’s Christian narrative as a perspective based in rationale.

     While highlighting the Oriental viewpoints present in the nineteenth century, Our Inner Selves serves to be a splash of cold water on the readers muddled perspective, bringing them back to the Christian reality that Miss Clack had them situated in previously. In consequence, the mystical Eastern traditions poising the reader to view Miss Clack in a legitimate manner, an opposite influence not witnessed in Harper’s Weekly which pushed the satirical reading of Miss Clack within The Moonstone.