`Author:` John Cheever `Availability:` > [!info] > ![[JohnCheever.jpeg]] ## Summary "Clarissa" is a short story by John Cheever, though it is more commonly known by its full title, "The Chaste Clarissa" from his 1964 collection, The Brigadier and the Golf Widow. Here is a summary of the story: Summary of "The Chaste Clarissa" by John Cheever Main Character: The story is told from the perspective of Mr. Marston, a middle-aged, unhappily married advertising executive. He becomes infatuated with his new secretary, the titular Clarissa. Plot: Mr. Marston hires Clarissa, a young woman he finds remarkably beautiful, poised, and seemingly pure or "chaste." He becomes completely obsessed with her, constructing an elaborate fantasy around her innocence and virtue. He imagines her life to be one of simple, wholesome goodness, a stark contrast to his own mundane and dissatisfying existence in the suburbs with a wife he no longer loves. His obsession manifests as a desire to protect this perceived chastity. He becomes irrationally jealous and protective, scrutinizing every man she interacts with and interpreting her ordinary actions as evidence of her sublime character. He even fires a young copywriter for the mere suspicion of making a pass at her. The Turning Point: The central conflict of the story arises when the agency lands a lucrative account from a coarse, wealthy dog food magnate named Mr. Ferguson. Ferguson takes an immediate, lecherous interest in Clarissa. Horrified, Marston does everything in his power to shield her, seeing Ferguson as a monstrous threat to her purity. The Revelation (The Twist): The story's famous climax subverts Marston's entire fantasy. He arrives at the office early one morning and overhears Clarissa on the phone. To his utter shock, she is not the innocent maiden he believed her to be. She is speaking to her lover, and her side of the conversation is worldly, witty, sexually confident, and sharply dismissive of Marston himself, whom she mockingly calls "the old boy." She reveals she is perfectly capable of handling men like Ferguson and has simply been playing the part of the naive secretary because she thought it was what Marston wanted. Themes and Meaning: · Illusion vs. Reality: The core theme is the danger of projecting one's own fantasies onto others. Marston doesn't see the real Clarissa; he sees an idealized symbol of purity that he desperately needs to believe in. His "chaste Clarissa" is a complete fiction. · Loneliness and Middle-Age: Marston's obsession is born from his own emotional emptiness and mid-life crisis. Clarissa represents an escape from his disappointing reality. · The Complexity of Human Nature: Clarissa is revealed to be a complex, autonomous individual—far more sophisticated and in control than the passive idol Marston created. She is the one with real agency, while Marston is trapped in his delusion. · Irony: The title is deeply ironic. Clarissa is not chaste in the way Marston believes; her "chastity" was a performance. However, one could argue she is "chaste" in the sense of being morally self-possessed and not defined by the sexual projections of men like her boss. Conclusion: The story ends with Marston's illusion shattered. He is left humiliated and profoundly lonely, forced to confront the fact that his salvation was never real and that the object of his obsession was a construct of his own making. He is back in his bleak reality, but now without the comforting fantasy that made it bearable. ## Key Takeaways ## Quotes - ## Notes `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:` [[Books index]]