The Painted Veil

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the novel over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Consider the novel’s attitude towards romantic love and the extent to which the characters can rely on their experiences with the opposite sex to provide a sense of stability and fulfilment.

• Within both Kitty and Walter’s marriage and Kitty and Townsend’s affair, how does Maugham show that romantic relationships fail to meet the characters’ expectations? (topic sentence)
• Closely read one scene between Kitty and Walter and one scene between Kitty and Townsend; for each, detail how the characters’ romantic attachments lead to sorrow and regret.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, compare Kitty’s two relationships, stating whether the dynamics have anything in common and whether there could be a contextual reason for this. Finally, summarize your overall impression of the text’s attitude towards love.

2. Consider the differences between how Maugham portrays white and Chinese characters.

• In what ways does Maugham’s portrayal of the Chinese characters reflect his perspective as a white British male? (topic sentence)
• Reread one scene in which Maugham describes a white British character, noting the techniques he uses to make them more real for the reader. Observe how he conveys the pattern of their thoughts or describes their appearance and interactions with others in details. Then, compare this description with a passage detailing a Chinese character or characters. Note ways in which Maugham fails to make them relatable—for example, in relying on stereotypes or neglecting to name them or give them unique personalities. 
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, state the extent to which the differences in Maugham’s portrayals of white and Chinese characters reflect colonialist attitudes.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. To what extent does Maugham show that the white British characters are “fish out of water” in Hong Kong and China? What do their attitudes towards the local culture and people tell us about their values and their attachment to the colony? Does Maugham show that all the British characters are alike in this aspect, or are there differences? Compare at least three different characters in your essay, citing directly from the text to strengthen your argument.

2. How does the novel portray the tension between character and personality? To what extent does it suggest that having a good character with sound moral values is more important than having a charismatic personality? As you compose your essay, compare at least two characters who embody these opposites (good morals versus superficial charm) and discuss how these contrasting values impact Kitty’s character development.