Lord Arthur Savile's Crime

Lady Windermere’s presence frames the story; it opens at an opulent party at her home and ends with her pronouncement that Lord Arthur’s continuing attachment to cheiromancy is “nonsense.” Her epigrammatic comments (“The proper basis for marriage is a mutual misunderstanding” [Chapter 1, Paragraph 44]) suggest the values held by those who make up Lord Arthur’s broader social milieu. Moreover, as much as she avows her dependence on Mr. Podgers’s palmistry skills, her arch tone makes clear that she would not be so naïve as to let them materially affect her life. As she says to the Duchess of Paisley, “I think every one should have their hands told once a month, so as to know what not to do. Of course, one does it all the same, but it is so pleasant to be warned” (Chapter 1, Paragraph 15). To her, Mr. Podgers is more of an entertainer than an adviser—one of her “performing lions”—and he is certainly not the prophet that Lord Arthur takes him to be.

In the final chapter, Lady Windermere visits the home of Lord Arthur and Sybil outside of London some years after their marriage. The subject of the “horrid Mr. Podgers” (Chapter 6, Paragraph 6) arises during a brief conversation that suggests that the world of London society has continued to function in much the same way as it had at the beginning—though Lady Windermere, for her part, has moved on from cheiromancy to telepathy. Her status as the voice of authority is cemented when Wilde allows her the last word on Lord Arthur’s belief that cheiromancy is the source of all his happiness.

Mr. Septimus R. Podgers is a cheiromantist, or palm reader, who is invited by Lady Windermere to appear at her party in Chapter 1. His purpose at the party is to provide entertainment to all the guests by reading their palms. The guests are delighted by his skills, though they become uncomfortable when he approaches the truth too closely.

Mr. Podgers, unlike the guests at the party, is not part of the upper class and stands out among the “lions.” He is also, according to Lady Windermere’s description, not as mysterious or fascinating to look at as his talent would otherwise make him out to be. In fact, his common, simple appearance disappoints her and it is his talent to read palms that makes him valuable to her.

Mr. Podgers as a character is not well-developed. He appears in Chapter 1 at the party and reads Lord Arthur’s palm (as well as that of other guests). The reader learns very little about Mr. Podgers’s view of the events that unfold. It is clear that Mr. Podgers sees something disturbing when he first examines Lord Arthur’s palm and is reluctant to talk about it. Only when he is cornered again by Lord Arthur does he give the prophecy, and, except for the financial negotiation, this conversation is conducted off the page. We therefore only have Lord Arthur’s information to know about how the exchange occurred.

Ironically, Mr. Podgers turns out to be stunningly good at his job, at least when it comes to Lord Arthur. He correctly predicts the loss of a distant relative, a period of travel, and the murder itself. What Mr. Podgers fails to read on Lord Arthur’s palm is that he himself will be the murder victim. As morally bankrupt as Lord Arthur’s act would be in real life, it functions as an aesthetically convenient, and somewhat amusing, plot twist. Mr. Podgers’s insignificance is reinforced by how quickly he disappears into the Thames; he lives on in Lady Windermere’s memory only as an imposter who dared to behave as her social equal. Whatever his skills at reading palms, he manifestly fails to read social situations correctly.