Small Pleasures

Jean’s drawer of small luxuries (possibly the “small pleasures” of the novel’s title) symbolizes Jean’s self-restraint and the repression of her desires. Jean reserves these treasures, like stationary and perfumes, as a means of demonstrating her ability to deprive herself of sensuous enjoyment: “A lipstick was spoiled the moment it touched her lips—unused, its potential was infinite” (39). Jean, who spends much of her time tending to the needs of her mother and dutifully pursuing her career, leaves little room for her wants. This drawer, however, leaves open for Jean possibility and hope.

However, as soon as Jean begins her investigation into the Tilburys, and shortly after she first meets Howard, Jean opens a pot of hand cream to rub into her skin. When she uses it, “she [feels] a rare kinship with those legions of women who bother with such things and take pleasure in them” (39). Jean herself never indulges, being too sensible and beholden to her obligations. The moment symbolizes a turning point for Jean’s character: She starts to let go of her repression by actually using something from her drawer of precious items.