MovieChat Forums > The Shanghai Gesture (1942) Discussion > Question about the background story (SPO...

Question about the background story (SPOILER)

posted 16 years ago by terry4774
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So did Sir Charteris really abandon his wife and sell her into slavery or not? His comment to the Commissioner about her money still being in her account (in Manchuria?) strongly suggests no. So what really happened? He mentioned something about the sins of the father -- his father or himself as Poppy's father?

Here's my theory. "Dawson" abandoned Mother Gin Sling but left the money and his daughter. Their "friends" sold her into slavery without his knowledge. He was told that she died and he took his daughter and left the money behind out of guilt. So not as guilty as she assumed but still a cad.

[–] the sphynx 16 years ago

Your suggestion about the money makes no sense to me. He'd be more likely to spend it on their daughter out of guilt, than leave it in the bank. I suspect he planned to open an account hastily the next morning with the stolen money so Gin Sling could have it back and not think quite so badly of him. But I could be wrong.

Regardless, he's a cad for abandoning her and taking the money even if he never used it. The only reduction of caddishness is that he theoretically had an explanation for never looking her up again. More likely he was glad to think she was dead so he's never have to face her again.

The reference to the sins of the father is clearly to himself as Poppy's father.