James begins What Maisie Knew with the rather graphic imagery of a little girl being torn apart as the consequence of a divorce. Setting the tone for the remainder of the novel, it is made perfectly clear that this child, Maisie, “was divided in two and the portions tossed impartially to the disputants.” James’ metaphor allows the reader to comprehend immediately that this book will be about growing up in an uncaring, divisive, “impartial” environment. Maisie is automatically described as game, a human toy to be “tossed” back and forth between feuding parents. The worst aspect of all, the fact that these, “disputants” gave no thought to their daughter, rather only caring about the fact they had partial ownership of her. Maisie’s split appears to be a quintessential turning point in her life, just not a positive one. During her primary formative years, Maisie gets laden with a massive disruption to her home and learning environments. Both Maisie’s parents and the legal system have failed this little girl, opting to “split” her life up for the convenience and sake of those around her, rather than for her own wellbeing. The detached language James uses furthers the idea that Maisie truly is, at the age of six, all on her own.

Thanks to the adults’ actions around her, Maisie learns how to split herself, her personality, in two. Maisie, like many adults, has developed a public façade, one of a simpleton, in order to protect herself and her emotions. Maisie’s parents shuttled her back and forth, and upon realizing she was “a centre of hatred and a messenger of insult,” Maisie decided to ‘play dumb’. A short while after adopting this role, Maisie “began to be called a little idiot, [and] she tasted a pleasure new and keen”. Taking after her parents, Maisie is playing a game with them to get what she wants, mimicking their own dynamic. An intelligent girl, Maisie has figured out how to lessen her parents’ probing questions and malicious requests. However, Maisie feels guilty about the state of the familial relationships, placing unwarranted blame on herself. Her parents have led her to believe, “everything was bad because she had been employed to make it so” and playing dumb was Maisie’s way of attempting to minimize the harm that she assumed she was causing. Maisie has internalized a lot of her parents’ hatred and negligence and continuously attempts to gain their favour, all to no avail.