# Chapter XI explained — Against the Grain > Chapter companion for Against the Grain by J.-K. Huysmans. ## What happens Des Esseintes, overwhelmed by the oppressive solitude of his self-imposed isolation, experiences a nervous crisis and resolves to escape by traveling to London. He prepares for the journey, selecting clothes and guidebooks, and sets off by train, dreaming of the foggy, industrial city. However, his plans are interrupted when he suffers a collapse, prompting his servants to summon a doctor. After recovering, he continues his preparations, but his journey is marked by anxiety and a sense of futility. ## Themes in this chapter ### Escapism and Solitude Des Esseintes' desperate attempt to flee his solitude by traveling to London highlights the theme of escapism, as he seeks to break free from the oppressive silence of his home. ### Disillusionment with Society His vision of London as a 'terrible world of men of business' and a 'ruthless machine' reflects his disillusionment with modern society and its dehumanizing effects. ### Illness and Neurosis Des Esseintes' nervous collapse and the doctor's inability to diagnose him underscore the theme of neurosis and the fragility of his mental state. ## Character check-ins ### Des Esseintes The protagonist, whose solitude has become unbearable, leading him to plan a trip to London as a desperate attempt to escape his mental anguish. ### the servant The elderly servant who assists Des Esseintes with his travel preparations and is left bewildered by his master's sudden departure. ### the doctor The Fontenay doctor who is called to attend to Des Esseintes after his collapse but fails to understand his condition. ## Key lines > Once more, this solitude he had so ardently desired and won at last had resulted in poignant distress; this silence that had once appealed to him as a consolation for all the fools’ chatter he had listened to for years, now weighed upon him with an intolerable burden. The solitude he had longed for now caused him deep suffering, and the silence that once comforted him became unbearable. _Des Esseintes realizes that his isolation has become a source of anguish rather than peace._ > Devoured by a longing to move, to see a human face, to talk with a fellow human being, to mingle with the common life of mankind, he actually asked his servants to stay with him, after summoning them to his room on some pretext or other. Overcome by a desperate need for human contact, he called his servants to his room under a pretense, hoping for conversation. _His craving for interaction shows the failure of his hermitic lifestyle._ > He could resist no more, and one day had quite suddenly made up his mind. So great was his hurry to be off that he fled precipitately, impatient to be done with his present life, to feel himself hustled in the turmoil of a crowded street, in the crush and bustle of a railway station. Unable to endure his situation any longer, he impulsively decided to leave, eager to escape into the chaos of the city and the station. _His sudden decision to travel to London is a frantic attempt to break free from his mental stagnation._ > Des Esseintes shuddered deliciously to feel himself lost in this terrible world of men of business, in this isolating fog, in this incessant activity, in this ruthless machine grinding to powder millions of the poor and powerless, whom philanthropists urged, by way of consolation, to repeat verses of the Bible and sing the Psalms of David. He took a perverse pleasure in imagining himself immersed in the harsh, impersonal world of commerce and industry, where the poor are crushed and offered only religious platitudes. _His fantasy of London reflects his fascination with the grim and the artificial._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters/xi - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/against_the_grain_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/against_the_grain_se/chapters