Antic Hay · Chapter
Chapter III explained
Gumbril visits Mr.
What happens
Gumbril visits Mr. Bojanus, the tailor, to order a new suit. Their conversation turns to a philosophical discussion about revolution, liberty, and the nature of freedom. Mr. Bojanus argues that political and industrial revolutions are swindles, as true liberty is impossible due to the necessity of work and the inability of ordinary people to entertain themselves independently. Gumbril then leaves and wanders through Bond Street, enjoying the spring day and reflecting on wasting time. He encounters Casimir Lypiatt at an art gallery, who is exuberantly planning his upcoming exhibition and boasts about his work, while Gumbril listens with skepticism.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Herd Mentality
Mr. Bojanus discusses how class habits, speech, and education are what the 'other people' resent, and how the 'Best People' take their place for granted, highlighting class divisions and the herd-like behavior of ordinary people who cannot entertain themselves independently.
Modern Ennui and Disillusionment
Gumbril reflects on his own envy of secure friends and his ambiguous feelings about not being part of the upper class, while Mr. Bojanus argues that liberty is a hoax and that even leisure leads to a form of slavery, reflecting a deep disillusionment with modern life.
Commerce and Commodification
The chapter opens with Gumbril's transaction with the tailor Mr. Bojanus, and later Gumbril's idle stroll through Bond Street, where he appreciates the 'amorous qualities' of the day while surrounded by shops and commercial activity, suggesting the commodification of experience.
Characters to notice
- Theodore Gumbril
Visits Mr. Bojanus to order trousers, engages in a philosophical debate about revolution and liberty, then wanders Bond Street and meets Lypiatt.
- Bojanus
The tailor who discusses the futility of revolution and liberty, arguing that true freedom is impossible, and agrees to make Gumbril's trousers.
- Casimir Lypiatt
Encountered by Gumbril at an art gallery; he is exuberantly planning his exhibition and boasts about his paintings and poetry.
- Albemarle
Present at the gallery with Lypiatt, described as having a ducal smile and dealing with Lypiatt's artistic temperament.
Key passages
“It'll be his class-habits, Mr. Gumbril, his class-speech, his class-education. It'll be Shibboleth all over again, Mr. Gumbril; mark my words.”
Mr. Bojanus warns that in a revolution, a person's class background, way of speaking, and education will be used as a test to identify and eliminate them, like the biblical test of Shibboleth.
Mr. Bojanus explains that class markers, not wealth, will determine who is targeted in a revolution.
“Political liberty's a swindle because a man doesn't spend his time being political. He spends it sleeping, eating, amusing himself a little and working—mostly working.”
Mr. Bojanus argues that political freedom is meaningless because people's lives are dominated by work and basic needs, not political activity.
Mr. Bojanus dismisses political liberty as irrelevant to everyday life.
“People don't know 'ow to entertain themselves now; they leave it to other people to do it for them. They swallow what's given them. They 'ave to swallow it, whether they like it or not.”
Mr. Bojanus claims that ordinary people cannot entertain themselves and are forced to consume whatever mass entertainment is provided, which is a form of slavery.
Mr. Bojanus criticizes the passive consumption of modern entertainment as a lack of freedom.