# XXII explained — Antic Hay

> Chapter companion for Antic Hay by Aldous Huxley.

## What happens

Shearwater pedals endlessly on a stationary bicycle in a physiological experiment, sweating profusely while haunted by thoughts of Mrs. Viveash. He tries to escape his obsession by building a proportioned life, but hallucinations of her face appear. Meanwhile, Gumbril and Mrs. Viveash observe the river from a window, discussing the bleakness of tomorrow. The chapter juxtaposes Shearwater's physical and mental ordeal with the broader themes of work, desire, and disillusionment.

## Themes in this chapter

### Modern Ennui and Disillusionment

Mrs. Viveash's declaration that 'tomorrow will be as awful as today' encapsulates the pervasive sense of futility and boredom.

### The Search for Meaning

Shearwater's desperate pedaling and attempt to build a 'proportioned' life reflect a struggle to find order and purpose amid emotional chaos.

### Commerce and Commodification

The animal experiments, including rats fed on different grades of milk, illustrate the commodification of life and health in scientific research.

## Character check-ins

### Shearwater

Pedals obsessively on a stationary bicycle in a physiological experiment, sweating profusely while trying to escape thoughts of Mrs. Viveash.

### Myra Viveash

Haunts Shearwater's thoughts and appears in a hallucination; later stands with Gumbril at a window overlooking the river, expressing her characteristic ennui.

### Theodore Gumbril

Stands with Mrs. Viveash at a window, looking out at the river and St. Paul's, and engages in a brief exchange about the future.

### Lancing

Shearwater's dog-faced young friend who monitors the experiment and explains the animal research to visitors.

## Key lines

> Tomorrow will be as awful as today.

The future holds no promise of improvement; it will be just as dreadful as the present.

_Mrs. Viveash expresses her characteristic nihilism and disillusionment with life._

> Proportion, proportion.

Balance and harmony are essential in constructing a meaningful life.

_Shearwater recalls the old man's advice as he tries to rebuild his shattered worldview._

> She was haunting him now in hallucinations.

His obsession with Mrs. Viveash manifests as a vivid, tormenting vision.

_Shearwater's psychological distress is so intense that he imagines seeing her face._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/xxii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/antic_hay_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters