# The Drunken Cabman explained — At the Back of the North Wind

> Chapter companion for At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald.

## What happens

Diamond wakes to the sounds of a drunken cabman abusing his wife and baby. He goes to their room, comforts the baby, and sings and talks to him, speaking gently about the father's drinking. His presence softens the cabman's heart, leading to a moment of remorse and a temporary reform.

## Themes in this chapter

### Compassion and Service

Diamond's selfless act of comforting the baby and speaking gently to the family embodies active compassion and service to others in need.

### Moral Growth Through Adversity

The cabman's misery and subsequent remorse, sparked by Diamond's presence, illustrate moral awakening and the potential for change through hardship.

## Character check-ins

### Diamond

Wakes to the commotion, goes to the cabman's room, comforts the baby, sings and talks to him, and inadvertently inspires the cabman to feel remorse.

### North Wind

Mentioned as the sound Diamond initially thinks he hears, but it is not her.

### South Wind

Moaning around the chimneys, but not the cause of Diamond's waking.

### Father

Quoted by Diamond regarding the dangers of drink and the 'thirsty devil'.

### Mother

Mentioned as having come home from Sandwich with Diamond; also referenced in Diamond's talk to the baby.

## Key lines

> Now the way most people do when they see anything very miserable is to turn away from the sight, and try to forget it. But Diamond began as usual to try to destroy the misery.

Most people avoid misery, but Diamond actively works to alleviate it.

_Highlights Diamond's unique compassionate response._

> For that great Love speaks in the most wretched and dirty hearts; only the tone of its voice depends on the echoes of the place in which it sounds. On Mount Sinai, it was thunder; in the cabman's heart it was misery ; in the soul of St. John it was perfect blessedness.

Divine love communicates differently depending on the person's condition: as thunder, misery, or blessedness.

_Illustrates the theme of universal divine love adapting to individual circumstances._

> I do somehow believe that wur a angel just gone. Did you see him, wife? He warn't wery big, and he hadn't got none o' them wingses, you know. It wur one o' them baby-angels you sees on the gravestones, you know.

The cabman thinks Diamond might be an angel, though small and without wings.

_Shows the cabman's awed perception of Diamond's goodness._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/at_the_back_of_the_north_wind_se/chapters/xviii-the-drunken-cabman
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/at_the_back_of_the_north_wind_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/at_the_back_of_the_north_wind_se/chapters