Brown on Resolution · Chapter
Chapter VI explained
Agatha Brown, after losing nearly all her money due to Mr.
What happens
Agatha Brown, after losing nearly all her money due to Mr. Deane's embezzlement, refuses to return to her family and instead supports herself and her son Albert through fine sewing. She dedicates herself to preparing Albert for a naval career, studying naval history and strategy to instill in him a passion for the Navy. Despite Albert's matter-of-fact nature, Agatha persists, believing self-sacrifice for the Navy is her duty. The chapter also recounts Albert's early childhood and Agatha's growing business in Peckham.
Themes in this chapter
Motherhood and Ambition
Agatha's fierce ambition for Albert's naval career drives her to sacrifice personal comfort and social standing, channeling her maternal love into a relentless pursuit of his future.
Duty and Self-Sacrifice
Agatha believes self-sacrifice is a primary duty, willingly giving up her child to the Navy and enduring hardship to fulfill her vision of his service.
Class and Social Mobility
Agatha's struggle to elevate Albert from an illegitimate, lower-class background to a naval officer highlights the barriers and possibilities of social mobility in Edwardian England.
Characters to notice
- Agatha Brown
Loses her money to Mr. Deane's embezzlement, refuses family help, supports herself and Albert through sewing, and fervently prepares Albert for a naval career.
- Albert Brown
Grows up as a matter-of-fact boy, receives his mother's naval education but shows little early enthusiasm for her grand visions.
- Mr. Deane
Embezzles Agatha's money, leads a double life with a fair Cyprian, and flees to Callao after losing clients' funds in South African speculation.
- Mrs. Rodgers
Provides warm, indulgent care for young Albert at No. 37 Colchester Road, offering treats and games.
Key passages
“She would not go back to them, nor crave their help. She would not have them say, 'I told you so.'”
Agatha refused to return to her family or ask for assistance, unwilling to give them the satisfaction of being proven right.
Demonstrates Agatha's pride and determination after losing her money.
“Commissions sometimes were gained by the lower deck—'aft through the hawsehole' was the technical expression.”
It was possible for ordinary sailors to earn a commission, a process known as 'coming aft through the hawsehole.'
Explains the unconventional path Agatha envisions for Albert's naval career.
“Agatha believed that self-sacrifice was the primary duty of mankind; that man (and much more so woman) was born to sorrow; and that she should give up her child seemed to her right and proper, especially if the Navy benefited.”
Agatha held that self-sacrifice was humanity's foremost obligation, and she considered it fitting to surrender her son for the good of the Navy.
Highlights Agatha's philosophy of duty and sacrifice.