Cakes and Ale · Chapter
III explained
The narrator reflects on his past in Blackstable, triggered by his conversation with Roy Kear and the atmosphere of his room.
What happens
The narrator reflects on his past in Blackstable, triggered by his conversation with Roy Kear and the atmosphere of his room. He recalls his uncle, a vicar, and his German aunt, and the social strictures of the time. He remembers his first encounter with Edward Driffield, who was then considered a somewhat disreputable figure, and contrasts the dullness of provincial life with the present.
Themes in this chapter
Memory and Nostalgia
The chapter is a deep dive into the narrator's memories of his youth in Blackstable, triggered by a conversation and the atmosphere of his room. He views the past as a clear, distinct scene, like a play.
Social Class and Snobbery
The narrator's aunt refuses to call on a rich banker because he is 'in trade', and the narrator himself dismisses Driffield as a 'cad' based on his clothing. These illustrate the rigid social codes of the time.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Reflects on his past in Blackstable, recalling his youth and first meeting with Edward Driffield.
- Edward Driffield
First encountered by the narrator in Blackstable, dressed in a loud knickerbocker suit, and considered a 'cad' by the young narrator.
- Old Mr. Driffield
Mentioned as the father of Edward Driffield, buried in the churchyard at Blackstable.
- Amelia Driffield
The second Mrs. Driffield, who sent a dignified letter to the press about her husband's burial, a woman the notabilities of Blackstable could not 'abide'.
- Roy Kear
His conversation with the narrator earlier in the day is a catalyst for the narrator's reverie about the past.
Key passages
“I wouldn’t waste my time on rubbish in your place,” said my uncle, who never read anything but the Times and the Guardian.”
The narrator's uncle dismisses the novel as trash, as he only reads the Times and the Guardian.
Shows the uncle's narrow literary tastes and the low regard for Driffield's work at the time.
“It was as though all the people who had at one time and another inhabited my lodging pressed upon me with their old-fashioned ways and odd clothes, men with muttonchop whiskers in frock coats and women in bustles and flounced skirts.”
The narrator feels the presence of all the past inhabitants of his room, imagining them in their old-fashioned clothing.
Illustrates the narrator's vivid sense of the past and his nostalgic reverie.
“I know they were more cantankerous; they ate too much, many of them drank too much, they took too little exercise. Their livers were out of order and their digestions often impaired. They were irritable.”
The narrator believes people of the past were more irritable and unhealthy, eating and drinking too much and not exercising enough.
The narrator's critical view of the past, contrasting it with the present.
“I was not going to run the risk of being spoken to by a chap who wore knickerbockers like a gamekeeper and I resented the familiarity of his good-humoured expression.”
The narrator, a young man in proper attire, snubs Driffield because he considers his knickerbockers to be lower-class and his friendly demeanor too familiar.
Shows the young narrator's snobbery and his initial negative impression of Driffield.