Cakes and Ale · Chapter
XXIII explained
The narrator and Roy Kear arrive in Blackstable.
What happens
The narrator and Roy Kear arrive in Blackstable. Roy is picked up by a car with a note inviting the narrator to lunch with Mrs. Driffield the next day. The narrator chooses to stay at the Bear and Key, the inn of his youth, despite Roy's suggestion of the Marine Hotel. He finds the town changed, with an esplanade and bungalows where fields once were, and the inn itself shabby and indifferent. He dines alone and later speaks with Mr. Brentford, the innkeeper, who reminisces about old Driffield's visits to the bar, his fondness for life, and his wife's attempts to fetch him home.
Themes in this chapter
Memory and Nostalgia
The narrator's return to Blackstable evokes memories of his youth, and he observes the changes and continuities with a mix of sentiment and detachment.
Social Class and Snobbery
The narrator's choice of the Bear and Key over the Marine Hotel, and his interactions with the inn staff, highlight class distinctions and the narrator's own snobbery.
The Writer and the Craft
The narrator's purpose in visiting is to gather material about Driffield, and the chapter reflects on Driffield's literary reputation and his connection to ordinary life.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Returns to Blackstable, stays at the Bear and Key, reflects on changes in the town and his own memories.
- Roy Kear
Arrives with the narrator, is met by a car and a note for the narrator, suggesting he stay at the Marine Hotel.
- Amelia Driffield
Sends a note inviting the narrator to lunch; her husband's behavior at the Bear and Key is described by Mr. Brentford.
- Edward Driffield
Remembered by Mr. Brentford as a regular at the bar, fond of life and talk, and often fetched home by his wife.
- Mr. Brentford
The innkeeper, son of the previous owner, shares memories of old Driffield's visits and his own father's habits.
- Katie
The slatternly maid at the Bear and Key who shows the narrator to his room and serves him dinner.
Key passages
“I had learned from Roy that there was a new Marine Hotel on the front, but I did not propose for the luxuries of civilization to abandon a resort of my youth.”
Roy had told me about the new Marine Hotel, but I wasn't going to give up the old inn of my youth just for modern comforts.
The narrator's nostalgic preference for the old inn over the new hotel.
“It received me with its old churlish indifference: there was no one at the entrance, the driver put my bag down and drove away; I called, no one answered; I went into the bar and found a young lady with shingled hair reading a book by Mr. Compton Mackenzie.”
The Bear and Key greeted me with its usual surly attitude: no one at the door, the driver left my bag and drove off, and when I called out, no one came. I went into the bar and saw a young woman with short hair reading a novel by Mr. Compton Mackenzie.
The unchanged, indifferent atmosphere of the inn and the literary interest of the barmaid.
“I walked down to the beach and found that they had built an esplanade and there was a row of bungalows and villas where I remembered only windswept fields.”
I strolled to the beach and saw that an esplanade had been built, and where I remembered only empty fields, there were now bungalows and villas.
The physical changes to Blackstable since the narrator's youth.
“My belief is he was happier here than anywhere. He always said he liked a bar parlour. He said you saw life there and he said he'd always loved life.”
I think he was happier here than anywhere else. He often said he liked a bar room because you could see life there, and he always said he loved life.
Mr. Brentford's recollection of Driffield's love for the bar and for life itself.
