# VII explained — David Harum > Chapter companion for David Harum by Edward Noyes Westcott. ## What happens John Lenox returns home to a dreary homecoming, contrasting his recent shipboard romance with the dullness of his father's house. He reconnects with his father, who has aged and grown a white beard, and they share a quiet dinner. John expresses a desire to begin a career, suggesting he join his father's office, but Mr. Lenox advises against it, proposing instead that John study law. John agrees to follow his father's counsel, and they share a moment of mutual affection and understanding. ## Themes in this chapter ### Family and Kinship John's return home and his tender interaction with his father highlight the bonds of family, as they discuss John's future and share a moment of emotional connection over dinner. ### Ambition and Contentment John's desire to begin a career and his father's advice to study law reflect the tension between youthful ambition and the contentment of a settled life, as well as the value of steady progress over time. ## Character check-ins ### John Lenox Returns home after two years in Europe, feeling restless and nostalgic for his shipboard romance. He resolves to begin a career and agrees to study law on his father's advice. ### Jeffrey The servant who waits on John during luncheon and discusses John's father's habits, noting that Mr. Lenox rarely dresses for dinner. ### Ann Mentioned as giving John an effusive welcome when he visits her before luncheon. ## Key lines > The day seemed very long. He ate his luncheon, having first paid a visit to Ann, who gave him an effusive welcome. The day dragged on for John. He had lunch after first stopping by to see Ann, who greeted him warmly. _John's restlessness and the contrast between his current dullness and recent shipboard excitement are established._ > I have been thinking a good deal of late—more than ever before, positively, in fact—that whatever my prospects may be, I ought to begin some sort of a career in earnest. John tells his father he has been seriously considering that he should start a real career, regardless of his financial prospects. _John expresses his newfound determination to pursue meaningful work, marking a shift from his previous idle travels._ > My idea would be that you should undertake a profession—say the law. It is a fact that the great majority of men fail in business, and then most of them, for lack of training or special aptitude, fall into the ranks of clerks and subordinates. Mr. Lenox advises John to become a lawyer, arguing that most businessmen fail and end up as clerks, whereas a profession provides a stable fallback. _Mr. Lenox's pragmatic advice reflects the era's view of law as a respectable and secure career path._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/david_harum_se/chapters/vii - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/david_harum_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/david_harum_se/chapters