# IX: The Sports—Continued explained — Decline and Fall

> Chapter companion for Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh.

## What happens

The sports day continues with a tense tea party in the refreshment tent, where racial prejudice and social snobbery come to the fore. Mrs. Beste-Chetwynde arrives with her black companion, Mr. Cholmondley (Chokey), whose earnest cultural pretensions and speeches about racial equality provoke a range of bigoted responses from the other guests. The social balance is precarious, with camps forming around the Circumferences and the Clutterbucks, while Mrs. Beste-Chetwynde's wealth and status make her a pivotal figure. The band's refusal to play sacred music while a woman smokes adds to the farcical tension.

## Themes in this chapter

### Colonialism and Racism

The chapter is dominated by racist dialogue from multiple characters, including Mrs. Clutterbuck, Colonel Sidebotham, and the Vicar, who express contempt for Chokey and black people in general, while Mrs. Beste-Chetwynde treats him as a fashionable accessory.

### Social Class and Snobbery

The tea tent is divided into hostile camps based on social standing, with Lady Circumference feeling threatened by Mrs. Beste-Chetwynde's wealth, and the Clutterbucks resentful of being snubbed.

### Hypocrisy and Corruption

The bandmaster's demand for extra payment to avoid 'blasphemy' while Mrs. Beste-Chetwynde smokes, and the general pretense of civility masking deep prejudice, illustrate the hypocrisy of the social gathering.

## Character check-ins

### Margot Beste-Chetwynde

Arrives with her companion Chokey, displaying a patronizing and bored attitude toward him and the other guests, while using her wealth to navigate the social tensions.

### Paul Pennyfeather

Passes around foie gras sandwiches as instructed by Dingy, observing the social dynamics and overhearing Lord Circumference's confused conversation about the bandmaster.

### Captain Grimes

Circulates among the guests, commenting on the afternoon's poor atmosphere and making flippant remarks about Mr. Prendergast and the racial tensions.

### Philbrick

Engages in a discussion on greyhound-racing and later shares a violent anecdote about a Chinese man, revealing his own prejudices and boastful nature.

### Lady Circumference

Stands with the hostile camp, feeling uneasy around wealthier people like Mrs. Beste-Chetwynde, and shows a responsive glitter at the idea of beating the 'coloured man.'

### Mr. Cholmondley

Introduced as Mrs. Beste-Chetwynde's companion, he delivers earnest speeches about racial equality and his love for culture, but is treated as a novelty by the guests.

## Key lines

> man has a soul same as you have. Don’t he breathe the same as you? Don’t he eat and drink? Don’t he love Shakespeare and cathedrals and the paintings of the old masters same as you? Isn’t he just asking for your love and help to raise him from the servitude into which your forefathers plunged him? Oh, say, white folks, why don’t you stretch out a helping hand to the poor coloured man, that’s as good as you are, if you’ll only let him be?

Chokey delivers a passionate speech about racial equality, arguing that black people have souls, share the same human needs, and appreciate high culture just as white people do, pleading for help to overcome the oppression of slavery.

_This speech is met with patronizing responses from Mrs. Beste-Chetwynde and others, highlighting the hypocrisy of the social setting._

> The mistake was ever giving them their freedom," said the Vicar. "They were far happier and better looked after before.

The Vicar expresses the racist belief that black people were better off under colonial rule, reflecting the imperialist attitudes of the time.

_This comment is made in the context of a broader conversation about race, underscoring the theme of colonialism and racism._

> I think it’s an insult bringing a nigger here," said Mrs. Clutterbuck. "It’s an insult to our own women.

Mrs. Clutterbuck openly states that the presence of a black man is an insult to white women, revealing the deep-seated racism among the guests.

_This remark is part of the hostile camp's reaction to Mrs. Beste-Chetwynde's companion._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters/part-i-ix-the-sports-continued
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/decline_and_fall_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/decline_and_fall_se/chapters