His Family · Chapter
XXIII explained
Roger Gale returns to the farm after Bruce's death and finds the family struggling with grief and change.
What happens
Roger Gale returns to the farm after Bruce's death and finds the family struggling with grief and change. George has matured, taking on responsibilities and comforting his mother Edith. Roger observes Edith's fierce planning for her children's future and her resistance to Deborah's impending visit, which he fears will cause tension. Amidst the family dynamics, Roger reflects on the generational cycle of loss and the smallness of human troubles against the backdrop of nature's permanence.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Generational Change
The chapter explores the shifting dynamics after Bruce's death, with George stepping into a man's role, Edith clinging to her children, and Roger observing the inevitable push of the new generation.
Mortality and Legacy
Bruce's death permeates the chapter, with George using his father's dying words to comfort Edith, and Roger reflecting on the cycle of life and the smallness of human sorrows.
Economic Struggle and Class
Edith's expensive plans for her children's private schools and clothes contrast with George's practical farming ambitions, highlighting class tensions within the family.
Characters to notice
- Roger Gale
Reflects on family tensions after Bruce's death, rides in the mountains, and tries to mediate between Edith and Deborah.
- Edith Gale
Grieving Bruce's death, she plans her children's lives rigidly and resists Deborah's visit, showing a hard and jealous side.
- George
Has matured after his father's death, comforting his mother with three key points about Bruce, and plans to become a farmer.
- Deborah Gale
Arrives for a visit despite family tension, focused on her work and upcoming marriage, but avoids discussing it due to Bruce's death.
- Bruce Cunningham
Deceased; his death and dying words to Edith are recalled by George and Roger, shaping the family's grief.
Key passages
“And he lifted his eyes up to the hills and decided to leave this matter alone. If women would be women, let them settle their own affairs.”
Roger resolved not to intervene in the women's conflicts, deciding they should handle their own problems.
Roger's resignation to family dynamics and his retreat into nature.
“Don't let yourself drop out. Be as your mother would have been if she had been left instead of me. Go straight on with your children.”
Roger advised Edith to keep living fully for her children, just as her mother would have done.
Roger's attempt to comfort Edith by drawing on his own experience of loss.
“You still feel young—but the new generation is already growing up—and you can feel yourself being pushed on. And it is hard—it is very hard.”
Roger acknowledged the painful feeling of being displaced by the next generation while still feeling young oneself.
Roger's reflection on the passage of time and generational change.