In the Days of the Comet · Chapter
The Cabinet Council explained
The narrator reflects on the transformation of the world after the Great Change, contrasting the old industrial cities and their suffering with the new, beautiful cities built by loving hands.
What happens
The narrator reflects on the transformation of the world after the Great Change, contrasting the old industrial cities and their suffering with the new, beautiful cities built by loving hands. He then describes his experience observing the British Cabinet council shortly after the Change, noting how the statesmen, once caricatured and corrupt, now grapple with their past failings and express remorse and a desire for renewal.
Themes in this chapter
Transformation and Renewal
The chapter contrasts the old world of industrial misery and political folly with the new world of beautiful cities and redeemed lives, highlighting the transformative impact of the Great Change.
Memory and Retrospection
The narrator looks back on the past, recalling the old cities, the caricatures of statesmen, and the suffering, while also reflecting on the moment of the Cabinet council.
War and Conflict
The South African War is cited as an example of how political clowning masked the true horrors of war, leading to immense suffering.
Characters to notice
- Willie Leadford
Narrator and observer of the Cabinet council, reflecting on the past and the transformed world.
- Melmount
Present in the council, behind whose couch the narrator sits; mentioned in the context of the discussion.
- Gorrell-Browning
Chancellor of the Duchy, a big round-faced man who confesses his vanity and self-indulgence.
- Carton
Lord Chancellor, a white-faced man with a heavy shaven face, speaks of forgiveness.
- Madgett
Home Secretary, a smaller man with wrinkled eyebrows and a frozen smile, contributes intelligent comments.
- Gurker
Chancellor of the Exchequer, a Jew who confesses the monstrous self-conceit of his race and their focus on property.
Key passages
“All these vast cities have given way and gone, even as my native potteries and the Black Country have gone, and the lives that were caught, crippled, starved, and maimed amidst their labyrinths, their forgotten and neglected maladjustments, and their vast, inhuman, ill-conceived industrial machinery have escaped—to life.”
The old industrial cities, including the narrator's hometown, have disappeared, and the people who suffered in them have been liberated to a new life.
Describes the physical and social transformation after the Change.
“These fifteen men who ruled the British Empire were curiously unlike anything I had expected, and I watched them intently whenever my services were not in request.”
The narrator observes the Cabinet members and finds them surprisingly different from his preconceptions.
Sets up the contrast between the caricatured public image and the real, remorseful men.
“I have been a vain and self-indulgent and presumptuous old man. I am of little use here. I have given myself to politics and intrigues, and life is gone from me.”
Gorrell-Browning confesses his past vanity and wasted life, feeling useless now.
Example of the statesmen's remorse after the Change.
“We have to forgive. We have to forgive—even ourselves.”
Carton emphasizes the need for forgiveness, including self-forgiveness.
Reflects the theme of renewal and moral awakening.
