Lavengro · Chapter
LXXXVII explained
The narrator enters a public-house kitchen, where the landlord initially gruff but becomes deferential after noticing the narrator's swollen hand from a recent fight.
What happens
The narrator enters a public-house kitchen, where the landlord initially gruff but becomes deferential after noticing the narrator's swollen hand from a recent fight. The narrator drinks ale to soothe his lingering horror from the previous night, and after recovering, observes a Radical guest denouncing England and praising America.
Themes in this chapter
Adventure and Roving
The narrator's journey brings him to a public-house, where his recent combat and wandering life are hinted at through the landlord's reaction to his hand.
Freedom vs. Convention
The Radical's speech against the King and praise of America embodies a challenge to conventional political authority, contrasting with the narrator's own internal struggles.
Characters to notice
- Lavengro
The narrator, weary and haunted by the previous night's horror, drinks ale to calm himself and observes the landlord's strange reaction to his hand.
- The Landlord
The publican, initially gruff, becomes deferential after noticing the narrator's swollen hand, hinting at a secret understanding.
Key passages
“It may kill me, thought I, as I drank deep, but who cares, anything is better than what I have suffered.”
The narrator drinks ale recklessly, feeling that death is preferable to the horror he endured.
Reveals the narrator's despair and willingness to risk harm to escape his mental anguish.
“So when I gets to New York, I will toss up my hat, and damn the King.”
A guest declares that upon arriving in New York, he will publicly defy the British monarchy.
Illustrates the radical political sentiment present in the public-house.