# LXXXVII explained — Lavengro

> Chapter companion for Lavengro by George Borrow.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lavengro_se/chapters/lxxxvii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lavengro_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lavengro_se/chapters