# Chapter II explained — Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories

> Chapter companion for Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories by Oscar Wilde.

## What happens

Lord Arthur Savile, after having his palm read by Mr. Podgers and learning he is destined to commit murder, flees into the night in a state of terror and despair. He wanders through London, haunted by the word 'murder,' observing the city's contrasts of innocence and squalor, and grappling with the apparent meaninglessness of suffering. At dawn, he returns home, passing the cheerful market wagons of Covent Garden.

## Themes in this chapter

### Fate vs. Free Will

Lord Arthur is consumed by the prophecy of murder, questioning whether he and the poor are 'puppets of a monstrous show' or have any control over their destinies.

### Appearance vs. Reality

The cheerful dawn market wagons contrast with Lord Arthur's inner horror, and the 'shallow optimism of the day' is set against the 'real facts of existence.'

### Irony and Absurdity

Lord Arthur is struck by the 'comedy of suffering' and its 'grotesque want of meaning,' highlighting the absurdity he perceives in his predicament.

## Character check-ins

### Lord Arthur Savile

Flees Bentinck House in terror after learning his fate, wanders London obsessing over the word 'murder,' and returns home at dawn.

### Mr. Septimus R. Podgers

The cheiromantist whose reading revealed murder in Lord Arthur's palm, triggering the events of the chapter.

## Key lines

> Murder! that is what the cheiromantist had seen there. Murder! The very night seemed to know it, and the desolate wind to howl it in his ear.

Lord Arthur is horrified that the palm-reader predicted he would commit murder, and he feels the whole night is echoing that terrible word.

_Illustrates Arthur's psychological torment and the theme of fate vs. free will._

> How incoherent everything seemed! How lacking in all harmony! He was amazed at the discord between the shallow optimism of the day, and the real facts of existence.

Arthur finds the world chaotic and meaningless, shocked by the gap between society's cheerful surface and the harsh truths of life.

_Highlights the theme of appearance vs. reality and Arthur's disillusionment._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lord_arthur_savile_s_crime_and_other_stories_se/chapters/ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lord_arthur_savile_s_crime_and_other_stories_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lord_arthur_savile_s_crime_and_other_stories_se/chapters