# II explained — Memoirs of a Foxhunting Man

> Chapter companion for Memoirs of a Foxhunting Man by Siegfried Sassoon.

## What happens

The narrator reflects on how his Aunt Evelyn's hiring of the groom Dixon set him on the path to becoming a foxhunting man. Dixon gradually replaces the carriage horses with more spirited animals, and eventually persuades Aunt Evelyn to buy a pony for young George, marking the beginning of his riding career.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Class and Hierarchy

The narrator notes the social distance between his aunt's household and the county gentry, symbolized by the two-mile gap beyond Lady Dumborough's calling radius.

### Innocence and Naivety

Young George's tremulous excitement and speechless joy at first riding the pony highlight his childhood innocence.

### Sport as a Way of Life

Dixon's secret ambition to make a sportsman of George and the gradual preparation for foxhunting show how sport shapes identity and aspiration.

## Character check-ins

### George Sherston

The narrator recalls his childhood and the influence of Dixon on his early riding experiences.

### Aunt Evelyn

George's timid and easily influenced guardian, who is persuaded by Dixon to take up riding and later to buy a pony for George.

### Tom Dixon

The jaunty groom who gradually improves the horses and secretly plans to make a sportsman of young George.

### Master George

The young George Sherston, who receives his first pony and begins riding lessons.

## Key lines

> Had my Aunt Evelyn employed an unpretentious groom-gardener (who would really have suited her original requirements far better than jaunty young Dixon) I should never have earned the right to call myself a foxhunting man.

If Aunt Evelyn had hired a simple groom instead of Dixon, I would never have become a foxhunter.

_The narrator credits Dixon with setting him on his sporting path._

> Dixon dearly loved to do a deal, and my aunt was amenable to his influence.

Dixon enjoyed bargaining, and Aunt Evelyn was easily swayed by him.

_Describes the dynamic between Dixon and Aunt Evelyn._

> He would make a sportsman of him, at any rate!

Dixon was determined to turn George into a sportsman.

_Reveals Dixon's secret ambition for the narrator._

> Stick your knees in, sir,” he said, adding, “I can see you’ll make a rider all right.”

Dixon told George to grip with his knees and predicted he would become a good rider.

_Dixon's first use of 'sir' marks a turning point in their relationship._

## Links

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