Midwinter · Chapter
X: Snowbound at the Sleeping Deer explained
Lady Norreys and her party are snowbound at the Sleeping Deer inn.
What happens
Lady Norreys and her party are snowbound at the Sleeping Deer inn. Alastair Maclean, disguised as a commoner, plans to secretly remain at the inn while pretending to leave. He discusses Highland loyalty with Lady Norreys and Mr. Johnson, then travels to Brightwell to deliver a letter requesting horses. At Brightwell, he encounters two eccentric sisters and observes the desolate estate.
Themes in this chapter
Romantic Idealism vs. Harsh Reality
Lady Norreys romanticizes loyalty and duty, while Alastair's practical mission and Johnson's melancholic moods contrast with her idealism.
Honor and Duty
Alastair speaks of fighting for 'the old things' and Lady Norreys extols loyalty as the faith that moves mountains, highlighting the theme of personal and political duty.
Deception and Disguise
Alastair adopts a disguise and plans to secretly remain at the inn while pretending to leave, reflecting the pervasive use of deception in the narrative.
Characters to notice
- Alastair Maclean
Disguised in frieze and leather, he plans to stay secretly at the inn while pretending to depart, and travels to Brightwell to deliver a letter.
- Mr. Samuel Johnson
Suffers a melancholic fit after the previous night's exhilaration, discusses Homeric chiefs and the Jacobite cause with Lady Norreys.
- Lady Norreys
Snowbound at the Sleeping Deer, she writes a letter to her husband's great-uncle at Brightwell and discusses loyalty with Alastair and Johnson.
- Amos Midwinter
Arranges for Alastair's stay at the inn, instructs the landlord to obey Alastair, then departs south on horseback.
- Edom Lowrie
Comforts himself with ale at the inn while the others settle in.
- Mrs. Peckover
Lady Norreys' woman, makes tea with secret airs and later brings word of the road conditions.
Key passages
“I fight for that; for the old things.”
Alastair declares that he fights to preserve ancient traditions and values.
Alastair explains his motivation to Lady Norreys, emphasizing his commitment to Highland heritage.
“I conceive that the power of the Scottish chief is no less than Homeric, and his position more desirable than that of any grandee in England.”
Johnson compares the authority of a Scottish clan chief to that of a Homeric hero, finding it superior to English nobility.
Johnson's commentary reflects his admiration for patriarchal Highland society.
“I have these black moods when I see only the littleness of life and the terrors of death.”
Johnson describes his depressive episodes, during which he perceives life as insignificant and death as frightening.
Johnson confides in Alastair about his melancholic temperament.