Midwinter · Chapter
In Which Three Gentlemen Confess Their Nakedness explained
Alastair, Johnson, and Midwinter confess their losses and nakedness before the fire.
What happens
Alastair, Johnson, and Midwinter confess their losses and nakedness before the fire. Alastair mourns his betrayal of the Cause and his lost love, Johnson admits his fear of death, and Midwinter offers the refuge of Old England. Alastair resolves to rejoin the Prince despite certain defeat, and Johnson insists on accompanying him. They ride toward Derby but find a village in panic, suggesting the Highland army has already retreated.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Sacrifice
Alastair sacrificed his love for Claudia to a more urgent loyalty to the Cause, and now mourns both losses.
Honor and Duty
Alastair feels he has failed in duty to his Prince and betrayed the Cause, yet resolves to stand by it to the end.
Romantic Idealism vs. Harsh Reality
Alastair's ideal of victory is shattered by the reality of the retreat and the panic in the village; he sees the 'ironic pattern of life.'
The Futility of War
Alastair envisions his clan reduced to famished vagrants and the Cause doomed to defeat, highlighting the senselessness of the conflict.
Characters to notice
- Alastair Maclean
Confesses his nakedness: he has given up his lady and failed his Prince. Blames himself for the Cause's shipwreck and resolves to go to Ramoth-Gilead (the Prince) to stand by the Cause to the end.
- Mr. Samuel Johnson
Confesses his nakedness: poor, ill-favored, and harassed by bodily affliction. Admits fear of death and declares he will get a sword and fight for the Prince, though Alastair forbids it.
- Amos Midwinter
Plays the violin and offers the hospitality of Old England as a refuge for battered men. Calls the three 'three naked men' and proposes to heal their hearts.
- Claudia Norreys
Alastair recalls her face as the one that brought love into his life; he sacrificed his dearest loyalties for her, but now it is behind him.
- The Prince
Alastair imagines the Prince's young face thin and haggard, a Pretender forevermore. He longs to be at his side in Derby.
- Lochiel
Alastair imagines Lochiel and other stalwarts pleading for delay; he wonders if Lochiel would blame him for the tragedy.
- Mr. Nicholas Kyd
Alastair reflects that Kyd has conquered in his downfall and will chuckle over the discomfiture of his judges.
Key passages
“Three naked men we be, Stark aneath the blackthorn tree.”
We are three men stripped of everything, exposed and vulnerable.
Midwinter plays this air to symbolize their shared loss and nakedness.
“I have given up my lady, and I have failed in duty to my Prince. I have no rag of pride left on me, nor ambition, nor hope.”
I have lost both my love and my honor; I am completely bereft of pride, ambition, and hope.
Alastair confesses his utter desolation to Midwinter.
“I am naked enough, but I had little to lose. I am a scholar and a Christian and, I trust, a gentleman, but I am bitter poor, and ill-favoured, and sore harassed by bodily affliction.”
I am also stripped bare, though I never had much to begin with. I am a poor, ugly, sickly scholar and Christian gentleman.
Johnson describes his own nakedness in terms of poverty, appearance, and illness.
“Can you teach me to forget the fear of death?”
Can you help me overcome my terror of dying?
Johnson asks Midwinter if Old England can cure his dread of death.
“Ah, my grief, my grief! I have betrayed my Prince and undone my people. There is no comfort for me any more in the world.”
Oh, my sorrow! I have betrayed my Prince and ruined my clan; I can find no solace.
Alastair weeps as he realizes his role in the failure of the rebellion.
