Of Human Bondage · Chapter
CXXII explained
Philip waits for Sally at the National Gallery, tormented by a brief mistaken sighting of Mildred.
What happens
Philip waits for Sally at the National Gallery, tormented by a brief mistaken sighting of Mildred. When Sally arrives, she reveals her pregnancy scare was a false alarm. Philip, who had resigned himself to marrying her, is initially dismayed at his regained freedom but quickly realizes he truly wants a life with her. He proposes, and Sally accepts.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Obsession
Philip's lingering, painful obsession with Mildred contrasts with his genuine, healthy love for Sally.
Freedom and Determinism
Philip grapples with the freedom of his regained independence versus the deterministic pull toward a simple, domestic life.
The Search for Meaning
Philip reflects on his lifelong pursuit of ideals versus the present happiness he finds in love and marriage.
Characters to notice
- Philip Carey
Experiences a moment of panic when he mistakes a stranger for Mildred, then proposes to Sally after realizing he wants a home and love more than travel.
- Sally Athelny
Meets Philip at the National Gallery; informs him her pregnancy suspicion was false, and accepts his marriage proposal.
- Mildred Rogers
Mentioned as a lingering obsession; Philip mistakes a stranger for her and feels a lasting, desperate thirst for her.
- Doctor South
Mentioned via telegram; Philip has written to him about a job offer.
Key passages
“He had repeated to himself exactly what he would say to her and how he should say it.”
Philip had rehearsed his proposal to Sally many times.
Shows his anticipation and nervousness about the proposal.
“Would he never be free from that passion? At the bottom of his heart, notwithstanding everything, he felt that a strange, desperate thirst for that vile woman would always linger.”
Philip fears he will never fully escape his obsessive desire for Mildred.
Highlights the lasting trauma of his toxic relationship with Mildred.
“It was as though he had sailed for many years over a great waste of waters, with peril and privation, and at last had come upon a fair haven, but as he was about to enter, some contrary wind had arisen and drove him out again into the open sea”
Philip feels like a sailor who, after a long and difficult voyage, is blown away from a safe harbor just as he is about to reach it.
Metaphor for his despair at losing the future he had imagined with Sally.
“I don't care a damn about all that.”
Philip dismisses his previous travel plans as unimportant.
Signals his shift in priorities from adventure to love and domesticity.