# The Vice-Consul explained — On a Chinese Screen

> Chapter companion for On a Chinese Screen by W. Somerset Maugham.

## What happens

The vice-consul attends an execution in the judge's yamen, observing the condemned man's terror and dignity. After the shooting, he returns to the consulate and stops at the club for a cocktail, where he casually discusses the event with other men.

## Themes in this chapter

### Colonial Ennui and Isolation

The vice-consul's internal turmoil contrasts with the club's trivial banter, highlighting the emotional isolation of colonial officials.

### Hypocrisy and Moral Compromise

The vice-consul participates in the execution process yet later boasts about it, revealing a compromise of his own moral sensibilities.

## Character check-ins

### The Vice-Consul

A young, callow vice-consul who witnesses an execution and struggles with its moral weight, then masks his feelings with bravado at the club.

### The Judge

A portly, dignified judge who presides over the identification and execution, showing a grim smile afterward.

### The Officer

Commands the firing squad and finishes off the wounded criminal with his revolver.

## Key lines

> He put out his head, like a bird looking out of its nest, and then his long thin body and finally his thin long legs.

He emerged cautiously from his chair, first his head, then his slender body and legs.

_Describes the vice-consul's awkward and tentative arrival._

> The vice-consul looked at the criminal’s face, but then he looked down quickly: he did not want to see what was there to be seen so plainly.

The vice-consul glanced at the condemned man's face but immediately averted his eyes, unable to bear the terror he saw.

_Shows the vice-consul's discomfort and empathy._

> However his body might betray him he was still master of his will.

Despite his physical signs of fear, the criminal maintained control over his actions.

_Highlights the condemned man's courage and dignity._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se/chapters/lvi-the-vice-consul
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se/chapters