On a Chinese Screen · Chapter
The Skipper explained
The narrator observes a seemingly wholesome, clean-living skipper who, despite his youthful appearance and respectable demeanor, reveals a drunken confusion about democracy and socialism.
What happens
The narrator observes a seemingly wholesome, clean-living skipper who, despite his youthful appearance and respectable demeanor, reveals a drunken confusion about democracy and socialism. The skipper, a Harrow-educated man, expresses disdain for socialism and the working class, insisting he is not a working man himself, highlighting a tension between his self-image and his actual profession.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Moral Compromise
The skipper's denial of being a working man despite his occupation, and his contradictory disdain for socialism while being a laborer himself.
Colonial Ennui and Isolation
The skipper's isolation on the Yangtze, his untouched purity, and his drunken philosophical musings reflect the ennui of colonial life.
Characters to notice
- The Taipan
The narrator, who engages the skipper in conversation about democracy and socialism.
- Henderson
Mentioned by the skipper as a figure associated with socialism, alongside Ramsay Macdonald.
Key passages
“I knew he was drunk. He was a skipper of the new school, a neat little man, clean-shaven, who might easily have passed for the commander of a submarine.”
The narrator recognized the skipper's intoxication, noting his tidy, youthful appearance that could be mistaken for a submarine commander.
Sets the scene of the skipper's deceptive sobriety and his modern, disciplined look.
“He had a pleasant taste in light literature and the works of E. V. Lucas adorned his bookcase.”
The skipper's bookcase contained light, enjoyable books, including works by E. V. Lucas.
Highlights the skipper's cultured but superficial interests.
“I knew he was drunk, but I did not think he was very drunk, till he asked me suddenly: 'What is democracy?'”
The narrator initially thought the skipper only mildly drunk until he abruptly asked about the meaning of democracy.
The question reveals the skipper's inebriated state and his engagement with political ideas.
“If I had my way I'd stand them up against a wall and shoot them.”
The skipper expressed a violent desire to execute socialists.
Shows his extreme anti-socialist sentiment.
“Look here, I'm not a working man. Hang it all, I was at Harrow.”
The skipper insisted he was not a working man, citing his education at Harrow as proof.
Reveals his class-based identity conflict and denial of his actual occupation.