# XLVII: Failure explained — On a Chinese Screen > Chapter companion for On a Chinese Screen by W. Somerset Maugham. ## What happens The chapter introduces a portly, aging man with a theatrical air, dressed in outdated but flamboyant clothing, who once came to China as a tea-taster but failed to prosper as Ceylon tea overtook Chinese tea. He tried various trades—wine merchant, undertaker, estate agent, broker, auctioneer—but all failed with the port's decline. Now a broken man, he retains a magnificent assurance, blaming fate rather than his own capacity for his failure. ## Themes in this chapter ### Colonial Ennui and Isolation The tea-taster's futile struggle and broken spirit reflect the ennui and isolation of colonial life, where past grandeur gives way to decline. ### Futility of Western Superiority The man's theatrical self-assurance and belief in his own capacity, despite clear failure, illustrate the hollow pretense of Western superiority in the colonial context. ### Hypocrisy and Moral Compromise He clings to a grand style and assurance even in ruin, a hypocrisy that masks his inability to adapt or succeed. ## Character check-ins ### The Taipan The chapter describes a failed tea-taster who embodies the decline of the old merchant class, though the Taipan himself is not directly named; the description aligns with the Taipan's milieu. ## Key lines > He confessed that he should have been an actor. 'To be or not to be, that was the question, but me family, me family, dear boy, they would have died of the disgrace, and so I was exposed to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.' He admitted he would have been better suited as an actor, but his family's shame prevented it, leaving him to face life's hardships. _The man's theatrical nature and regret over his career path are highlighted._ > he was a failure and he knew it; but it did not really affect him, for he was the victim of fate: no shadow of a doubt in his own capacity had ever crossed his mind. He acknowledged his failure but remained untroubled, believing fate alone was to blame and never questioning his own abilities. _The man's self-deception and refusal to accept personal responsibility are emphasized._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se/chapters/xlvii-failure - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/on_a_chinese_screen_se/chapters