Piccadilly Jim · Chapter
II: The Exiled Fan explained
In London, Mrs.
What happens
In London, Mrs. Bingley Crocker receives a call from Lady Corstorphine about arranging a meeting between her stepson Jimmy and Lord Percy Whipple, hoping to improve Jimmy's social standing. Meanwhile, Mr. Bingley Crocker suffers from homesickness for America, reminiscing about baseball and the Lambs Club. The chapter reveals the family's backstory: Mrs. Crocker, formerly the widow of millionaire G.G. van Brunt, married Bingley Crocker, an actor, and moved the family to London, cutting ties with her sister Nesta Pett. Jimmy's behavior, including lunching with a pugilist named Spike Dillon, worries Mrs. Crocker, who fears it may harm his prospects as a future peer.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Ambition
Mrs. Crocker's efforts to climb London society and her concern over Jimmy's associations with low-class individuals like Spike Dillon highlight the theme of social ambition and class distinctions.
Family Dynamics and Obligation
The strained relationship between Mrs. Crocker and her sister Nesta, as well as her control over Bingley and Jimmy, illustrate family obligations and conflicts.
Identity and Mistaken Identity
Bingley Crocker's sense of displacement and homesickness in England, feeling like an exile, touches on identity and the struggle to maintain one's true self in a foreign environment.
Characters to notice
- Bingley Crocker
Suffers from homesickness for America, reading about cricket and longing for baseball; reflects on his past as an actor and his marriage to Mrs. Crocker.
- Mrs. Bingley Crocker
Receives a call from Lady Corstorphine; worries about Jimmy's low associations and plans to arrange a meeting with Lord Percy Whipple.
- Jimmy Crocker
Mentioned as still in bed; his behavior, including lunching with pugilist Spike Dillon, concerns his stepmother.
- Bayliss
The butler who answers the telephone and observes Mr. Crocker's distress.
- Lord Percy Whipple
Nephew of Lady Corstorphine, recently returned from Ireland; Mrs. Crocker wants Jimmy to befriend him.
- Spike Dillon
A low professional pugilist from New York with whom Jimmy was seen lunching at the Carlton.
- Nesta Pett
Mrs. Crocker's sister, who disapproved of her marriage to Bingley Crocker and cut ties with her.
Key passages
“She intended to become a leading figure in London Society, and already her progress had been astonishing.”
Mrs. Crocker aimed to be a prominent socialite in London and had made remarkable strides.
Highlights her social ambition and success in climbing the ranks.
“There is a crude American strain in him which seems to grow worse instead of better.”
Mrs. Crocker believes Jimmy's American traits are becoming more pronounced and problematic.
Reflects her concern over Jimmy's behavior and the cultural clash between American and British norms.
“An exile from home splendour dazzles in vain. Oh, give me my lowly thatched cottage again;”
A person away from home finds luxury meaningless and longs for simple, familiar comforts.
Poetic expression of Bingley Crocker's homesickness and desire to return to America.