Short Fiction · Chapter
The Remnants of the Code explained
Beelzebub Blythe, a drunkard and sponger, reaches his lowest point in Coralio after being kicked out of a saloon.
What happens
Beelzebub Blythe, a drunkard and sponger, reaches his lowest point in Coralio after being kicked out of a saloon. Desperate for money to feed his addiction, he attempts to blackmail Frank Goodwin, threatening to reveal that he saw Goodwin take a valise full of money from the late president's arrival. Goodwin instead offers to pay Blythe's debts and give him a thousand dollars on the condition that he leave Coralio on the Ariel steamer that afternoon, with the understanding that Blythe will pretend he was asleep and saw nothing.
Themes in this chapter
Crime and Consequence
Blythe's attempted blackmail and Goodwin's counteroffer highlight the moral and practical consequences of criminal actions.
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
Blythe's shift from a conciliatory smile to sinister resolve, and the agreement to pretend he was asleep, underscore the theme of hidden truths and false appearances.
Ambition and Failure
Blythe's failed attempts to maintain his respectable facade and his ultimate descent into blackmail illustrate the theme of ambition leading to failure.
Characters to notice
- Beelzebub Blythe
A desperate drunkard who, after being kicked out of a saloon, attempts blackmail against Frank Goodwin to fund his addiction.
- Frank Goodwin
The target of Blythe's blackmail; he calmly negotiates a deal to send Blythe away on the Ariel steamer.
- Willard Geddie
Passes Blythe with a cool nod while riding with Paula, indicating Blythe's exhausted social credit.
- Billy Keogh
Passes Blythe with a curt greeting and ominous look, having been one of Blythe's frequent victims.
Key passages
“I want a thousand dollars, Goodwin; and you'll have to give it to me.”
Blythe demands a thousand dollars from Goodwin as blackmail.
This quote captures the climax of Blythe's desperation and his shift to criminal threats.
“I was asleep all the time on the cot under Madama Ortiz's orange trees; and I shake off the dust of Coralio forever.”
Blythe agrees to pretend he saw nothing and to leave Coralio permanently.
This shows the deceptive agreement that resolves the conflict.