# The Last of the Old Forsytes explained — The Forsyte Saga

> Chapter companion for The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy.

## What happens

The chapter describes the death and funeral of Timothy Forsyte, the last of the old Forsyte generation. Soames arranges the funeral, but few family members attend, reflecting the family's decline and changing times. Soames reflects on the past, his failed marriage to Irene, the loss of the old possessive order, and the encroaching modern world, symbolized by the 'To Let' sign on the family's way of life.

## Themes in this chapter

### Possessiveness and the Sense of Property

Soames reflects on the Forsyte instinct to own and possess, contrasting it with the loss of Irene and the changing world.

### Aging and Mortality

The death of Timothy and Soames's reflections on the family vault and his own mortality highlight the theme of aging and death.

### Social Class and Change

The decline of the old Forsyte generation and the rise of new social forces, such as the State and modern art, are central to the chapter.

## Character check-ins

### Timothy Forsyte

The last of the old Forsytes, dies at an advanced age, having been cared for by Smither and Cook.

### Soames Forsyte

Arranges Timothy's funeral and reflects on the family's decline and his own past.

### Smither

Longtime servant of Timothy, helps prepare his body and attends the funeral.

### Cook

Longtime servant of Timothy, helps prepare his body and attends the funeral.

### Old Gradman

Assists Soames with funeral arrangements and attends the funeral.

### Irene Forsyte

Appears in Soames's memories of their marriage and her rejection of him.

### Philip Bosinney

Appears in Soames's memories of his affair with Irene and his death.

### Fleur Forsyte

Appears in Soames's memories of her wedding and her farewell to him.

## Key lines

> When they came to prepare that terrific symbol Timothy Forsyte—the one pure individualist left, the only man who hadn’t heard of the Great War—they found him wonderful—not even death had undermined his soundness.

Timothy Forsyte, the last true individualist who was unaware of World War I, was found to be remarkably sound even in death.

_Introduces Timothy as a symbol of the old order, untouched by modern events._

> Soames turned from the vault and faced toward the breeze. The air up here would be delicious if only he could rid his nerves of the feeling that mortality was in it.

Soames turned away from the family vault and faced the wind, but the pleasant air was spoiled by his awareness of death.

_Soames's discomfort with mortality is emphasized._

> “To Let”—the Forsyte age and way of life, when a man owned his soul, his investments, and his woman, without check or question.

The Forsyte era, where a man could own his soul, his money, and his wife without interference, is now over, like a property available for rent.

_Central metaphor for the end of the old possessive order._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_forsyte_saga_se/chapters/part-iii-xi-the-last-of-the-old-forsytes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_forsyte_saga_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_forsyte_saga_se/chapters