The Four Men · Chapter
The Twenty-Ninth of October 1902 explained
The narrator, sitting in the 'George' at Robertsbridge, is overcome by a vision of his home in Sussex and decides to walk there.
What happens
The narrator, sitting in the 'George' at Robertsbridge, is overcome by a vision of his home in Sussex and decides to walk there. He meets an older man, whom he names Grizzlebeard, and they agree to journey together through the county, gathering company along the way. They set out at dawn on the 30th of October 1902.
Themes in this chapter
Home and Belonging
The narrator's vision of the Arun valley and his determination to return to his own land drive the chapter.
Pilgrimage and Journey
The decision to walk home and the pact with Grizzlebeard initiate a journey across Sussex.
Companionship and Friendship
The narrator values chance companionship, and he and Grizzlebeard agree to travel together.
Characters to notice
- The Sailor
The narrator, who decides to walk home to Sussex after a vision of the Arun valley.
- Grizzlebeard
An older man met at the 'George' who agrees to journey with the narrator, calling himself by that name.
Key passages
“I said that all the world could be thrown over but that I would see my own land again, and tread my own county from here and from now”
The narrator declares he would abandon everything to return to his home county of Sussex.
This expresses the central motivation for the journey.
“A man is more himself if he is one of a number; so let us take that road together, and, as we go, gather what company we can find.”
Grizzlebeard suggests they travel together and collect companions along the way.
This establishes the theme of companionship and the journey's communal nature.
“I will go from this place to my home.”
The narrator decides to walk home from Robertsbridge.
This marks the pivotal decision to begin the pilgrimage.