The Green Hat · Chapter
II: The Cavalier of Low Creatures explained
The narrator reflects on Gerald March's character, his obsession with purity, and his troubled relationship with his twin sister Iris.
What happens
The narrator reflects on Gerald March's character, his obsession with purity, and his troubled relationship with his twin sister Iris. He recounts their first meeting at Horton's New Voice office during the war, Gerald's descent into dipsomania, and his literary work 'The Savage Device' under the pseudonym Felix Burton, which features a character named Ava Foe that seems to mirror Iris. The chapter explores Gerald's solitary, ascetic lifestyle and his inner torment.
Themes in this chapter
Purity and Corruption
Central theme: Gerald's obsession with purity contrasts with his dipsomania and tortured desires; the narrator discusses the modern inability to air 'secret silly things' about lust.
Appearance vs. Reality
Gerald appears as a martial figure and a 'dark knight of purity' but is inwardly consumed by shame and desire; his swearing contrasts with his clean-mouthed reputation.
Shame and Redemption
Gerald's life is a 'terrible and nameless penance'; the narrator suggests that discussing secret shames could bring them into proper light.
Characters to notice
- Gerald March
The central figure of the chapter; a former Brigade of Guards officer, dipsomaniac, and writer of 'The Savage Device' under the name Felix Burton. Described as a 'dark knight of purity' with a tortured inner life.
- Iris March
Gerald's twin sister; mentioned as the inspiration for the character Ava Foe in Gerald's novel, suggesting a deep-seated hatred and complex relationship.
- Boy Fenwick
Referenced as Gerald's pre-war hero, the 'legendary Boy Fenwick' who appears in Gerald's novel as 'young Burton'.
- Horton
Editor of The New Voice, where Gerald first appeared; described as a 'Power' and an honest man.
- Ava Foe
Character in Gerald's novel 'The Savage Device'; a cruel wife who torments young Burton, and whom the narrator believes Gerald modeled after Iris.
- Barty March
Mentioned as the source of Gerald's riding-whip, part of his attire when riding after drinking bouts.
Key passages
“only by being discussed can be seen in a proper and proportionate light. They should be aired, those secret silly things, that they may be seen for what they are.”
Only through open discussion can secret, shameful desires be understood in their true context.
Narrator argues for the importance of airing private lusts and fancies to diminish their power.
“Gerald, who never spoke but he swore, was the cleanest-mouthed man I ever met with; while from his book one had gathered that there was one main idea in Gerald's mind; this was purity.”
Despite his constant swearing, Gerald was the most pure-minded man I knew, as his writing revealed his central obsession with purity.
Highlights the paradox of Gerald's character: coarse speech but a fixation on purity.
“The dark knight of purity … the fallen knight of purity, but how fallen!”
Gerald is a knight of purity who has fallen from grace, and his fall is profound.
Summarizes Gerald's tragic, fallen state in the narrator's eyes.