# II: The Cavalier of Low Creatures explained — The Green Hat

> Chapter companion for The Green Hat by Michael Arlen.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_green_hat_se/chapters/ii-the-cavalier-of-low-creatures
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_green_hat_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_green_hat_se/chapters