The History of Mr. Polly · Chapter
Miriam Revisited explained
Five years after arriving at the Potwell Inn, a healthier and plumper Mr.
What happens
Five years after arriving at the Potwell Inn, a healthier and plumper Mr. Polly reflects on his past while fishing. He feels remorse for deserting Miriam, though not for arson. He returns to Fishbourne to find Miriam and Annie running a tea shop under the name 'Polly & Larkins'. Annie tells him that Mr. Polly was found drowned, and the insurance money funded the business. When Miriam sees him, she recognizes him instantly, but Mr. Polly insists he is not coming back, claiming to be a 'Visitant from Another World'.
Themes in this chapter
Marriage and Domesticity
Mr. Polly's reflection on his marriage to Miriam, his desertion, and the contrast between his new life and her continued domestic struggles.
Class and Economic Trap
Miriam's reliance on insurance money to start the tea shop; Mr. Polly's guilt over leaving her in financial uncertainty.
Discontent and Escape
Mr. Polly's retrospective view of his escape from his old life, his lack of remorse for arson, and his contentment at the Potwell Inn.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Polly
Now plumper, browner, and healthier, with a small square beard; reflects on his past, feels remorse for deserting Miriam, and returns to Fishbourne disguised.
- Miriam
Runs a tea shop with Annie under 'Polly & Larkins'; believed Mr. Polly was drowned and used insurance money; recognizes him immediately and fears he has come back.
- Annie
Miriam's sister, now middle-aged and no longer hilarious; works in the shop and tells Mr. Polly about the supposed drowning and insurance.
Key passages
“He was fat, but with a fatness more generally diffused, and the lower part of his face was touched to gravity by a small square beard. Also he was balder.”
Mr. Polly had become plumper and healthier, with a small beard adding gravity to his face, and he had lost more hair.
Describes Mr. Polly's physical transformation after five years at the Potwell Inn.
“He was not glad he had left Miriam. He had seen Miriam cry once or twice in his life, and it had always reduced him to abject commiseration. He now imagined her crying.”
Mr. Polly felt remorse for deserting Miriam, imagining her crying and realizing he had made himself responsible for her life.
Highlights Mr. Polly's guilt and sense of responsibility toward Miriam.
“I haven't come back and I'm not coming back. I'm—I'm a Visitant from Another World. You shut up about me.”
Mr. Polly insists he is not returning to his old life and tells Miriam to keep his survival a secret.
Mr. Polly's final declaration to Miriam, asserting his new identity and separation from his past.