The Innocents Abroad · Chapter
XXXV explained
The travelers sail through the Bosporus and Black Sea to Sebastopol, where they witness the devastating ruins of the Crimean War.
What happens
The travelers sail through the Bosporus and Black Sea to Sebastopol, where they witness the devastating ruins of the Crimean War. They are warmly received by Russian officials, who offer them unusual hospitality and even suggest a visit to the Emperor. The chapter also humorously depicts Blucher's absurd relic-hunting and the travelers' habit of calling all guides 'Ferguson.'
Themes in this chapter
The Absurdity of War
The chapter vividly describes the utter destruction of Sebastopol and the futile, desperate fighting at the Malakoff, highlighting war's senseless devastation.
Satire of Tourism
Blucher's comical relic-hunting and mislabeling, along with the travelers' habit of calling all guides 'Ferguson,' satirize the superficial and dishonest practices of tourists.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Describes the ruins of Sebastopol, interacts with Russian and English visitors, and comments on Blucher's relic collection.
- Mr. Blucher
Collects and mislabels relics, including a 'Fragment of a Russian General' that is actually a horse's jawbone, and gathers pebbles falsely labeled as from Mars Hill.
- Ferguson
The Turkish guide 'Faraway Moses' is called Ferguson by the travelers, much to his exasperation.
- Jack
Mentioned as the roommate whose passport the narrator uses after losing his own.
Key passages
“Ruined Pompeii is in good condition compared to Sebastopol.”
Sebastopol is even more destroyed than the famous ruins of Pompeii.
Hyperbolic comparison emphasizing the extent of war damage.
“Fragment of a Russian General! This is absurd. Are you never going to learn any sense?”
The narrator scolds Blucher for labeling a horse's jawbone as a piece of a Russian general.
Highlights Blucher's dishonest relic-collecting and the narrator's frustration.
“All guides are Fergusons to us. We cannot master their dreadful foreign names.”
The travelers call every guide Ferguson because they cannot remember or pronounce their real names.
Illustrates the travelers' dismissive attitude toward local culture and guides.