The Last Man · Chapter
VII explained
The chapter details the intense political contest for Lord Protector of England, focusing on Lord Raymond's campaign and the emotional turmoil it causes Perdita.
What happens
The chapter details the intense political contest for Lord Protector of England, focusing on Lord Raymond's campaign and the emotional turmoil it causes Perdita. Raymond initially resists but ultimately throws himself into the race with renewed vigor, winning the election. The narrative also reflects on the preceding years of domestic happiness at Windsor, the birth of children, and the underlying tensions in Raymond and Perdita's relationship as ambition clashes with love.
Themes in this chapter
Ambition and Power
Raymond's drive for political success and the lengths he goes to secure the Protectorship, despite the cost to his personal happiness.
Love and Sacrifice
Perdita's agonizing fear for Raymond's well-being and her willingness to sacrifice her own peace for his ambition.
Fate and Free Will
Perdita's presentiments of ill and the sense of inevitable calamity that hangs over the characters' choices.
Characters to notice
- Lionel Verney
Narrator and active participant in Raymond's campaign, observing the emotional dynamics between Raymond and Perdita.
- Lord Raymond
The ambitious candidate for Lord Protector; initially despondent after humiliation, he becomes determined and wins the election, displaying both charm and inner turmoil.
- Perdita
Raymond's wife, tormented by fear and presentiment of ill; she oscillates between despair and hope, dreading the consequences of his success.
- Adrian
Supports Raymond's candidacy, rides alongside the carriage, and helps dispel Perdita's melancholy with his gaiety.
- Idris
Warmly interested in the election outcome, she attempts to calm Perdita during the tense final night.
- Clara
Raymond and Perdita's young daughter, described as a miniature model of her father, a source of comfort and anxiety for Perdita.
- Ryland
Mentioned as one of the opposing candidates for Lord Protector, alongside the Duke of ⸻.
Key passages
“she did not spare us, and our own reflections added to our disquietude.”
She criticized us harshly, and our own thoughts only increased our unease.
Reflects the emotional tension surrounding Raymond's campaign.
“He would embark in a balloon; he would sail for a distant quarter of the world, where his name and humiliation were unknown.”
He considered escaping by balloon or sailing to a remote place where no one knew of his shame.
Raymond's initial desire to flee after his humiliation.
“She erected a temple for him in the depth of her being, and each faculty was a priestess vowed to his service.”
She built a shrine to him within herself, dedicating every part of her being to his worship.
Describes Perdita's total devotion to Raymond.
“Scenes of happiness! scenes sacred to devoted love, when shall I see you again! and when I see ye, shall I be still the beloved and joyous Perdita, or shall I, heartbroken and lost, wander among your groves, the ghost of what I am!”
Oh happy places of devoted love! When will I return? And when I do, will I still be the joyful Perdita, or a heartbroken ghost?
Perdita's foreboding lament as she leaves Windsor.
“How very happy were they that night! How full even to bursting was their sense of joy!”
They were extremely happy that night, their joy overflowing.
The temporary happiness after Raymond's victory.
