The Last Man · Chapter
VII explained
The chapter depicts the rise of fanaticism and superstition as the plague spreads, with a mad prophet in Windsor terrifying the populace.
What happens
The chapter depicts the rise of fanaticism and superstition as the plague spreads, with a mad prophet in Windsor terrifying the populace. Lionel returns to find his household stricken; an old nurse dies of the plague, and Idris is grief-stricken. Lionel contemplates the future, resolves to protect his family, and reflects on his past redemption through Adrian and Idris.
Themes in this chapter
Grief and Memory
The death of the old nurse and the mad prophet's lament for his wife and child highlight the pervasive grief caused by the plague.
Isolation and Solitude
Lionel's night vigil and his fear of being the last man underscore the theme of solitude in the face of mass death.
Fate and Free Will
Lionel's resolve to protect his family and his meditation on the future reflect the tension between inevitable fate and human agency.
Characters to notice
- Lionel Verney
Narrator; returns from London, witnesses the mad prophet, tends to Idris and the dying nurse, and resolves to safeguard his family.
- Idris
Lionel's wife; grief-stricken over the death of her old nurse, fears for her children, and finds comfort in Lionel's return.
- Adrian
Mentioned as the one who once superintended the poor; his absence is noted in the current crisis.
- The Countess
Idris's mother; described as haughty and unbending, leading Idris to have few tender filial associations with her.
- Clara
One of the children; mentioned as a favourite of the deceased nurse.
- Alfred
One of the children; mentioned as a favourite of the deceased nurse.
- Evelyn
One of the children; mentioned as a favourite of the deceased nurse.
- Florio
One of the children; mentioned as a favourite of the deceased nurse.
Key passages
“It is too late to be ambitious... one face of Janus holds no proportion to the other.”
Ambition is futile because our legacy cannot outlast our brief lives.
The narrator uses this quote to introduce the rise of fanatics who preach the end of the world.
“Death is among us! The earth is beautiful and flower-bedecked, but she is our grave!”
Death is present; the beautiful earth is actually our tomb.
The mad prophet's sermon emphasizes the omnipresence of death.
“I was awake, alive, while the brother of death possessed my race.”
I was the only one awake while sleep, death's sibling, held everyone else.
Lionel reflects on his solitary vigil during the night.
“Great God! would it one day be thus? One day all extinct, save myself, should I walk the earth alone?”
Would the day come when I am the only survivor, walking a dead world?
Lionel's premonition of becoming the last man.