# VIII explained — The Last Man

> Chapter companion for The Last Man by Mary Shelley.

## What happens

Adrian, Lionel, Clara, and Evelyn journey through the Alps and into Italy, seeking solace in nature and each other's company amid a desolate world. They descend from Chamonix, loiter through Switzerland, and cross into Italy, where they pass through Milan and eventually reach a villa near Como. Evelyn dies and is buried under a cypress, and Clara, grief-stricken, begs to leave. They bid farewell to the villa and Evelyn's grave, departing for Rome.

## Themes in this chapter

### Grief and Memory

The chapter is suffused with grief over Evelyn's death and the loss of the old world, yet memory of past joys provides bittersweet consolation.

### Nature and Humanity

Nature is both a source of sublime beauty and a reflection of their desolation; the Alps and Italian landscapes are central to the characters' emotional journey.

### Isolation and Solitude

The small group is isolated in an empty world, finding happiness only in each other's company amid universal desolation.

## Character check-ins

### Adrian

Speaks of their duties to bestow pleasure and love, proposes descending to Italy for Clara's sake, and is a source of consolation and philosophy.

### Lionel Verney

Narrates the journey, reflects on their happiness and grief, and cares for Clara and Evelyn.

### Clara

Referred to as the 'little queen of the world,' she tends to Evelyn, dresses in splendid robes, and after Evelyn's death begs to be taken away from the villa.

### Evelyn

The little boy who dies and is buried under a cypress; his death deepens the group's grief.

## Key lines

> Thus are we left," said Adrian, "two melancholy blasted trees, where once a forest waved. We are left to mourn, and pine, and die.

Adrian compares their small group to two withered trees in a place that was once a thriving forest, emphasizing their isolation and grief.

_Highlights the theme of isolation and the loss of the human community._

> We placed his remains under a cypress, the upright mountain being scooped out to receive them.

They buried Evelyn in a grave carved into the mountain beneath a cypress tree.

_Marks the death of Evelyn and the deepening of the group's sorrow._

> Thus tottering on the dizzy brink, we were happy.

Despite living on the edge of disaster and loss, they found moments of happiness.

_Captures the paradoxical joy they experience in the midst of desolation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters/volume-iii-viii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_last_man_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_last_man_se/chapters