# XXI: A Prejudice explained — The Leavenworth Case

> Chapter companion for The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green.

## What happens

Mr. Raymond confronts Mr. Harwell about his dream and his knowledge of a letter from Henry Clavering. Harwell admits he opened the letter by mistake, which complained of treatment by one of Mr. Leavenworth's nieces. He also reveals Mr. Leavenworth's intense prejudice against the English, deepening suspicion around Clavering.

## Themes in this chapter

### Secrecy and Truth

Harwell's hidden knowledge of the letter and his dream, and the narrator's pursuit of the truth about Clavering.

### Guilt and Innocence

Harwell's dream suggests Clavering's guilt, while Eleanore's potential involvement remains ambiguous.

### Class and Morality

Leavenworth's prejudice against the English and the social implications of a cross-national marriage.

## Character check-ins

### The Narrator

Interviews Mr. Harwell, pressing him about the letter and his dream, and learns of Leavenworth's anti-English prejudice.

### Mr. Harwell

Reveals his prophetic dream of the murder, admits to opening a letter from Henry Clavering, and describes Leavenworth's hatred of the English.

### Horatio Leavenworth

Mentioned as having a bitter prejudice against the English, which would have influenced his reaction to a potential marriage.

### Henry Clavering

Identified as the Englishman who wrote a letter of complaint to Mr. Leavenworth, now suspected in the murder.

### Eleanore Leavenworth

Implicitly connected to the letter and the possibility of a relationship with Clavering, causing the narrator concern.

## Key lines

> if the murderer of Mr. Leavenworth is ever brought to confess his deed, mark my words, he will prove to be the man of my dream.

Harwell insists that the killer will turn out to be the man from his dream.

_Harwell expresses strong conviction about his prophetic dream._

> He had a hatred for the English race amounting to mania. If he had known the letter I have mentioned was from an Englishman, I doubt if he would have read it.

Leavenworth's extreme prejudice against the English would have made him refuse to read a letter from an Englishman.

_Harwell reveals Leavenworth's intense anti-English bias._

> I opened it by mistake. I was in the habit of reading Mr. Leavenworth’s business letters, and this, being from one unaccustomed to write to him, lacked the mark which usually distinguished those of a private nature.

Harwell accidentally opened the letter from Clavering because it lacked the usual private marking.

_Harwell explains how he came to read Clavering's letter._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters/xxi-a-prejudice
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_leavenworth_case_se/chapters