# XVII explained — The Perennial Bachelor

> Chapter companion for The Perennial Bachelor by Anne Parrish.

## What happens

At a Ladies' Guild meeting, Mrs. Leaf serves tea and bread and butter instead of the usual coffee and cake, disappointing the ladies. The guest, Mrs. Hawthorn from New York, is charming but condescending. May (Maggie) is deeply resentful, feeling that she and her sisters sacrifice everything for Victor's education. Victor, now at Harvard, experiences homesickness and loneliness but eventually makes friends and enjoys college life.

## Themes in this chapter

### Family Sacrifice and Duty

May's outburst reveals the deep resentment over the family's sacrifices for Victor's education, highlighting the theme of duty versus personal desire.

### Social Class and Decline

The contrast between the Campion sisters' homemade clothes and Mrs. Hawthorn's elegance underscores the family's social decline and the sting of being seen as 'country bumpkins.'

### Isolation and Loneliness

Victor's initial homesickness at Harvard and his feeling of being lost in a strange place highlight the theme of isolation.

## Character check-ins

### Maggie Campion

May is resentful of the sacrifices made for Victor, feeling trapped and bitter about her own lack of opportunities.

### Lily Campion

Lily admires Mrs. Hawthorn's elegance, contrasting with May's bitterness.

### Victor Campion

Victor is at Harvard, experiencing homesickness and loneliness but eventually adapting and making friends.

### Mrs. Hawthorn

The New York guest who serves as a catalyst for May's outburst, representing a glamorous but condescending outsider.

### Mrs. Leaf

Hosts the Guild meeting, flustered by the change in refreshments and eager to please her New York guest.

## Key lines

> I’m sick and tired of wearing a steamed velvet iron-holder trimmed with an old duck wing Maggie’s cured on the wagon-shed wall, because I can’t afford a hat, and so Victor can.

May expresses her frustration at having to wear old, patched clothing so that Victor can have new things.

_This quote illustrates May's resentment of the family's sacrifices for Victor._

> He sat in his small room looking as lost as if he were alone on a raft in the middle of the sea.

Victor felt completely isolated and disoriented in his new surroundings at Harvard.

_This simile captures Victor's initial loneliness and homesickness._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_perennial_bachelor_se/chapters/xvii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_perennial_bachelor_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_perennial_bachelor_se/chapters