The Story of Ivy · Chapter
Epilogue explained
In the immediate aftermath of Jervis's death, Ivy Lexton feels a fleeting relief that quickly turns into despair as she realizes she has lost everything.
What happens
In the immediate aftermath of Jervis's death, Ivy Lexton feels a fleeting relief that quickly turns into despair as she realizes she has lost everything. Urged to hurry by Rushworth, she prepares to flee but returns to retrieve a valuable bolster bag from her despatch-box, only to find it stolen. In her panic, she rushes out and steps into the open lift shaft, falling to her death. The porter, who had left the lift gates ajar in his excitement over the news of her reprieve, realizes his fatal mistake and reflects on the misfortune Ivy brought to all who knew her.
Themes in this chapter
Crime and Justice
Ivy's reprieve from legal consequences is undercut by her accidental death, suggesting a form of poetic justice or fate intervening where the law could not.
Deception and Self-Deception
Ivy's frantic attempt to retrieve the stolen bolster bag reveals her continued attachment to the illicit 'stuff,' showing her self-deception about escaping her past.
Social Class and Appearance
The porter's secret admiration for 'pretty, pleasant-spoken Ivy' and his fear of losing his position underscore the class dynamics and the public's fascination with her.
Characters to notice
- Ivy Lexton
Ivy experiences a brief moment of relief after Jervis's death, followed by despair over her lost life. She attempts to flee but dies after falling down the lift shaft.
- Miles Rushworth
Rushworth leaves Ivy alone in her bedroom after promising her a place of safety, setting her flight in motion.
- Jervis Lexton
Jervis's death is the catalyst for Ivy's actions; his passing is referenced as the morning she disposed of the 'stuff' from the bolster bag.
Key passages
“For the first few moments, spent alone by her in her bedroom, Ivy could only feel relief—sheer, sobbing relief. Then there came over her a sensation of utter, numb despair.”
Initially alone in her room, Ivy felt an overwhelming relief, but it quickly gave way to a deep, paralyzing hopelessness.
This captures Ivy's emotional shift from relief at Jervis's death to despair over her own ruined life.
“She had lost everything that makes life worth the living to such as she …”
Ivy had lost all the things that made her life meaningful.
This highlights Ivy's materialistic and superficial values, as her 'everything' refers to wealth and social standing.
“Poor, pretty, pleasant-spoken 'Ivy,' as he, in the company of thousands of other men of all ages, conditions, and kinds, had fallen into the way of secretly calling her—she had brought bad luck on everybody who came in touch with her.”
The porter, like many other men, secretly admired Ivy, but now saw her as a source of misfortune for everyone she encountered.
This reflects the public's ambivalent fascination with Ivy and the belief that she was a jinx to those around her.