The Story of My Experiments with Truth · Chapter
Playing the English Gentleman explained
Gandhi describes his deepening commitment to vegetarianism through reading works by Salt, Howard Williams, Anna Kingsford, and Dr.
What happens
Gandhi describes his deepening commitment to vegetarianism through reading works by Salt, Howard Williams, Anna Kingsford, and Dr. Allinson, and his friend's final attempt to reform him by taking him to a restaurant where Gandhi's inquiry about soup leads to a confrontation. Deciding to become an English gentleman, he invests in fashionable clothes, a top hat, an evening suit, and a gold watch chain, and takes lessons in dancing, French, elocution, and violin, but soon realizes the futility of these pursuits and returns to his studies.
Themes in this chapter
Vegetarianism and Dietary Discipline
Gandhi's commitment to vegetarianism deepens through reading, and he resists his friend's pressure to eat meat, choosing to go without food rather than compromise.
Self-Discipline and Simplicity
Gandhi briefly adopts extravagant dress and lessons to become an English gentleman, but soon recognizes the vanity and returns to his studies and simpler values.
Education and Self-Improvement
Gandhi's dietetic studies and his eventual rejection of superficial gentlemanly pursuits in favor of focusing on his legal education illustrate his commitment to self-improvement.
Characters to notice
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Deepens his study of vegetarianism, resists peer pressure to eat meat, and briefly adopts English gentlemanly pursuits before abandoning them.
- Dr. Allinson
His writings on health and hygiene, advocating a vegetarian diet, influence Gandhi's dietetic experiments.
Key passages
“My faith in vegetarianism grew on me from day to day. Salt's book whetted my appetite for dietetic studies.”
Gandhi's belief in vegetarianism strengthened daily, and Salt's book sparked his interest in studying dietetics.
Gandhi's intellectual and moral commitment to vegetarianism is reinforced by reading.
“I decided that I should put him at ease, that I should assure him that I would be clumsy no more, but try to become polished and make up for my vegetarianism by cultivating other accomplishments which fitted one for polite society.”
Gandhi resolved to reassure his friend by becoming more refined and acquiring social graces to compensate for his vegetarianism.
Gandhi's attempt to conform to English social norms reflects his internal conflict between principle and acceptance.
“If my character made a gentleman of me, so much the better. Otherwise I should forego the ambition.”
Gandhi concluded that true gentility comes from character, not external accomplishments, and abandoned his superficial pursuits.
Gandhi's realization marks a turning point toward authenticity and self-discipline.