# LIII explained — The Survivors of the Chancellor

> Chapter companion for The Survivors of the Chancellor by Jules Verne.

## What happens

The eleven survivors on the raft agree to draw lots to determine who will be killed and eaten. M. Letourneur volunteers to draw the names, and after a tense process, Dowlas is selected as the victim. M. Letourneur secretly tears up the last slip, which bears his son André's name, sacrificing himself to save his son.

## Themes in this chapter

### Survival and Sacrifice

The lottery is a desperate measure for survival, and M. Letourneur's secret destruction of his son's name exemplifies ultimate paternal sacrifice.

### Fatherly Love and Devotion

M. Letourneur volunteers to draw the lots and then sacrifices himself to save his son André.

### Hope and Despair

The lottery represents the nadir of despair, yet M. Letourneur's act preserves a glimmer of hope for his son.

## Character check-ins

### M. Letourneur

Volunteers to draw the lots, secretly destroys the slip bearing his son's name to sacrifice himself.

### André Letourneur

Falls senseless when his name is called; his father secretly saves him.

### Miss Herbey

Forced to participate in the lottery despite André's plea for her exemption.

### Dowlas

The carpenter whose name is drawn as the victim.

### Mr. Kazallon

Narrator who picks up the torn fragment of paper and discovers M. Letourneur's secret.

### Burke

First name drawn, cries out in delight.

## Key lines

> All heard and understood the proposition; in fact, it had been in contemplation for several days, but no one had ventured to put the idea into words. However, it was done now; lots were to be drawn, and to each would be assigned his share of the body of the one ordained by fate to be the victim.

Everyone had been thinking about cannibalism for days but no one dared say it; now the decision was made to draw lots to choose a victim.

_The grim consensus to resort to cannibalism is finally voiced and enacted._

> M. Letourneur took the last bit of paper from the hat, and without looking at it, tore it to pieces. But, unperceived by all but myself, one little fragment flew into a corner of the raft. I crawled towards it and picked it up. On one side of it was written Andr-; the rest of the word was torn away.

M. Letourneur tore up the final slip without reading it, but a fragment with 'Andr-' on it fell to the raft, revealing his secret sacrifice.

_The father's hidden act of self-sacrifice is discovered by the narrator._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_survivors_of_the_chancellor_se/chapters/liii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_survivors_of_the_chancellor_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_survivors_of_the_chancellor_se/chapters