# Chapter XXVI explained — The Voyage Out > Chapter companion for The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf. ## What happens Evelyn Murgatroyd prepares to leave Santa Marina, packing her belongings and feeling a lingering presence of Rachel. She meets Mr. Perrott in the garden, who proposes marriage again, but Evelyn is evasive and uncertain, preferring to delay a decision. At luncheon, the group discusses Rachel's death, with Evelyn questioning the meaning of death and immortality. Arthur Venning diverts the conversation to a story about his grandfather. After lunch, Mrs. Flushing grieves silently and angrily, while Mr. Flushing and Mrs. Thornbury discuss the carelessness that led to Rachel's illness. Mrs. Thornbury reflects on life, death, and order, finding solace in her husband's presence. ## Themes in this chapter ### Death and Mortality The chapter centers on the aftermath of Rachel's death, with characters questioning the meaning of death, the possibility of an afterlife, and the fragility of life. ### Love and Marriage Evelyn's indecision about Mr. Perrott's proposal and her desire to avoid finality reflect the complexities of love and marriage in the face of societal expectations. ## Character check-ins ### Evelyn Murgatroyd Packs her belongings, feels Rachel's presence, and struggles with Mr. Perrott's marriage proposal, showing her indecisiveness and desire to keep moving. ### Alfred Perrott Proposes to Evelyn again, expressing his sincere feelings but receiving an evasive answer; he remains patient and hopeful. ### Mrs. Flushing Grieves silently and angrily over Rachel's death, refusing to submit to death and pacing in fury. ### Mr. Wilfrid Flushing Discusses the carelessness that led to Rachel's illness, expressing annoyance and defending the expedition. ### Mrs. Thornbury Reflects on Rachel's death, seeking order and meaning in life, and comforts her husband by discussing politics. ### Arthur Venning Diverts the conversation at luncheon with a story about his grandfather's clerk, successfully smoothing over the discussion of death. ## Key lines > She was leaving, and, therefore, she occupied herself in laying her clothes out side by side upon the bed. She observed that some were very shabby. As she prepared to depart, she busied herself by arranging her clothes on the bed, noticing that some were worn out. _Evelyn's packing reflects her avoidance of emotional decisions and her focus on mundane tasks._ > Suddenly the keen feeling of someone’s personality, which things that they have owned or handled sometimes preserves, overcame her; she felt Rachel in the room with her. She was suddenly overwhelmed by a vivid sense of Rachel's presence, as if the objects Rachel had touched still held her essence. _Evelyn experiences a haunting connection to Rachel through a photograph, highlighting the theme of memory and loss._ > What had she done with her life? What future was there before her? What was make-believe, and what was real? She questioned the meaning of her past, her future, and the authenticity of her experiences. _Evelyn's existential crisis mirrors the broader theme of self-discovery and ignorance._ > She hated death; she was furious, outraged, indignant with death, as if it were a living creature. Mrs. Flushing felt a deep, personal anger toward death, treating it as an enemy that had wronged her. _Mrs. Flushing's raw grief contrasts with the more subdued reactions of others, emphasizing the theme of death and mortality._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/xxvi - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_voyage_out_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters