The Way of All Flesh · Chapter
LXIII explained
The narrator visits Theobald to inform him of Ernest's disgrace and imprisonment.
What happens
The narrator visits Theobald to inform him of Ernest's disgrace and imprisonment. Theobald reacts by disowning Ernest, refusing further contact, and offering a conditional hundred pounds. The narrator reflects on the systemic failures of upbringing and heredity that led to the tragedy.
Themes in this chapter
Heredity and Environment
The narrator reflects on how ancestral influences and upbringing shape character, questioning whether Ernest's faults are congenital or postnatal.
Hypocrisy of Victorian Morality
Theobald's swift disownment and the family's self-righteousness contrast with the systemic failures of their religious and social milieu.
Parental Tyranny and Filial Rebellion
The chapter details Theobald's harsh rejection of Ernest, continuing the pattern of parental cruelty and estrangement.
Characters to notice
- Theobald Pontifex
Theobald meets the narrator at the station, learns of Ernest's disgrace, and promptly disowns him, refusing any further communication.
- Christina Pontifex
Christina is mentioned as Ernest's mother who idolized him; the narrator decides not to see her.
- Ernest Pontifex
Ernest is the subject of the bad news; his childhood suffering and the systemic failures of his upbringing are reflected upon.
- George Pontifex
George Pontifex is recalled as Theobald's harsh father, part of the ancestral chain of cruelty.
- Miss Maitland
Miss Maitland is the woman whose accusations led to Ernest's legal trouble; the narrator suggests the incident was exaggerated.
- Alethea Pontifex
Alethea is referenced indirectly through the narrator's decision to violate her instructions regarding Ernest's inheritance.
Key passages
“I will have nothing more to do with him,” he exclaimed promptly, “I will never see his face again; do not let him write either to me or to his mother; we know of no such person.”
Theobald immediately declares he will cut off all contact with Ernest, forbidding any letters or communication.
Theobald's reaction is one of complete disownment, reflecting his rigid moral stance.
“If this proves to be the case, tell him from me that I will give him a hundred pounds if he will tell me through you when he will have it paid, but tell him not to write and thank me”
Theobald offers a conditional hundred pounds to Ernest, but insists on no direct communication or thanks.
The conditional offer shows Theobald's attempt to maintain control while distancing himself.
“If a man is to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, he must do so, not only as a little child, but as a little embryo, or rather as a little zoösperm”
The narrator suggests that spiritual redemption requires a purity that extends back to one's ancestral origins.
This reflects the narrator's deterministic view of heredity and moral development.