The Way of All Flesh · Chapter
LXXXI explained
Ernest, now financially secure through his aunt's inheritance, abandons attempts at periodical writing after repeated rejections and begins focusing on serious literary work.
What happens
Ernest, now financially secure through his aunt's inheritance, abandons attempts at periodical writing after repeated rejections and begins focusing on serious literary work. He struggles with the idea of being a gentleman and considers returning to shopkeeping, but his godson Overton dissuades him. On his twenty-eighth birthday, Overton reveals the inheritance, and Ernest becomes the owner of over £70,000, reflecting on the pain it will cause his family.
Themes in this chapter
Money and Social Class
Ernest grapples with the value of being a gentleman versus financial independence, ultimately finding that money brings more security than social status.
Self-Discovery and Authenticity
Ernest abandons attempts to fit into literary circles and considers returning to shopkeeping, seeking a path true to his nature.
Heredity and Environment
Ernest compares himself to a caterpillar that must start over after a fall, reflecting on how his upbringing and failures shape his current struggles.
Characters to notice
- Ernest Pontifex
Struggles with literary rejection, considers returning to shopkeeping, and finally receives his inheritance from his aunt.
- Mr. Overton
Narrates the chapter, supports Ernest, helps him get an introduction to a paper, and reveals the inheritance on his twenty-eighth birthday.
- Towneley
Mentioned as one of the few friends who will be pleased by Ernest's inheritance.
- Theobald Pontifex
Ernest's father, who Ernest decides not to inform about the inheritance to avoid causing pain.
- Christina Pontifex
Ernest's mother, similarly excluded from knowledge of the inheritance.
- Alethea Pontifex
Ernest's deceased aunt who left him the fortune, revealed through a deathbed letter.
- Ellen
Mentioned as the reason Ernest did not make money when he tried to start over at a lower social level.
Key passages
“I see that demand is very imperious, and supply must be very suppliant.”
Ernest observes that the market dictates terms, and those offering their work must be humble in response.
Reflects Ernest's frustration with the literary market's power over writers.
“If I were rendering this moment in music, I should allow myself free use of the augmented sixth.”
Ernest says that to capture this moment in music, he would use a dissonant chord to express complex emotion.
Shows Ernest's artistic temperament and his mixed feelings about the inheritance.
“It is not the pleasure it causes me which I enjoy so, it is the pain it will cause to all my friends except yourself and Towneley.”
Ernest finds more satisfaction in the discomfort his inheritance will cause his enemies than in his own happiness.
Highlights Ernest's lingering resentment toward his family and society.