The Way of All Flesh · Chapter
XXXIV explained
Alethea Pontifex devises a plan to engage Ernest in building an organ, hoping to develop his physical and practical skills while nurturing his love of music.
What happens
Alethea Pontifex devises a plan to engage Ernest in building an organ, hoping to develop his physical and practical skills while nurturing his love of music. She sets up a carpentry workshop and arranges for instruction, which brings Ernest great joy and improvement. Theobald and Christina reluctantly consent, with Christina indulging in grandiose fantasies about the organ's future. Alethea refrains from giving advice but provides affectionate support, though she still does not make a will.
Themes in this chapter
Education and Indoctrination
Contrasts the oppressive, rote learning of Latin and Greek with the engaging, hands-on education Alethea provides through carpentry and organ-building.
Self-Discovery and Authenticity
Ernest finds genuine joy and a sense of purpose in making things, a stark contrast to the inauthentic pursuits imposed by his parents.
Hypocrisy of Victorian Morality
Theobald and Christina's scruples about low company and worldly pursuits are quickly set aside when they see potential benefit, revealing their underlying self-interest.
Characters to notice
- Alethea Pontifex
Devises the organ-building scheme to engage Ernest, sets up a workshop, and provides affectionate, hands-off support.
- Ernest Pontifex
Eagerly takes to carpentry and organ-building, showing marked improvement in spirits and appearance under his aunt's care.
- Theobald Pontifex
Reluctantly consents to the organ plan, writes a surly letter warning Ernest about distractions and low company.
- Christina Pontifex
Initially hesitant, then embraces the idea with grandiose fantasies about the organ's fame and her own reflected glory.
Key passages
“If Alethea had been as poor as the Misses Allaby, the reader may guess what Ernest’s papa and mamma would have said to this proposal; but then, if she had been as poor as they, she would never have made it.”
Theobald and Christina's approval of Alethea's plan depended on her wealth; they would have rejected it if she were poor, but she would not have proposed it in that case.
Highlights the hypocrisy and class-consciousness of Ernest's parents.
“The advantage of doing one’s praising for oneself is that one can lay it on so thick and exactly in the right places.”
Christina's self-flattering fantasies about the organ's future fame allow her to indulge in exaggerated praise of herself.
Satirizes Christina's vanity and self-deception.
“His inner self never told him that this was humbug, as it did about Latin and Greek.”
Unlike his studies, carpentry felt genuine and meaningful to Ernest, not like a pretense.
Emphasizes the authenticity of hands-on learning versus the emptiness of traditional education.