III explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Isolation and Detachment

  Heyst's deliberate choice to drift through life, body and soul, as a defense against life, exemplifies his detachment from the world.

• Illusion vs. Reality

  Schomberg's illusions about his own charm and the nature of the girl's feelings contrast with the reality of her escape with Heyst.

• Love and Sacrifice

  Lena's trust and near-offering of herself to Heyst, driven by a desire for safety and instinct, hints at themes of love and sacrifice.

Characters to notice

• Axel Heyst

  Heyst's formative years with his father and his decision to drift through life are recounted. He experiences a profound emotional impact upon seeing Alma (Lena) again after their initial encounter.

• Lena

  Referred to as Alma, she gives Heyst a glance of frank tenderness, and later is described as having almost offered herself to Heyst out of a desire for safety and trust.

• Schomberg

  Schomberg's obsession with Heyst is detailed: his wounded vanity, public denunciations, and belief that Heyst ruined his life. His moral weakness leads to corruption.

• Baron Heyst

  Heyst's father, an expatriated Swede and disillusioned thinker, whose influence left Heyst with a profound mistrust of life.

• Davidson

  Mentioned as having observed changes in Schomberg's establishment two months after Heyst's departure with the girl.

• Zangiacomo

  His orchestra's performers are part of the setting; Schomberg initially suspects the Zangiacomos of playing a trick on him regarding the girl.

Key passages

• “I'll drift, Heyst had said to himself deliberately. He did not mean intellectually or sentimentally or morally. He meant to drift altogether and literally, body and soul, like a detached leaf drifting in the wind-currents under the immovable trees of a forest glade; to drift without ever catching on to anything.”

  Heyst consciously decided to live without attachment, drifting through life like a leaf in the wind, avoiding any commitment or connection.

  This captures Heyst's philosophy of detachment as a defense against life.

• “For every age is fed on illusions, lest men should renounce life early and the human race come to an end.”

  People of all ages rely on self-deception to keep them from giving up on life too soon, ensuring the continuation of humanity.

  This reflects the theme of illusion vs. reality, particularly in Schomberg's self-deception.

• “Schomberg had Heyst on the brain. Even the unsatisfactory state of his affairs... he referred to some subtly noxious influence of Heyst.”

  Schomberg became obsessed with Heyst, blaming him for all his personal and business troubles.

  Highlights Schomberg's irrational fixation and moral decline.