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Chapter 17
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Burmese Days, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Imperialism and Hypocrisy
Status and Racism
Class, Gender, and Sex
Freedom of Speech, Self-Expression, and Loneliness
Friendship and Loyalty
Summary
Analysis
The following day, Flory returns to his work in the jungle, which he has been neglecting. He writes Elizabeth a letter to which she does not respond—she has been hearing terrible rumors about him from Ellis and has concluded he is a “highbrow,” like the artists she hated in Paris.
Oddly, Elizabeth’s damning conclusion about Flory is that he’s a “highbrow,” or an intellectual. When she connects him in her mind with Parisian artists, whom she associates with her irresponsible bohemian mother and with poverty, it suggests that she is rejecting him not so much because of Ma Hla May herself as because she has decided he is not enough of a culturally and economically safe choice for a husband.
Themes
Days pass, and despite overtures from the other Europeans, Verrall ignores them in favor of his horses. The others would have worshipped him for paying them attention, but now they hate him for “snobbishness.” He’s the youngest son of a peer, not rich, and in the habit of dodging his bills. He holds everyone in contempt except cavalry officers who play polo. He hates women as a distraction from polo, though since coming to Burma he has had some affairs—from which, however, he always “escapes.”
That the other British people would have worshipped the aristocratic Verrall for socializing with them but hate him when he doesn’t reinforces the importance of status to human psychology: the British people instinctively recognize Verrall as higher status than they are by birth and want to socialize with him to obtain some of his status through social contact. When he denies it to them, they hate him for his “snobbishness”—even though they themselves are snobbishly invested in his social status. Meanwhile, the detail that Verrall always “escapes” from his romantic entanglements may foreshadow that he is not as good a prospective husband for Elizabeth as Mrs. Lackersteen hopes.
Themes
A week passes without Verrall and Elizabeth meeting, much to Elizabeth and Mrs. Lackersteen’s disappointment. Then one morning, Mrs. Lackersteen boldly insists that she and Elizabeth take a “short-cut” to the club that brings them directly into Verrall’s path, allowing her to greet him. Verrall is annoyed with the women’s brazen behavior until he gets a look at Elizabeth and is struck by her attractiveness. When Mrs. Lackersteen makes a sly comment about missing Verrall at the club, he claims he's been very busy, apologizes, and promises to come that evening.
Here the novel again makes clear the transactional nature of sexuality in its worldview: Mrs. Lackersteen leverages Elizabeth’s attractiveness to get aristocratic Verrall to socialize with the other British people in Kyauktada—and, in so doing, to share some of his status with them through social contact.
Themes
That evening, Verrall arrives early at the club. When Ellis enters, the butler runs to him crying and complains that the new visitor has been hitting him. Ellis finds Verrall in the lounge and asks why he hit the butler; Verrall replies that the butler talked back to him. Ellis is annoyed because he thinks of the butler as club “property” that Verrall has no right to mistreat, but when he protests, Verrall threatens to kick Ellis—and Ellis is unexpectedly intimidated.
Verrall’s violent treatment of the butler and Ellis’s view of the butler as “property” illustrates both men’s casual racism. Meanwhile, Verrall’s ability to intimidate Ellis marks Verrall as higher status than Ellis.
Themes
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Later, Macgregor approaches the club, anticipating telling Elizabeth—whom he thinks is “exceptionally intelligent”—a long story about a robber gang in Sagoing. He’s very disappointed when he finds Elizabeth dancing on the tennis court with Verrall while the other Europeans watch. Indeed, all the older men feel very jealous. After dancing, Verrall invites Elizabeth to ride with him the next morning and then leaves, having paid little attention to anyone else. Back at home, Mrs. Lackersteen devises an attractive riding costume for Elizabeth and promises that they won’t accompany Mr. Lackersteen back into the jungle in a few days—instead, they’ll stay in Kyauktada (where Verrall will be).
Readers may recall that Macgregor views Elizabeth as “exceptionally intelligent” because she doesn’t interrupt his boring stories like everyone else does—a preference suggesting that what the British men at the Club want from a woman is subservience and praise. The jealousy of Macgregor and the other older men when Verrall dances with Elizabeth suggests that they all have some degree of sexual interest in Elizabeth.
Themes
