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Part 2, Chapter 5
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Razor’s Edge, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Wisdom and the Meaning of Life
Social Norms and Conformity
Trauma and Self-Destruction
Snobbishness, Social Status, and Cosmopolitanism
Truth and the Problem of Evil
Summary
Analysis
Elliott calls Somerset and tells him that Isabel has broken off her engagement with Larry. Elliott also says that he and Mrs. Bradley don’t approve of the way that Isabel and Larry continue to spend time together as if nothing has happened. Elliott and Mrs. Bradley then devise a plan to separate Isabel from Larry. Elliott tells Isabel that they’re heading to London because Mrs. Bradley has been able to get an appointment with a doctor there. After going to London, it won’t make sense to return to Paris, Elliott says. Plus, he says, there will be plenty of balls in London, along with Wimbledon, so they’ll be busy. Isabel seems glad to go.
This passage gives insight into what social pressure looks like in the novel. When confronted by Isabel’s slightly unconventional decision to continue seeing Larry after they have broken off their engagement, Elliott and Mrs. Bradley devise a plan to ensure it won’t keep happening. With that in mind, the novel shows that social forces aren’t just abstract pressures one might feel if one refuses to conform; instead, for Isabel, those social pressures can include actual plots put in place by friends or family members to try and ensure that she acts as others see fit.
Themes
