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Part 5, Chapter 2
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
Somerset heads to the Riviera the next day. When he sees Elliott, he doesn’t look well. He tells Somerset that he’s made plans for his funeral, and he wants Somerset to be in charge of ensuring that his wishes are carried out. Somerset says of course he’ll do what Elliott wants, but he’s sure that nothing will happen for years to come. Elliott continues to frequently attend parties, despite occasionally being visibly unwell. “If you’re not seen everywhere, you’re forgotten,” he says to Somerset.
Even as Elliott’s health declines, he still thinks attending parties is one of life’s most important functions. The novel depicts that pursuit as ridiculous if not pitiable, the attempt of someone who is nearing death to grasp onto relevance while it quickly speeds away, especially considering Elliott’s maxim: if you’re not seen everywhere, you’ll be forgotten. If that’s true, then soon Elliott will be gone and won’t be seen anywhere, so he’ll be forgotten, rendering his life, and his pursuit of social status, meaningless on his own terms because that status will have escaped him, once and for all.
Themes
