Previous
Part 7, Chapter 1
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
At the police station in Toulon, Somerset is taken to the chief inspector’s office. The inspector has a copy of one of Somerset’s books that Somerset signed and gave to Sophie. The inspector shows Somerset a photo and asks if he knows the person. Somerset recognizes Larry immediately. At first, Somerset doesn’t want to answer because he doesn’t want Larry brought into the situation, but he thinks better of it and tells the inspector that the name of the man in the photo is Laurence Darrell. When the inspector asks, Somerset says Larry is living in Sanary. Somerset thinks Larry will be able to quickly prove he had nothing to do with Sophie’s death. Because there is no one else to do so, Somerset also arranges and pays for Sophie’s funeral preparations.
For the second time in the novel, Somerset finds himself making funeral arrangements. Somerset’s decision to organize Sophie’s funeral shows how much his approach to life differs from someone like Elliott, as Elliott most likely would never have been friends with someone like Sophie. While self-interest marked almost all of Elliott’s actions, Somerset has nothing to gain for himself by arranging Sophie’s funeral, and he seems to do it simply because he thinks it is a decent and respectable thing to do.
Themes
When Somerset goes to the police station the next day, he finds Larry there. The inspector says that Larry has been cleared of any suspicion, and Larry and Somerset then go to breakfast. Larry says he has given up his income and that he plans to return to the U.S. He says he's also finished his book, and Somerset should receive a copy soon. Larry also adds that Sophie is the only woman he could have seen himself marrying. He says she “had a lovely soul.” Somerset notices that Larry doesn’t mention Isabel.
Larry’s statement that Sophie “had a lovely soul” highlights Larry’s propensity to develop friendships and relationships based on the spiritual connection he feels with a person. The novel contrasts that approach to Somerset’s approach to relationships based on how interesting he finds a given person and Elliott’s transactional approach to relationships in which he deems a person worthy of his time based on what they can do for him.
Themes
