Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Brideshead Revisited, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Innocence, Experience, and Redemption
Suffering, Persecution, and Martyrdom
Authority, Rebellion, and Love
War and Peace
Globalization, Culture, and Modernity
Summary
Analysis
After his time as a student in Paris, Charles goes back to London for the “General Strike” in 1926. He has heard rumors in France that England is undergoing a violent revolution, but when he returns, he is disappointed to find this is not the case and that the situation is rather subdued. Charles goes to see a band in a jazz club in London and runs into Anthony Blanche and Boy Mulcaster. Boy seems out of his element in the club, and Anthony tells him that he should go back to the Old Hundredth and takes Charles to a table.
The General Strike was a large-scale protest among working-class miners against mine closures in England. Charles goes back to fight on the side of the conservatives, who do not support the strike and want to suppress the workers. Charles wants a cause to fight for and does not really care what the cause is. This demonstrates his yearning to go to war with something, even though he has no experience of what real warfare is like.
Themes
Anthony tells Charles that Sebastian has recently been to stay with him and that he still drinks very heavily. Anticipating Charles’s reaction, Anthony tells him that he did everything he could to stop Sebastian, but Sebastian stole from him and pawned his belongings for drink. They travelled to Tangier together, and here Sebastian formed a relationship with a German soldier, who had shot his own toe off and who now had a wound which wouldn’t heal. Anthony found the pair depressing and left them together to return to England. He looks around sarcastically as he says this.
Anthony assumes that Charles will blame him and think that he corrupted Sebastian. This is because Anthony, who does not fit in or conform, expects to be ostracized and persecuted in conventional society. Anthony has grown up, however, and no longer lives to shock people. Unlike Sebastian, he has seemingly accepted his adulthood and grown up gracefully, rather than resisting this transition or trying to suppress his problems through substance abuse. He is a very strong character and seems to be very comfortable with his lifestyle, which would have been considered unconventional in this period.
Themes
Boy Mulcaster grows bored of the club, where he does not fit in and does not know anyone. He decides to set off a fire alarm. Anthony humors him and then tells Charles that Sebastian and the German went to Morocco together. Firemen begin to arrive, and Charles leaves the club with Boy, who tells him that he finds Anthony odd and that he threw him in “Mercury” once at Oxford.
Boy disrupts the evening because he does not understand it. The prank he plays is childish and unamusing, and this suggests that Boy is like a child and will protest if he is not the center of attention. Anthony’s prediction has come true: Boy’s life is now very dull and conventional, and he remembers trivial incidents from university as high points in his life.
Themes
Charles and Boy go to several clubs and get drunk together. Charles complains that he and Boy missed the war and that he wants to do something for his country. Boy convinces him to join “Bill Meadow’s” and, over the next few weeks, Charles takes on work with this group. They go out to look for “battles” among the strikes but find very little except a few brawls. The strikes are called off a week later and no one is seriously hurt.
Charles has a romanticized idea of warfare and feels that he and Boy missed out because they were too young to fight in World War I. The group Charles joins is a vigilante activist group, which sides with the police to help put down the protesters. Charles finds it silly and banal—not at all like his heroic ideas about glory and warfare.
Themes
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Julia hears that Charles is in England and calls him to say that her mother wants to see him. Lady Marchmain is dying and is too weak to see Charles when he arrives. Julia is at the house, and she and Charles sit together for a while. Julia tells Charles that Lady Marchmain wants to apologize to him, and Charles tells her that all is forgiven. Julia also wonders if Charles could bring Sebastian to see their mother, as they have been unable to contact him. Charles tells Julia that he will try.
Lady Marchmain seems to realize that Charles acted out of love for Sebastian, rather than to spite her. It is unclear whether Lady Marchmain genuinely believes this or whether she feels that Charles’s dislike of her, and his suspicion of her motives, will interfere with her desire to die like a martyr: totally blameless and without sin.
Themes
Charles flies to Casablanca and telephones the British Consul when he arrives. The British Consul meets with him and explains that, although he likes Sebastian, he worries about him and wishes that someone would take him out of Morocco. He lives in the local area, but the Moroccans do not like his drinking and the French think he is a spy. He also warns Charles that there is a German man who uses Sebastian for his money.
Casablanca was part of a French colony in Morocco. It contains a mixture of cultures, both French and indigenous people, and is a popular destination for tourists and exiles. The fact that Sebastian chose to flee to this place suggests that he views himself as an outsider to the traditional British culture into which he was born and raised. The British Consul clearly cares about Sebastian. This shows that Sebastian is still very charming and likable, despite his flaws, supporting the idea that Sebastian is somewhat of a blessed or holy figure.
Themes
The porter leads Charles through the old town, and Charles is struck by the beauty of the place. The porter is dismissive of it and makes racist comments, but Charles does not expect him to understand. They reach the house, and Charles is shown in by a servant. Inside is the German man Charles has been warned about. He sits listening to jazz music and drinking beer. Charles asks him where Sebastian is, and the man, whose name is Kurt, tells him that Sebastian is ill and in the hospital.
Although Charles is conservative (in that he prefers the past to the present), he is open-minded and curious when it comes to other cultures and lifestyles, and thinks that the old town is beautiful and should be respected. The porter, by contrast, is a French colonial, and does not respect the local people.
Themes
Kurt asks who Charles is, and Charles says he is Sebastian’s friend from university. Kurt tells him that Sebastian is very kind and asks if Charles knows Sebastian’s mother. He has heard she is rich, and says that she should give Sebastian more money. Charles asks what is wrong with Sebastian, and Kurt says he is a drunk. Kurt gives Charles the name of the hospital, and Charles leaves him alone.
Kurt is quite open about the fact that he uses Sebastian for money, even implying that Charles should ask Lady Marchmain to send him more. This shows that Kurt clearly does not love Sebastian in the unconditional way that Charles does, and adds an additional layer of tragedy to the end of Charles and Sebastian’s relationship.
Themes
The next morning, Charles goes to the hospital to see Sebastian. The hospital is run by French Franciscan monks. Charles finds a doctor who tells him that Sebastian is an alcoholic and that he has developed a lung disease because he is run-down. One of the monks says that Sebastian is a very good patient and very kind. He takes Charles along to see him.
The Franciscan order are a group of Christian monks who live secluded from the world in monasteries, and who believe in principals of charity and help for the poor. The monks have also been charmed by Sebastian, which further supports Sebastian’s characterization as somewhat of a martyr figure. He is holy because he suffers.
Themes
Sebastian is very thin and seems to have shriveled because of his alcoholism. He is surprised to see Charles and listens patiently as Charles explains that Lady Marchmain is dying. Sebastian asks if Charles has met Kurt, and Charles says yes. Sebastian says that everybody hates Kurt but that he couldn’t manage without him. Charles stays in Morocco for a week and visits Sebastian every day.
Sebastian seems to like Kurt because he is an outcast, which shows Sebastian’s kind and sympathetic nature. It also suggests that Sebastian empathizes with Kurt because he, like Sebastian, is also an outsider from conventional society.
Themes
As Sebastian recovers, he begins to ask for brandy. He manages to get some and is drunk the next day when Charles arrives. On Charles’s last day, they hear that Lady Marchmain has died, and Charles asks Sebastian if he plans to return to England. Sebastian thinks about this but wonders if Kurt would agree. Charles is shocked and cannot believe Sebastian plans to stay with Kurt.
Sebastian’s alcoholism has progressed and is now very severe. Although Sebastian wishes to escape from his family, he does not want to avoid all relationships and feels beholden to Kurt, although he generally runs from commitment and obligation. His willingness to rely on this relationship, then, highlights just how restrictive his relationship with his family was by comparison.
Themes
Sebastian says that he likes Kurt because it is nice to have someone who needs him and whom he can care about. Charles, later in his life, wishes he had listened more closely to this. Instead, he goes to the bank and fixes Sebastian’s finances for him so that he will receive a monthly allowance. Charles makes sure that the money can only be withdrawn by Sebastian, and Sebastian says this is a good idea because otherwise Kurt will steal it all when he is drunk.
Sebastian has always been dependent on other people, having no financial freedom as the son of a wealthy family. He is also clearly dependent on alcohol. It comforts him to have Kurt, then, because he views Kurt as dependent on him. This gives Sebastian a sense of power and responsibility which he does not have anywhere else in life. Charles does not understand this and cannot sympathize. He regrets that he did not tell Sebastian that he needed him. Sebastian knows that Kurt takes advantage of him, but forgives Kurt for this because he feels Kurt cannot help it.
Themes
The next day, Sebastian is strong enough to go back to his house, and Charles helps him move. Sebastian is pleased to see Kurt, and the two men sit comfortably opposite each other in the little house. Kurt asks Sebastian to get him his cigarettes and, even though Charles offers to help, Sebastian insists that this is “his job.” Charles leaves them together and takes the ferry back to England.
Charles sees that Kurt and Sebastian have built a life for themselves, although he finds it depressing. Sebastian needs Kurt to need him so that he feels he has some use and purpose in the world. Sebastian feels that he is bound to Kurt and has a responsibility towards him, although Sebastian has severed most of his other personal connections.
Themes
Charles goes to Brideshead to tell the family what has happened. Brideshead accepts Charles’s suggestion that Sebastian must be given his allowance. He asks Charles if he would like to paint some pictures of the rooms in Brideshead, as it is about to be torn down and he knows that Charles likes to paint architecture. Charles says yes and begins work on a painting of the drawing room. Although he usually works slowly, he finds the work effortless and does not have to think about it.
Brideshead does not want to control Sebastian or deprive him of his income. It is implied that Brideshead Castle will soon be sold and then demolished. Charles feels extremely inspired as he paints—the place is emotionally-charged for him (he was, after all, deeply in love during much of his time here) and this translates to artistic and even divine inspiration because love of any kind, including romantic, is connected with God.
Themes
While Charles works, Cordelia comes into the room and watches. When he is finished for the day, he takes her out for dinner. Cordelia is 15 now, and knows that Sebastian will not come home. Still, she says, she loves him “more than anyone.” She tells Charles that Lord Marchmain will sell Brideshead to get out of debt and that it will be replaced by a block of flats. Rex suggested that he and Julia buy the “penthouse” at the top and could not understand why Julia was upset by this.
Cordelia accepts Sebastian’s reasons for staying away, even though she does not understand them. This suggests that she loves him unconditionally, unlike the rest of her family’s judgmental treatment and efforts to control him. The sale of Brideshead represents the modern world as it encroaches on the old world, which Charles feels is full of beauty and grandeur. Rex is insensitive to Julia’s attachment to her family home, as seemingly nothing is sacred or important to Rex the way Brideshead is important to Julia.
Themes
Charles asks Cordelia where she will live, and she says she doesn’t know. Lord Marchmain will not return to England, and Cordelia says they have closed the chapel at Brideshead. She begins to talk of Catholicism, and Charles jokes that she is trying to convert him. Cordelia refers to a chapter from Father Brown that says God can bring people back to him with a “twitch upon the thread.” Charles says that Lady Marchmain read this to them on the first night that Sebastian got drunk at home.
“The twitch upon the thread” relates to the idea that God lets people sin because he can redeem them at any time, through the intervention of divine grace. People like Sebastian can stray from God and seem to be lost, but they are always connected to God and can be brought back to Him.
Themes
Cordelia says that she loved her mother but “not in the way she deserved.” She thinks that sometimes, when people were angry with God, they took this out on Lady Marchmain. Charles says that he has heard someone else say something like this. Cordelia speaks of Julia’s “coming out” ball (something she will not have now) and says that she hopes she has a “vocation.” Charles asks what this is, and Cordelia says that it means you can become a nun. She says that Brideshead wanted a vocation but had none, whereas she suspects Sebastian had one and didn’t want it.
Lady Marchmain was extremely pious and, in Cordelia’s view, always did her best for everyone. Cordelia feels that people were jealous of how good Lady Marchmain was and felt that she made them look bad compared to her. Cordelia refers to a religious calling which, she feels, comes from God rather than from inside oneself. It is impossible, then, to control who has one and who does not.
Themes
Charles dismisses the idea of Cordelia as a nun and tells her that she will “fall in love” instead. He is tired of talking about religion and is still enthralled with the inspiration he felt during his painting that day. Cordelia says that she hopes she will not fall in love and orders more dessert.
Charles feels that Cordelia’s love for God will be replaced by love for another person. Charles’s love for his art has seemingly replaced his love for Sebastian: it is something he cannot control and to which he can only accept and surrender. This is also a metaphor for God’s permissive love for humanity, which allows people to stray, love, and worship in any way they see fit.
Themes
