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Chapter 15
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Human Connection
Faith and Control
Memory, Grief, and Atonement
Nature vs. the Modern World
Journeys and Growth
Summary
Analysis
In Bath, Harold kills time at the abbey while waiting for the cobbler to open to repair his shoes. He gets caught up in a tour, struck by the young guide’s resemblance to Maureen. The woman recommends a nearby spa, implying that Harold smells. He rushes there, then leaves to buy swim trunks. Outside the sports shop, Harold becomes caught in another crowd waiting to meet a very famous actor for a book signing. Though he can hardly see the man, Harold wonders what it is like to have such a successful life. A woman in the crowd tells him she named her dog after the actor. By the time Harold returns to the spa and is finished, it is afternoon.
Bath, representative of modern civilization, ensnares Harold with its dizzying array of commodities. His encounter with the tour guide who looks like Maureen suggests that he is still caught up in memories of the past. Harold’s unsuccessful quest through the city characterizes urban life as frantic and shallow.
Themes
Harold runs into the very famous actor in a public restroom. The actor hopes that Harold isn’t going to tell him about a dog named after him. The man complains about how one costume drama has overshadowed his more serious roles and asks if Harold came to Bath for his book, which he offers to sign, though Harold doesn’t have a copy. The actor monologues on the trials of fame and how no one truly knows him. Hearing about Harold’s walk, the actor asks if Queenie knows he is coming and offers his private car. Alarmed, Harold wonders if Queenie understood his message. He maintains that he must keep walking to keep her alive, but he feels uncertain.
Though the very famous actor is completely self-absorbed, his generous offer to lend Harold his car seems to confirm the novel’s assertion that humans are basically good-hearted. The man also has a surprisingly astute take on Harold’s journey, raising the question of whether or not Queenie (who is extremely ill) fully understands Harold’s intentions. Though the actor causes Harold to doubt himself, this does not make his questions any less valid.
Themes
Harold takes refuge in a tea shop, where he is seated with an American oncologist. He feels gloomy and wants to be alone, but the American strikes up conversation. He is an oncologist specializing in cancer treatment. He asks to see Queenie’s letter, and Harold reluctantly hands over the typed page. The oncologist points out that a care worker would have typed the letter, while Queenie signed and addressed it. Shocked, Harold realizes the shaky childlike writing is a sign of Queenie’s degrading health. Gently, the oncologist explains the way cancer spreads, implying that Queenie’s has progressed enough that she might die of a simple infection. He asks Harold if it is really necessary that he walk to her.
Already shaken by his interaction with the actor, Harold’s conversation with the American oncologist throws him into a panic. Though the doctor’s gentleness indicates he empathizes with Harold, the facts speak for themselves: Queenie is not well enough to write a letter, and it is unlikely that Harold can will her to continue living in such circumstances. While Harold’s belief in his pilgrimage is moving, he has failed to acknowledge the possibility that the situation is out of his control.
Themes
Harold calls Maureen, hoping she will validate his faith in his journey. She is surprised that he doesn’t know for certain if Queenie still lives. He sees a man in a dress being mocked by passersby. The world feels overwhelming. Sitting on a park bench, impossibly, Harold sees David. Harold calls out to him, willing to do anything David wants to do, just to spend time with him. The man looks up, and he is not David. Harold feels he has lost David all over again. He stays the night in Bath, feeling the weight of the past is too much to keep going. Departing early, Harold walks a full day in the wrong direction. He sits, unable to go on.
When faced with doubt, Harold turns to other people to validate his worth, highlighting that he lacks confidence and the ability to affirm his own choices. This scene shows that personal growth journeys are often non-linear, as people fall back into old habits that are harmful but familiar. Harold’s vision of David coming toward him is evidence of a deep longing to reconnect with his son, though his despair suggests he thinks this goal is out of reach.
Themes
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