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Chapter 1
Themes
and Colors
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
Harold keeps walking up Fore Street, his calves aching. He pauses by a travel agency, though he has always been mistrustful of unfamiliar places. As it is afternoon, Harold stops at a petrol station for some food. There, he confides in the young cashier that he is sending a letter to a friend dying of cancer. The garage girl tells Harold about her aunt’s cancer and the importance of having faith that people can get better, as the human mind is extremely powerful. Harold is astonished by her youthful conviction. Another customer interrupts their conversation, and Harold moves on. The girl’s words about faith have energized his 65-year-old body, urging him onward.
Harold’s feelings toward the travel agency confirm that he has led a sheltered life with little adventure, while his impulsive conversation with the garage girl speaks again to an underlying desire for human connection. The girl’s remarks on faith make a strong impression on Harold, her certainty about human potential inspiring him to continue walking. Here, the novel shows how engaging with other people’s perspectives can lead to personal epiphanies.
Active
Themes
Harold traverses the road out of Kingsbridge. He comes upon another postbox. Harold reflects on his life and the opportunities he didn’t take. Now that he wants to make a difference, he fears it is too late. Realizing he left his cell phone at home, Harold calls Queenie’s hospice center from a payphone. He pictures the whole of England between him and Queenie and decides he will walk to her. Harold tells the hospice assistant that he is coming to save Queenie, who must keep living until he arrives. Harold vows not to let her down “this time.” He scribbles “Wait for me” on his letter and posts it, then stares out at the long road ahead of him.
