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Chapter 25
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
The last stretch of Harold’s walk is miserable. He no longer takes pleasure in the journey and flashes back to the worst moments of his life, including an episode when he drunkenly destroyed the garden shed. He tapes his yachting shoes together and carries on, though he has forgotten his destination. Harold reaches Queenie’s hospice center in Berwick 87 days after leaving home. His finger hovers over the buzzer as he considers his long journey, which seems completely unextraordinary now. Harold feels afraid rather than triumphant. He imagines visiting Queenie, delivering his gifts, and returning to his old life. Without pressing the buzzer, he walks away.
Harold’s physical weariness parallels his emotional devastation. He is fully immersed in past grief and is therefore unable to celebrate his achievement. Here, the novel explores how suppressing painful emotions does not get rid of them, but allows them to fester and disrupt life in the present. Although Harold’s shoes have previously represented his unique past which influences his journey, here they are almost destroyed, suggesting he now views his former life as a hindrance. At what should be his journey’s triumphant climax, Harold falters and walks away completely, confirming that he has utterly lost faith in his ability to make a difference in the world.
Active
Themes
Entering a nearby café, Harold asks for water and use of the bathroom. In the mirror, he sees neither the man who set out from Kingsbridge nor the man who posed for photographs as a pilgrim. The café’s manager threatens to call the police after Harold asks if anyone could lend him a razor to tidy himself. Seeing a couple with their baby, Harold is overcome with grief and tells everyone in the café he wants his son. One customer recognizes Harold and offers to help him find his son. Devastatingly, Harold cannot think of David’s name. He stumbles through the streets, thinking that he can forgive his mother and father’s indifference if only he can have his son again.
Active
Themes
