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Chapter 2
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
Maureen takes advantage of Harold’s absence and cleans the entire house. She tries calling him but finds his phone at home. It is past five, and Maureen frets that Harold has suffered a heart attack. Rex calls, looking for Harold, who didn’t return from the postbox. Maureen lies to Rex, saying Harold is home. The phone rings again—it is Harold, calling from a pub in Loddiswell, five miles away. He giddily informs her of his plan to walk to Berwick to save Queenie. He insists it is not enough to send a letter and that he needs to do this. Maureen tries to reason with Harold with no success. The line cuts out. Maureen feels buried memories stirring inside her.
By shifting into Maureen’s perspective, the novel gives space to the other person most affected by Harold’s walk—his abandoned wife. Like Harold, Maureen’s life revolves mostly around tedious domestic tasks, although she seems to enjoy them more than her husband. Her concern for Harold almost comes across as annoyance and even shame, especially when she finds herself lying to Rex about his whereabouts. Maureen reacts with distress to Harold’s walk, providing an outside perspective of the unconsidered consequences of that decision. The mention of memories suggests that, like Harold, Maureen is avoiding the past.
Active
Themes
