Blog Post #22

It seems as though James is alive after all--I suspected as much. What's more, he really does end up going to India. The story within a story business is rather confusing, I must confess. And poor Henry! He sounds as though he has changed for the worse as a result of his nearly killing his own brother, which I can imagine would make anyone go crazy. I thought it was odd that he told Alexander that "a man" had fought with the devil and nearly succeeded in killing it. Is this another reference to Jacob in the bible? As in the part where he wrestles an angel? (Although angels and devils are complete opposites, I can imagine that it might be a parallel in Henry's mind). I agree with Mackellar that it was strange for Henry to have told the story to his son...how awful! I guess it is just another example of how he is being tormented throughout the book. Then we get to hear from the Chevalier in India. I like Francis better than most of the others. He's always travelling and doing something exciting, but unfortunately this bit of his memoirs is much shorter than his description of life as a pirate. James comes back again--you would think he would have learned his lesson the first time! Thankfully, Henry and his family move to New York. However, as long as James is living he is likely to plague them (if previous events are anything to go by).