Article #381-1 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from Memories and Portraits, by Robert Louis Stevenson

The tale of this great failure is, to those who remained true to him, the
tale of a success. In his youth he took thought for no one but himself;
when he came ashore again, his whole armada lost, he seemed to think of
none but others. Such was his tenderness for others, such his instinct
of fine courtesy and pride, that of that impure passion of remorse he
never breathed a syllable; even regret was rare with him, and pointed
with a jest. You would not have dreamed, if you had known him then, that
this was that great failure, that beacon to young men, over whose fall a
whole society had hissed and pointed fingers. Often have we gone to him,
red-hot with our own hopeful sorrows, railing on the rose-leaves in our
princely bed of life, and he would patiently give ear and wisely counsel;
and it was only upon some return of our own thoughts that we were
reminded what manner of man this was to whom we disembosomed: a man, by
his own fault, ruined; shut out of the garden of his gifts; his whole
city of hope both ploughed and salted; silently awaiting the deliverer.
Then something took us by the throat; and to see him there, so gentle,
patient, brave and pious, oppressed but not cast down, sorrow was so
swallowed up in admiration that we could not dare to pity him. Even if
the old fault flashed out again, it but awoke our wonder that, in that
lost battle, he should have still the energy to fight. He had gone to
ruin with a kind of kingly abandon, like one who condescended; but once
ruined, with the lights all out, he fought as for a kingdom. Most men,
finding themselves the authors of their own disgrace, rail the louder
against God or destiny. Most men, when they repent, oblige their friends
to share the bitterness of that repentance. But he had held an inquest
and passed sentence: mene, mene; and condemned himself to smiling
silence. He had given trouble enough; had earned misfortune amply, and
foregone the right to murmur.

Thus was our old comrade, like Samson, careless in his days of strength;
but on the coming of adversity, and when that strength was gone that had
betrayed him—“for our strength is weakness”—he began to blossom and bring
forth. Well, now, he is out of the fight: the burden that he bore thrown
down before the great deliverer. We

   “In the vast cathedral leave him;<br />
God accept him,<br />
Christ receive him!”

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Memories and Portraits by Robert Louis Stevenson**

This passage from Memories and Portraits (1887), a collection of essays and reminiscences by Robert Louis Stevenson, reflects on the life of an unnamed man—a figure who, despite being labeled a "great failure" by society, is remembered by his loyal friends as a moral and spiritual success. The text is a character study in resilience, humility, and quiet dignity, blending biographical reflection, biblical allusion, and philosophical meditation on human frailty and redemption.

Stevenson, best known for works like Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, often explored themes of duality, moral struggle, and the complexity of human nature. This excerpt aligns with those concerns, portraying a man whose public disgrace contrasts sharply with his private nobility.

Context & Themes

The "Great Failure" as a Paradoxical Success
- The man in question is someone who, in his youth, was selfish and reckless, leading to a catastrophic personal and possibly professional downfall ("his whole armada lost").
- Yet, in his later years, he becomes a beacon of wisdom and compassion, offering counsel to others despite his own ruin.
- The passage challenges societal judgments, suggesting that true worth is not measured by worldly success but by how one bears failure.
Remorse, Pride, and Silence
- The man never expresses remorse openly—not out of defiance, but because his pride is refined into dignity. His silence is a form of self-condemnation without self-pity.
- The phrase "mene, mene" (from the biblical writing on the wall in Daniel 5:25, meaning "numbered, weighed, and found wanting") implies that he has judged himself more harshly than others ever could.
- His lack of complaint ("foregone the right to murmur") elevates him above those who blame fate or God for their misfortunes.
The Contrast Between Strength and Weakness
- The Samson allusion (Judges 16) is key: Samson, in his strength, was careless and self-destructive, but in blindness and captivity, he found a higher purpose.
- Similarly, the man in the passage was reckless in prosperity but noble in adversity, suggesting that true strength emerges from weakness.
- The line "our strength is weakness" (possibly referencing 2 Corinthians 12:10, where Paul boasts in his weaknesses) reinforces the idea that humility in suffering is a form of power.
The Burden of Admiration
- Those who knew him were moved to silence and awe rather than pity. His gentleness, patience, and piety made his suffering almost sacred.
- The image of him "silently awaiting the deliverer" suggests a faith in redemption, not just in an afterlife but in the transformative power of endurance.
Death as Release
- The closing lines shift to elegiac tone, portraying his death as a relinquishing of struggle ("the burden that he bore thrown down").
- The final stanza (likely a quotation or adaptation of a hymn or prayer) frames his passing as a surrender to divine mercy, reinforcing the Christian theme of grace after judgment.

Literary Devices & Stylistic Features

Biblical & Mythological Allusions
- "Mene, mene" (Daniel 5:25) – A prophetic judgment, here used to show the man’s self-awareness of his failings.
- Samson (Judges 16) – A figure of tragic strength and redemption, mirroring the man’s arc from recklessness to dignity.
- "Our strength is weakness" – Echoes Paul’s Epistles, framing suffering as a path to spiritual growth.
Contrast & Juxtaposition
- Youth vs. Age: Selfishness in youth, selflessness in maturity.
- Public Perception vs. Private Reality: Society sees a failure; his friends see a saint.
- Silence vs. Complaint: He never rails against fate, unlike most men.
Imagery & Metaphor
- "His whole city of hope both ploughed and salted" – Evokes ancient warfare (salting earth to make it barren), symbolizing total devastation of his ambitions.
- "Railing on the rose-leaves in our princely bed of life" – A metaphor for petty complaints in the face of his real suffering.
- "The lights all out" – Suggests despair, but also a kind of clarity in darkness.
Tone & Diction
- Elegiac and Reverent: The passage has a funeral oration quality, blending admiration with sorrow.
- Archaic & Poetic Diction: Phrases like "disembosomed" (shared secrets), "kingly abandon", and "foregone the right to murmur" lend a formal, almost Shakespearean gravity.
Irony
- The "great failure" is, in truth, a moral triumph.
- His silence speaks louder than the hissing of society.

Significance & Interpretation

A Meditation on Redemption
- Stevenson, who struggled with ill health and personal demons, often wrote about fallibility and second chances. This passage reflects his belief that a life’s worth is not defined by its lowest point, but by how one rises (or fails to rise) from it.
A Critique of Societal Judgment
- The man is condemned by the world but venerated by those who knew him. Stevenson implies that public opinion is shallow, while true character is revealed in private virtue.
The Power of Silent Endurance
- The man’s refusal to complain makes his suffering more profound. His smiling silence is a rebuke to those who wallow in self-pity.
- This aligns with Stoic and Christian ideals of accepting suffering with dignity.
The Paradox of Human Nature
- Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this man embodies duality: flawed yet noble, broken yet whole. Stevenson suggests that greatness often emerges from ruin.
A Eulogy for the Unseen Hero
- The passage reads like a tribute to an unsung figure, possibly based on a real person in Stevenson’s life (some speculate it refers to his father, Thomas Stevenson, or a friend).
- It serves as a reminder that the most admirable lives are often the least celebrated.

Conclusion: The Man as a Symbol

This excerpt is not just about one man’s life, but about the human condition itself. Stevenson presents a figure who:

Falls spectacularly (like Icarus, like Samson),
Accepts his fate without bitterness (like a Stoic sage),
Transforms his suffering into wisdom (like a Christian saint),
Leaves behind a legacy of quiet inspiration.

The passage challenges the reader to reconsider what constitutes success and failure, suggesting that true greatness lies not in avoiding defeat, but in how one bears it. In a world that often glorifies achievement and scorns failure, Stevenson’s portrait is a powerful counter-narrative—a hymn to the redeemed failure, the silent hero, the man who lost everything and yet, in losing, gained everything.

Final Thought: If this were a modern parable, it might read: "The world called him a failure, but those who knew him called him a king—not for what he built, but for how he fell, and how he rose again in spirit, if not in fortune."

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s portrayal of the man’s silence in the face of his downfall serves primarily to:

A. underscore the hypocrisy of a society that demands public repentance while secretly admiring defiance.
B. illustrate a form of moral sovereignty wherein self-judgment precludes the need for external validation or pity.
C. reveal the psychological repression of a man too proud to confront the full weight of his guilt.
D. contrast the eloquence of his earlier life with the muted despair of his later years.
E. suggest that his refusal to speak of his suffering was a calculated strategy to manipulate others’ perceptions.

Question 2

The allusion to Samson (“like Samson, careless in his days of strength”) functions most significantly to:

A. draw a parallel between physical prowess and moral weakness, implying that both are inherently fleeting.
B. critique the man’s youthful arrogance by aligning him with a biblical figure punished for hubris.
C. foreshadow the man’s eventual redemption through a dramatic, almost mythic act of sacrifice.
D. emphasize the inevitability of downfall for those who rely solely on innate talent rather than discipline.
E. reframe the man’s failure as a necessary precondition for a deeper, more enduring form of strength.

Question 3

The phrase “his whole city of hope both ploughed and salted” is most effectively interpreted as a metaphor for:

A. the irreversible devastation of his ambitions, rendered barren by his own actions.
B. the agricultural metaphorical tradition in literature, wherein human endeavor is likened to cultivation.
C. the cyclical nature of hope and despair, where destruction paves the way for eventual renewal.
D. the punishment of a society that deliberately erases the legacy of those it deems unworthy.
E. the man’s deliberate abandonment of worldly aspirations in favor of spiritual resignation.

Question 4

The passage’s closing lines (“In the vast cathedral leave him; / God accept him, / Christ receive him!”) primarily serve to:

A. elevate the man’s personal struggle to a universal, almost liturgical plane of redemption.
B. contrast the earthly judgment he faced with the divine mercy he is now presumed to receive.
C. underscore the irony that his death, like his life, remains unnoticed by the society that condemned him.
D. suggest that his true deliverance was always spiritual, rendering his earthly suffering meaningless.
E. invoke a communal act of mourning, thereby shifting the focus from his individual fate to collective grief.

Question 5

The narrator’s repeated emphasis on the man’s lack of regret (“even regret was rare with him, and pointed with a jest”) is most plausibly intended to:

A. highlight the emotional detachment that allowed him to endure his suffering without collapse.
B. expose the performative nature of his stoicism, revealing a deeper, unspoken despair.
C. demonstrate how his refusal to indulge in self-pity became a form of quiet defiance against societal expectations.
D. illustrate the psychological toll of repression, wherein humor masks unresolved trauma.
E. suggest that his apparent equanimity was a symptom of his inability to fully grasp the consequences of his actions.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: The passage frames the man’s silence as an act of self-contained moral authority. His refusal to express remorse or regret is not a sign of repression (C) or manipulation (E), but of a private reckoning so thorough that it renders external judgment irrelevant. The phrase “condemned himself to smiling silence” suggests a deliberate, sovereign choice—one that transcends both societal hissing and the “impure passion of remorse.” His silence is active, not passive, a form of moral autonomy that precludes pity or validation from others.