Lucky Jim remains the primary accomplishment of Kingsley Amis, whose work extended over five decades to include

poetry, literary criticism, journalism, television plays, short stories, science fiction, and a James Bond novel. As Amis's first pu lished novel, Lucky Jim set the tone for Amis's lifelong preoccupation with the role of higher learning in Britain. Lucky Jim was also the first in a long line of British campus satires that shifted the o ject of ridicule from the students to the faculty.Kingsley Amis was orn on April !", !#$$. %he Amises lived a lower&middle class existence in 'or ury, a su ur just south of (ondon. Kingsley attended the )ity of (ondon private school on scholarship, and enrolled in the spring of !#*! at +t. John's )ollege, ,xford, to study -nglish (iterature. At +t. John's, Amis met .hilip (arkin, who shared Amis's love of ja// and admired Amis's talent for mimicry. (arkin would ecome a life&long friend, as well as a renowned poet and novelist in his own right. 0orld 0ar 11 soon interrupted Amis's college career, and he served in the British Army etween the years !#*$ through !#*2.After the war, Amis resumed his studies at +t. John's and took on several literary side projects. 3e egan writing a novel, a critical study of 4raham 4reene, and his first volume of poetry, Bright November. 1n !#*5, Amis married 3ilary Ann Bardwell. Awarded a first&class degree in -nglish (iterature, Amis took up a position in !#*# as (ecturer in -nglish at 6niversity )ollege of +wansea in 0ales. Amis taught at +wansea, then at )am ridge, until !#"7, when he retired to write full time.Amis egan work on Lucky Jim in !#2!. According to Amis himself, a !#*5 visit to (eicester 6niversity, where his friend .hilip (arkin held a teaching post, inspired the novel. Lucky Jim was pu lished in !#2* to tremendous popularity, although some critics accused Amis of vulgarity ecause of the coarse language and immature ehavior of Jim 8ixon. 1n spite of these negative reviews, Lucky Jim won the prestigious +omerset 9augham Award the following year.%he controversy over the literary merit of Lucky Jim is indicative of the tense climate of post&0orld 0ar 11 Britain, when the hierarchies of culture and class were su jected to scrutiny and even some upheaval. %he -ducation Act of !#** raised the age of minimum schooling for British children and created a system of su sidi/ed secondary education for students of all social ackgrounds. )onsidered a practical success, the Act also created a disoriented su set of students who felt alienated oth from their lower&class origins and from academic institutions still run y upper&class ,xford professors. Jim 8ixon's resentment of .rofessor 0elch, who holds power over him ut also seems incapa le of doing his own work, is a good indication of the sentiments of the newly educated post&0ar generation.Journalists :uickly classified Amis as a mem er of the Angry ;oung 9en, a la el that continues to stick, despite Amis's own protests. %he Angry ;oung 9en refers to a group of !#2<s British writers, including John ,s orne, Alan +illitoe, and )olin 0ilson, whose work concentrated on the oppression of lower&class, male protagonists under the British class system. Amis has also een associated with %he 9ovement, another group of !#2<s British writers who shared a common concern with straightforward prose style. %he group adopted this form in reaction to the 9odernist prose writing of the twenties and %hirties that seemed to them overly romantic and experimental. 0hile Amis renounced association with %he 9ovement as well, this designation still highlights the similarities etween Amis's prose style and a tradition of British comedy that predates 9odernism. By linking Amis to %he 9ovement, critics also unwittingly placed him in the same pantheon as comic writers such as 3enry =ielding and +amuel >ichardson, and early $<th& century writers such as -velyn 0augh and >udyard Kipling. (ucky jim .Jim 8ixon, a junior lecturer in history at a provincial -nglish university in the years after 0orld 0ar 11, nears the end of his first year at the school. 8ixon has not made a good impression upon the faculty and knows that his superior, the a sent&minded .rofessor 0elch, could ask him to leave at the end of term next month. =earful of making further ad impressions or revealing his inner disgust for 0elch, 8ixon agrees to give the end&of&term lecture on the theme of ?9errie -ngland? and to stay with the 0elches the following weekend for a weekend of music and the arts.@At the party, 8ixon meets 0elch's son Bertrand and his girlfriend )hristine, who have come up to the country from (ondon. Bertrand, an artist, seems pretentious, while )hristine seems uptight and unattaina le. 8ixon escapes to the pu and returns to the 0elches' later that night, where he makes a drunken pass at 9argaret .eel, a friend and colleague. 9argaret has een staying with the 0elches as she recovers from a recent suicide attempt caused y a recent reak&up. 8ixon and 9argaret's friendship has rapidly een moving toward something more intimate, thanks to 9argaret's su tle pressure and 8ixon's pity and good&natured concern for 9argaret.@9argaret kicks 8ixon out of her room, and he falls asleep while smoking a cigarette. 8ixon wakes up in the morning to find he has urned holes in his edsheets. Afraid of further damaging his chances of keeping his jo , 8ixon attempts to hide the damage. )hristine unexpectedly find 8ixon's dilemma funny and agrees to help him.@8ixon thinks a out )hristine ut does not see her again until the college's +ummer Ball a couple of weeks later. 9argaret and Bertrand oth spend the night hanging around )hristine's rich uncle 4ore&6r:uhart, who Bertrand hopes to work for. 8ixon's friend )arol 4oldsmith finally convinces 8ixon to make a move for )hristine y revealing that she has een having an affair with Bertrand. 8ixon rallies his courage and asks )hristine, whom Bertrand has een ignoring, to let him take her home early. )hristine agrees and explains to 8ixon in the taxi how Bertrand has een mistreating her. Back at the 0elches', )hristine and 8ixon kiss and agree to see each other in two days. 0hen they meet again, however, they decide not to see anymore of each other ecause of their respective o ligations to oth Bertrand and

9argaret.@8ixon spends the following week planning to write his ?9errie -ngland? lecture in a nostalgic way that will appeal to .rofessor 0elch, ut 0elch himself keeps 8ixon preoccupied with menial fact&checking for 0elch's own work. ,n the day of 8ixon's lecture, Bertrand comes to 8ixon's room and accuses 8ixon of seeing )hristine ehind his ack. Bertrand tells 8ixon that 8ixon is wasting his time and 8ixon, fed up with Bertrand's hypocrisy and condescending ossiness, gets in a fight with Bertrand. Bertrand gives 8ixon a lack eye and 8ixon knocks him down.@+haken up and nervous, 8ixon drinks :uite a lot at the reception efore his lecture. 3e is drunk when he gives the lecture, and inadvertently imitates the voices of .rofessor 0elch and the college .rincipal in the opening segments. 8ixon rounds out the lecture y expressing his contempt for the su ject efore he passes out. %he next day, 8ixon finds he has een fired, ut is offered a well&paying jo in (ondon y 4ore&6r:uhart.@%he same day, 8ixon meets with )atchpole, the man who supposedly inspired 9argaret's suicide attempt. )atchpole reveals that 9argaret faked the suicide attempt in order to gain sympathy from 8ixon and )atchpole. 8ixon arrives home from this meeting to receive a message from )hristine, asking him to meet her at the train station efore her she returns to (ondon. 8ixon arrives at the station late, ut so does )hristine. )hristine tells 8ixon that she knows of Bertrand's affair with )arol and has roken off their relationship. 8ixon tells )hristine that he is through with 9argaret. 8ixon reveals the news a out the jo offer from )hristine's uncle, 4ore&6r:uhart, and asks to return to (ondon with )hristine. As they walk down the street, they run into the 0elch family, whom 8ixon salutes with an explosive laugh of contempt.@ Jim 8ixon & %he narrative of Lucky Jim centers on the thoughts and feelings of Jim 8ixon, an unremarka le young man a out to complete his first year as an assistant lecturer in the 8epartment of 3istory at a provincial college in Britain. 1ntolerant of the pretension and hypocrisy of the college's faculty and their families, Jim hides his contempt, channeling it into venomous mental out ursts and a wide array of nasty faces. 8ixon can e clumsy and careless, and even sneaky and mean to those he truly hates, ut is genuine and compassionate as well. Jim 8ixon has een a junior lecturer in the history department of a provincial college in -ngland after 0orld 0ar 11 for eight months when Lucky Jim egins. 8ixon is unremarka le in every way except for his sardonic mental commentaries on those around him, which focus on the nuances of other people's voices, appearance, or language. 8ixon also vents his frustration with others through faces he makes to himself in private, some of which have actual titles.At the eginning of the novel, 8ixon is a meek man, although his thoughts are not. 3is indecisive actions and :uite demeanor reflect his fear of eing fired from his post at the end of the term next month. 8ixon's meekness also reflects his fear of hurting 9argaret, who he is not attracted to, ut to whom he is attached y virtue of their friendship and his concern for her. 8ixon's character ecomes filled out as he defines himself y what he doesn't like. 8ixon despises unnecessary complexity, pomposity, hypocrisy, and those who feel that some peopleAartists, higher classes, for exampleAhave special needs that ordinary people don't have. =rom this last conviction arises 8ixon's socialism, which fits in with the (a our government atmosphere after 0orld 0ar 11 in Britain. 3owever, 8ixon's feeling that no one has special needs also seems to extend to the unfortunate as well as the fortunate. %he knowledge that 9argaret wasn't orn particularly attractive, for example, does not endear her any further to 8ixon. 8ixon feels that he has een unlucky as well, ut his luck changes over the course of the novel, as he makes the conscious decision to ? et on his luck? for the first time in his life.@@@@ 9argaret .eel & 9argaret .eel holds a slightly higher post than Jim 8ixon at the same college. 9argaret and 8ixon are close, and 9argaret imagines that she knows 8ixon etter than anyone else. 9argaret is not very attractive and tries to compensate for this y wearing arty clothing and too much make&up. 9argaret has her moments of straightforward discussion with 8ixon, ut can just as :uickly ecome clingy, condescending, or aggressive. +he takes advantage of 8ixon's good&natured concern for her to keep him in a relationship, and even fakes a suicide attempt to attract the concern of either 8ixon or )atchpole. 9argaret .eel holds a more senior lectureship than 8ixon at the same provincial college. 9argaret and 8ixon have ecome friends, as 9argaret is sympathetic to 8ixon's feelings a out the 0elches. 9argaret, however, is generally more open to people such as 9rs. 0elch and -van Johns, who are 8ixon's sworn enemies. 9argaret appears to e a threat to 8ixon throughout the novel, employing emotional tactics that often leave 8ixon speechless. 9argaret is less eautiful and refined than )hristine )allaghan, and she overcompensates for her homeliness with poorly&applied make&up and garish clothing.9argaret can e as unaware and self&centered as .rofessor 0elch. +he can also e jealous and condescending toward 8ixon, even referring to him as ?.oor James,? as if he were a child. 9argaret vacillates from emotional insta ility to a secretive tone when she talks to 8ixon, and 8ixon recogni/es the loneliness ehind each of these modes. At the eginning of the novel, 9argaret's largest fault is her tendency toward the dramatic, ut as the novel proceeds she ecomes more manipulative, and downright mean when she is crossed. %he culmination of her manipulation is )atchpole's revelation that 9argaret has faked her suicide attempt to gain romantic attention from either himself or from 8ixon. %his revelation reflects adly on 9argaret, not just ecause of her scheming, ut ecause 9argaret is even in love with 8ixon or )atchpole.@@@ Bertrand 0elch & Bertrand 0elch is the eldest of .rofessor 0elch's two sons. Bertrand lives in (ondon, where he has egun a career as a painter. Bertrand presents himself as cultured, witty, and cosmopolitan, which usually translates into a kind of elitism. Bertrand looks up to the rich and very

definitely considers 8ixon to e elow him. Bertrand hopes to get a jo with )hristine's uncle, 4ore& 6r:uhart, as the wealthy patron's personal assistant. Bertrand plans to marry )hristine in a couple of years, even though he is currently having an affair with )arol 4oldsmith.@@@ )hristine )allaghan & )hristine )allaghan lives in (ondon, and dates Bertrand for most of the novel. )hristine's family seems to have moneyAher uncle is the rich 4ore&6r:uhartA ut )hristine herself works in a ookshop and wears the same outfit every time 8ixon sees her. )hristine can come off as prissy and prim, ut truly enjoys 8ixon's predicaments and laughs una ashedly. )hristine is very good&looking and presents herself well, leading 8ixon to elieve at first that she would never date a man such as himself. 0hen we first meet )hristine )allaghan, she hangs on Bertrand's arm and listen on his every word, laughs at his jokes, and acts the part of his prim and prissy wife& to& e. 8espite the facade of false maturity, )hristine's sense of humor and genuineness show through. 3er unremorseful attitude toward eating, as well as her unmusical laugh, make )hristine seem less artificial than 9argaret. 0hen )hristine finally opens up to 8ixon, we learn that she is unhappy with Bertrand, ut has een unhappy in all her relationships with men. 0e discover that she is :uite young, and not as omniscient as she first appeared. )hristine is actually :uite shy, and it takes her several minutes and some prodding in her initial conversations with 8ixon to ecome comforta le enough to reveal her genuine self.)hristine is :uite nice, yet she also dislikes all the right people, such as -van Johns and 9rs. 0elch. )hristine's niceness and sense of propriety lead her to stay with Bertrand, hoping for the est and giving him the enefit of the dou t even though she suspects that there is history etween Bertrand and )arol 4oldsmith. .erhaps due to her unsuccessful love life, )hristine has a tendency to evaluate her feelings o jectively, trying to make a calculated decision a out her future rather than succum ing to urges. )hristine has the potential to e downright cold when she takes her o jective thinking too far. )hristine doesn't seem to experience much character change over the course of the novel and, in fact, hardly appears in the final chapters.@@@ .rofessor 'ed 0elch & .rofessor 0elch seems to have een holding his jo for :uite some time. 3e is an a sent& minded man who ram les on a out old -nglish music, the recorder, and children's artwork, not noticing whether or not his audience cares. 0elch is certainly not malicious, ut he is an extremely ad driver due his general lack of awareness to things around him. 3e and his wife have some social pretensions, and they often try to attract the local press to musical events at their house. .rofessor 0elch elieves that things were etter in the old days, and wishes he could go ack to his sentimentali/ed ideal of the period in -nglish history when everyone made their own music and artwork. @@@)elia 0elch & 9rs. 0elch seems to e the driving force ehind her hus and's social am ition. 9rs. 0elch accompanies the musical parties held at her house on the piano. +he is unwilling to forgive 8ixon for anything. @@@)arol and )ecil 4oldsmith & )ecil 4oldsmith is 8ixon's officemate and a senior lecturer in the 3istory 8epartment at the college. )arol 4oldsmith is in her forties and is having an affair with Bertrand 0elch, which she has told her hus and a out. 8ixon considers )arol to e an ally of his, as she is good at turning people's statements ack on them and speaks frankly. 8ixon is also impressed y her ?femaleness,? which seems mostly to consist of her a ility to admit she enjoys sex. %he 4oldsmiths are friends with 8ixon and 9argaret, as well as with the 0elches. @@@Bill Atkinson & Bill Atkinson is an insurance salesman who lives in 8ixon's house and is a drinking friend of 8ixon's. 8ixon admires Atkinson for the power and style of Atkinson's contempt for pretty much everything around him. 3e is a man of few words and 9iss )utler, the housekeeper, seems afraid of him. @@@Alfred Beesley & Beesley holds a similar position to 8ixon, ut in the college's -nglish 8epartment. Beesley and 8ixon are drinking friends and often walk to college together. Beesley takes his career and work more seriously than 8ixon. @@@-van Johns & -van Johns lives in 8ixon's house and is a staff mem er at the college. Johns plays the o oe at .rofessor 0elch's amateur musical concerts. Johns sucks up to the 0elches and likes to tell on 8ixon to 9rs. 0elch.@@ 9ichie & 9ichie is a junior history student at the college. 3e takes his schooling seriously and appears to know a lot a out history. 3e is particularly interested in 8ixon's special su ject course, to e taught in the next year.@@9iss )utler & 9iss )utler runs the oardinghouse that 8ixon lives in. +he is a stereotypical housekeeper. @@@8r. (. +. )aton & )aton never actually appears in the novel, ut does speak to 8ixon over the phone. )aton is a shady academic who accepts 8ixon's article for his new academic journal, then steals it and pu lishes it in 1talian under his own name, winning him a position as a department chair at a university in Argentina. @@@.rofessor Barclay & .rofessor Barclay is a .rofessor of 9usic at the college. 8ixon likes Barclay, who helps 8ixon out with material for 8ixon's ?9errie -ngland? lecture. Barclay's iggest appearance in the novel comes when 8ixon steals the taxi the .rofessor Barclay and his wife have called to take them home from the +ummer Ball. @@@the .rincipal & %he .rincipal of the college is a small, ald&headed man, with a cackling laugh. 8ixon accidentally imitates his nota ly clipped, consonantal accent when 8ixon gives his lecture. @@@9iss ,'+haughnessy, 9iss 9c)or:uodale, and 9iss ap >hys & 9iss ,'+haughnessy, 9iss 9c)or:uodale, and 9iss ap >hys are the three prettiest female students in the history department. 9iss ,'+haughnessy is 9ichie's girlfriend. 8ixon tries to attract the three women to take his special su ject course next fall, and to discourage 9ichie at the same time. @@@%hemes ?(uck? as opposed to ?entitlement? accounting for one's lot in life %he importance of luck in Lucky Jim is signaled first y the title, and then y the repetition of the concept throughout the text. %he novel charts oth the ad and good luck of Jim

8ixon, ut Jim's feelings towards luck ecome more ela orate as the story proceeds. 8ixon's ad luck provides some of the humor of the novel, ut when he stops to rue his misfortune, the passages set aside humor for self&pity. At other points in the story, however, such as the incident with 9rs. 0elch's sheets, ad luck is used to downplay 8ixon's role in his own downfall. ,nce 8ixon learns to trust luck, things turn around for him, and he egins to have a say in his fate.8ixon's take on luck, is in direct contrast to the philosophy of a character like Bertrand 0elch, who does not see discrepancies in class in terms of luck, ut rather as the way things should e. %hus, while 8ixon considers himself lucky when )hristine agrees to come home with him, Bertrand considers )hristine to e his ?right.? Although 8ixon's passive surrender to ? ad luck? can e pathetic, it is also indicative of his concern for others, while Bertrand's sense of entitlement reveals his self&centeredness. %he value of straightforwardness over pretension and hypocrisy %he main traits for which characters in Lucky Jim are satiri/ed are hypocrisy and pretension. %he 0elches are mocked for their social pretensions, 9argaret for her melodramatic romantic, and Bertrand for his attempts to act the part of an artist. 'o one explains to 8ixon what it is that they really want from him and they usually have ulterior motives. 3owever, 8ixon himself is slightly hypocritical when the novel egins, keeping his real emotions from those around him, and faking feelings for 9argaret that he does not actually possess. 1t is not until the end of the novel that 8ixon is a le to e straightforward himself, although he learns early on to appreciate this trait in others. %he differences etween social classes %he theme of the differences etween social classes works on a minute level throughout the text, and 8ixon, with his eye for social, visual, and linguistic nuances, is often tracing out the divisions etween classes. Although these distinctions are supposed to separate the mem ers of the lower, middle and upper class, in Lucky Jim they actually serve to separate the characters into those who attempt to have class and those who genuinely possess refinement. %he 0elches, with their upwardly mo ile social pretension, drag out all the markings of class, such as coffee and cakes for supper, an aesthetic appreciation of amateur art, and useless clothing, ut never really possess it. 9eanwhile, the characters who are less mindful of social classAusually those from the lower&most class and upper&most classesA display some coarseness and flaws, ut are far more admira le and refined that their pretentious counterparts.9otifs =acial features as an indicator of personality %he ?good? characters in Lucky Jim are fairly easily distinguished from the ? ad? characters, and one way this distinction is made is through the relative mo ility or immo ility of their features. )haracters like .rofessor 0elch, Bertrand, and 9argaret have almost static facesAif their expressions move, they move slowly, and do not change the general :uality of their facial structures. ,n the other hand, 8ixon spends several minutes trying to think ack to the many variations of )hristine's face. 8ixon's own face is mo ile and we see that characters that 8ixon trusts, such as Atkinson and 4ore&6r:uhart, have animated faces, or at least several faces that they use to convey emotion. %hus it seems that the characters who have less to hide, and who are more genuine with 8ixon, have mo ile faces that convey what they're thinking. A capacity for contempt as a marker of male ?soundness? All three positive male charactersABill Atkinson, 8ixon himself, and 4ore& 6r:uhartAshare a decisiveness a out what they do and don't like. Bill Atkinson is remarka le perhaps only for the power of his contempt. 8ixon, too, is a le to get out of his oppressive situation with .rofessor 0elch and 9argaret ecause he sticks to his instincts, dividing the world into people he likes and those he does not. At the end of the novel, 8ixon and 4ore&6r:uhart ond over their shared contempt for social functions, and 8ixon's a ility to express contempt seems to e what gets him a jo as 4ore& 6r:uhart's assistant at the end of the novel. +ym ols 9argaret's green .aisley dress and :uasi&velvet shoes 1n the first chapter of Lucky Jim, 8ixon thinks forward to his upcoming meeting with 9argaret, wondering what she will wear. 3e decides that he can make himself compliment anything ut her green .aisley dress and :uasi&velvet shoes, which is, of course, what she is wearing that night. 9argaret wears the dress again in )hapter !" when she and 8ixon officially reak off their relationship. All of 9argaret's clothing seems to e unattractive, ut this dress is clearly something that 9argaret likes a lot and thinks that 8ixon will find attractive. %he fake :uality of the :uasi&velvet shoes also seems to e specifically indicative of 9argaret's lack of sophistication. %hus, the dress is sym olic of 9argaret's unawareness when it comes to 8ixon. %he comedy of her wearing the one thing 8ixon can't stand is also sym olic of the more general comedy of ad luck.professor 0elch's fishing hat and Bertrand's eret 9r. 0elch's fishing hat and Bertrand's eret are sym olic of their pretentiousness. 9r. 0elch fancies himself a man of traditional -ngland, and therefore a man of the people, ut the comedy of .rofessor 0elch's hat lies in the implication that he has never fished in his life, or even met a fisherman, ut still sees nothing amiss in wearing a fishing hat himself. Bertrand's social pretensions are more am itious and continental, as signified y his eret. 8ixon makes fun of Bertrand's eret specifically for its uselessness. 1t does not lock rain or keep him warm, and is worn only for effect. Bertrand and .rofessor 0elch are wearing each other's hats when 8ixon meets them on the street in the final scene, and 8ixon's comic enjoyment of this reversal and of the silliness of the hats more generally sums up his contemptuous feelings for the 0elches throughout the novel. )hapter ! .rofessor 'ed 0elch and Jim 8ixon walk together across the campus of a small -nglish college. 0elch is in the middle of a tedious story, and 8ixon mentally expresses disgust while remaining outwardly interested. 0elch is 8ixon's direct superior in the 8epartment of 3istory and will affect whether or not 8ixon remains a junior

lecturer next month. 8ixon shifts the conversation, asking a out 9argaret, who is convalescing at 0elch's house after a suicide attempt. 0elch replies that 9argaret is recovering :uickly and a sent&mindedly moves the conversation onto another tangent while 8ixon stifles his frustration. 0elch goes inside the history department offices to fetch his ag, and 8ixon stands outside wondering how 9argaret will react when he sees her later in the afternoon. 8ixon and 9argaret were once natural friends, and, to 8ixon's surprise, had reached the status of ?going round? together, especially after 9argaret's mysterious lover )atchpole dumped her. 8ixon thinks itterly a out his interactions with women, and of 9argaret's style of asking pro ing :uestions and making unexpected confessions. 8ixon proceeds inside the history uilding to remind 0elch that 0elch had invited him to tea. ,n the way to 0elch's house, they discuss 8ixon's academic article, for which 8ixon has een una le to find a pu lisher. 8ixon thinks morosely of his article's ?niggling mindlessness.? 0elch nearly gets into an accident, and 8ixon thinks ack to all the ad impression he has made on the senior faculty at the college. As they near the 0elch residence, 0elch invites 8ixon to his house the following weekend, and asks 8ixon to give the end&of&term )ollege ,pen lecture on the su ject of ?9errie -ngland.? Analysis Although Lucky Jim is set on a college campus, in this first chapter we see no students, an attempt on Amis's part to alert us that his campus novel will not e an examination of the follies of students. 1nstead, it rapidly ecomes apparent that the novel is a satire of the ha its and practices of the faculty at a provincial -nglish university. .rofessor 0elch, representative of the old&guard faculty, is ?cultured? in the ivory tower sense of the wordAhe passionately enjoys classical music, for example, and the closest he will come to swearing is ?my word.? But, due to the expansion of the British college system after 0orld 0ar 11, 0elch and others like him find themselves working at newly& uilt colleges and teaching a student population that suddenly includes students of different social ackgrounds. %he incongruity of 0elch and others like him in this new learning environment furnishes much of the humor ofLucky Jim. %he first chapter also introduces us to Jim 8ixon, whose consciousness will dominate the third&person narration. ,ur knowledge of 8ixon's thoughts opens up another comic incongruity of the novelAthe discrepancy etween the venomously critical thoughts 8ixon has a out those around him, and his outwardly meek ehavior toward those same people. %his discrepancy, however, is also 8ixon's underlying predicament, as he is trying to win himself a lifetime position in a social group that he ultimately despises. 0e see in this chapter that 8ixon has little respect for academic work, including his own. And 0elch, for all his prestigious standing in the 3istory 8epartment, cannot judge the merit of 8ixon's article without outside affirmation, making us :uestion whether 0elch really is such a good teacher or scholar. 8ixon is an anti&hero in the sense that everything a out him is ordinaryAhis appearance, his accomplishments, and his talents are all completely unremarka le. %he one thing that isn't ordinary a out 8ixon is the comic strength of his contempt for those around him. 9uch of the comedy of 8ixon's asides to himself is visualAhe imagines stuffing .rofessor 0elch into a toilet, he invents horrific faces for himself to express his inner frustration, and he descri es 0elch's a sent&mindedness to himself with vivid metaphors. 3owever, the humor of the novel also extends itself to language, and 8ixon is also gifted in his a ility to su vert the hackneyed language of others. =or example, when 0elch exclaims ?my word,? the narrative continues, ?Buickly deciding on his own word, 8ixon said it to himself.? %hus 0elch is made ridiculous as his own language is turned ack on him.@@ )hapter $ +ummary 8ixon and 9argaret have a drink at the ,ak (ounge down the road from the 0elch residence. 9argaret is in the middle of explaining to 8ixon her emotions during her suicide attempt. %he suicide attempt was unsuccessful ecause 9argaret's neigh or, 0ilson, came in to complain a out the high volume of her wireless radio, and found her still conscious. 9argaret descri es the kindness of the hospital staff and of 9rs. 0elch. 8ixon tentatively pro es 9argaret to see if she would try committing suicide again. 9argaret asserts that she would not, as she no longer cares for )atchpole, who has not contacted her at all. 9argaret demands another eer and 8ixon pays for it, even though 9argaret's salary is higher than 8ixon's. 8ixon remem ers the morning of the day 9argaret attempted suicide, when they went for coffee and 9argaret stopped at a drugstore to uy sleeping pills. 9argaret had invited 8ixon over for tea that evening, ut he had stayed home to write a lecture. 8ixon has since learned from 9argaret that )atchpole roke up with 9argaret, and that she swallowed the pills around the time that he should have een there for tea. 8ixon arrives ack with their drinks, and 9argaret thanks him for giving her space during her recovery. 8ixon suspects that the comment is supposed to reproach him for visiting her only once in hospital, ut finally decides that 9argaret seems ?genuine.? 8ixon pro es 9argaret a out the upcoming ?arty get& together? at 'ed 0elch's house. 9argaret recites the planned activities and part of the guest list, including a camera team from Picture Post 9aga/ine and 0elch's son and his girlfriend, whom 9argaret descri es as a allet student named +onia (oosmore. 8ixon confides to 9argaret that he has no musical talent and suspects that 0elch merely wants to test him.9argaret asks to change the su ject to themselves, gives 8ixon ?intimate glances,? and asks if they can move from the ar to a more private corner. 8ixon, frustrated y this sudden change, lights up cigarettes for them oth and then excuses himself to go to the athroom. 1n the athroom, 8ixon fantasi/es a out walking out of the ar and out of his jo . 3e has visions of (ondon, and wonders a out their significance. (eaving the athroom, 8ixon again feels the urge to run away, ut ?economic necessity and the call of pity,? com ined with fear, force him ack into

the ,ak (ounge. Analysis %he second chapter opens in the middle of a conversation, the same way that )hapter ! did, ut this time it is 9argaret .eel who is othering 8ixon. %hese a rupt entries into conversation alert us that there will e no slow transitional passages in Lucky Jim. %he narrative moves :uickly from episode to episode, in a narrative form reminiscent of the !5th century ?picares:ue? novel, in which a main outsider figure traveled through various comic episodes without achieving much character growth. 0hile the form seems similar, we cannot yet tell whether 8ixon will have grown y the end of the novel. %he fact that 9argaret and 0elch oth open one of the first two chapters sets them up as 8ixon's two main predicaments. Just as 8ixon doesn't reveal his contempt for academia to 0elch out of fear of losing his jo , 8ixon cannot reveal his frustrations with 9argaret for fear of hurting her already&sensitive feelings. Just as 0elch holds fast to traditional scholarly hierarchies, 9argaret holds fast to a traditional gender hierarchy. Although 9argaret holds a higher position at the college, and therefore a higher salary, she still insists that he pay for all of their drinks. 9argaret spends a fair amount of time consciously acting as she thinks women should, with expressions of timid ravery and tinkly laughter. 1n this second chapter we egin to reali/e that while 8ixon is very perceptive a out the outward appearances and actions of others, the inner workings of their minds are mysterious to him. %herefore, 8ixon's conversation with 9argaret is descri ed in terms of strategic warfare. 3e cannot guess what 9argaret will say next, or what she covertly means y what she does say, and associates this deceptive language with all women. 1t is difficult to determine in this chapter whether it is 9argaret herself, or 8ixon's own pity and good& natured concern for her, that renders him almost incapa le of changing anything a out the direction this part of his life is moving in. %he chapter ends with 8ixon's longing for an imaginary (ondon skyscape, which introduces geography to the novel. 0e have een told in )hapter ! that 8ixon's accent is northern -nglish, and the college town and country around it seem to e located in the south of -ngland. (ondon is introduced as a sym ol of everything that 8ixon's life at the provincial college and at home is not.@@@ )hapter 7 +ummary 9ichie, a history student, stops 8ixon to in:uire a out the sylla us for 8ixon's special honors su ject course in the following fall. 8ixon claims the papers are in his room, ut he has not actually worked out what he will e teaching. 8ixon is planning his special su ject in to attract a sufficient num er of students without taking them from 0elch's classes, and in part ecause he wants to figure out how to insure that 9ichie does not take the class, and that three attractive female students do. Additionally, 8ixon is unsure whether he will still e at the college the next fall. 9ichie offers lengthy suggestions a out the course, while 8ixon avoids the issue to avoid displaying his ignorance.%he two men part at the foot of )ollege >oad and 8ixon walks to his room in a oardinghouse. 3is fellow tenants are Alfred Beesley, an assistant lecturer in the -nglish 8epartment, Bill Atkinson, an insurance salesman, and -van Johns a staff mem er at the college and an o oe player at .rofessor 0elch's concerts. 0aiting for 8ixon is a letter from 8r. (. +. )aton announcing the acceptance of 8ixon's academic article in )aton's new academic journal. 8ixon proceeds to deface the photo on the cover of one of Johns's maga/ines ecause Johns is a suck&up whom 8ixon doesn't like.Beesley comes home and 8ixon tells him a out the acceptance of his article. Beesley suggests that (.+. )aton's vaguely worded note will not e enough to guarantee 8ixon's jo security. %he two men sit down to tea served y 9iss )utler, the housekeeper, and Bill Atkinson comes in. Beesley asks 8ixon first if 8ixon's article is any good, and then why 8ixon decided to take up medieval studies. 8ixon is surprised that Beesley would assume that 8ixon was taking either the paper or his career seriously. 8ixon has ecome a medievalist ecause the medieval coursework was easier at his college.Beesley leaves and 8ixon asks Atkinson to phone him at the 0elches' on +unday to give 8ixon an excuse to leave the get&together early. At this moment, Johns arrives in the room. 8ixon is unsure if Johns, a friend of oth of the 0elches, has overheard the conversation. Johns will e going to the 0elches for the weekend as well, ut 8ixon has resolved to take the us rather than ride with Johns. 8ixon walks to the us stop feeling optimistic and energi/ed y the usiness of the city center. 3e looks forward to giving 9argaret a ook of verse he's ought for her. Analysis %he eginning of )hapter 7 marks one of the few explicit reference to 0orld 0ar 11 in Lucky Jim. 0e learn that 8ixon's history student 9ichie commanded a tank troop during the war, while 8ixon saw no war action in his post as an >oyal Air =orce corporal in 0estern +cotland. %hese rief details continue the novel's attempt to expose ineffective hierarchiesA8ixon seems well aware of the irony that he commands 9ichie in the post&war setting of the college, even though 9ichie held a higher and more dangerous position during the war.9ichie is the only student we see 8ixon interact with in the novel, and the scenes involving 9ichie turn up another comic incongruityC while the studious 9ichie expects that teaching and learning are ased on academic concerns, 8ixon actually plans his classes around his desire to have three pretty female students in his class. %he pettiness ehind many university decisions is further evidenced throughout the novel. 'othing is straightforward in 8ixon's interactions with other students and faculty. 0hen Beesley advises 8ixon that )aton's acceptance of 8ixon's article is not concrete enough, for example, 8ixon immediately wonders whether the advice is sound, or the product of Beesley's disappointment a out his own jo &rejection letter.Bill Atkinson, who is introduced in this chapter, is so far the one character who is completely straightforward. Bill treats everything and everyone around him with a skepticism that orders on hatred. 8ixon claims to admire him ?for his air of detesting everything that presented itself to his senses? ut

Atkinson also contrasts with the other characters in that his emotions and motives are uncomplicated and easily read from his outward features. But when 8ixon attempts to e as straightforward as Atkinson y explaining honestly to Beesley that he doesn't take his article or career choice seriously, he is met with Beesley's :uiet disapproval and is warned not to e so honest with 0elch.0e egin to reali/e the unrelia ility of a narrative that focuses solely on 8ixon's viewpoint in )hapter 7. 8ixon seems annoyed y having to guess at the motivations of others, yet he disfigures the cover of -van Johns' maga/ine for no reason other than the fact that he dislikes Johns. %his discrepancy etween 8ixon's eliefs and actions ecomes even more apparent when we later see 8ixon wondering what he has done to deserve Johns' retaliation.Just as )hapter $ ended with 8ixon's vision of (ondon, )hapter 7 ends with 8ixon feeling energi/ed and optimistic due to his rief walk through the rush&hour usiness of the local city center. -vidently, 8ixon is happiest when in an ur an setting. )hapter * +ummary %he madrigal singing session at the 0elches' amateur music weekend is underway. 8ixon has claimed to e a le to sight&read music and the others have forced him to participate in the singing. 8ixon lays low under the cover of another tenor and 3istory department colleague, )ecil 4oldsmith, for a song. Just as 8ixon's lack of musical talent is a out to e exposed in the following song, .rofessor 0elch's son, Bertrand, arrives. %he madrigal group reaks up, and 8ixon retreats to a corner to smoke and look at Bertrand's girlfriend, whom he immediately thinks is out of his league. 8ixon strikes up a conversation with 9argaret, and Bertrand and his girlfriend come over. Bertrand gives a witty speech a out his work as a painter that annoys 8ixon with its rehearsed :uality. 8ixon turns to Bertrand's girlfriend and addresses her as ?+onia (oosmore.? 1n fact, 9argaret's earlier information was mistaken, and Bertrand and +onia (oosmore have recently roken up. Bertrand furiously accuses 8ixon of deli erately provoking him and walks away with )hristine.8ixon and 9argaret discuss the appealing eauty and unappealing sno ery of Bertrand's girlfriend )hristine. 8ixon walks off to check the recital schedule with .rofessor 0elch and returns to find 9argaret talking with )arol 4oldsmith, a friend of theirs. 0hen 8ixon calls Bertrand's ehavior rude, )arol and 9argaret defend Bertrand, to 8ixon's surprise. )arol explains that they have een friends with Bertrand since the previous summer.Bertrand returns to the group and, in response to )arol's :uestions a out )hristine, reveals that )hristine is the niece of Julius 4ore&6r:uhart, a famous art patron. )hristine has arranged a meeting etween 4ore&6r:uhart and Bertrand, as Bertrand is interested in a position as 4ore&6r:uhart's personal assistant. 9argaret reminds Bertrand that the weekend on which Bertrand and )hristine will return to the country to meet 4ore&6r:uhart is the weekend of the )ollege's +ummer Ball.)hristine returns to the group and 9argaret praises 4ore&6r:uhart for his generosity. Bertrand egins to critici/e the government for draining money from the rich. 8ixon steps in with a comment endorsing socialism, and )hristine and Bertrand react to 8ixon's comment condescendingly. Bertrand will not let the discussion go until 8ixon cedes his point, which 8ixon refuses to do. )hristine asks 8ixon to stop talking ?in that strain,? ecause it irritates her. Just as the next recital piece is a out to egin, 8ixon insults oth )hristine and Bertrand. %hey are near the point of physical violence when .rofessor 0elch returns and 8ixon rushes past him out the door.Analysis )hapter * first uses the plot device of a social gathering to ring all of the characters together, which serves to underscore the similarities and allegiances etween the characters, and to create comedy y having the diverse personalities ounce off one another. %he similarities and differences of the characters in this particular social gathering at 0elch's house revolve around the idea of class differences, and how one's ho ies, clothing, manner of speech, and ideas mark one as eing from a different social class. 8ixon suspected in )hapter $ that 'ed 0elch has invited him to the party to infuse a little ?culture? into 8ixon, ut the chapter turns out to e more of a test than a lesson. 8ixon egins the chapter at risk of exposure for eing una le to sight&read madrigal music, and ends the party on the ?wrong side? of a de ate a out social welfare. As always, however, 8ixon is still our heroAwe don't envy the rest of the 0elch crowd ecause 8ixon has so contemptuously descri ed the madrigal activities, the cakes served instead of a proper evening meal, and Bertrand's pretentious accent. Although Bertrand is almost as ridiculously portrayed y 8ixon as his father, we should remem er that oth 9argaret and )arol 4oldsmith stick up for Bertrand in this )hapter. %hus Bertrand seems to e a worthy rival for 8ixon, rather than merely the utt of 8ixon's contempt. ,ther than )arol 4oldsmith, who ravely sits out during the madrigal singing, )hristine is the only character who truly sets herself apart from the 0elch family and the rest of the gathering. )hristine does this y unconcernedly possessing taste and understated eautyAmarkers of high classAwhile the 0elches try to hard to e high class y ostentatiously displaying markers of it. %hus, while the 0elches leave 8ixon unshaken, the sight of )hristine seems an ?something designed to put him in his place for good.? @@@)hapter 2 +ummary 8ixon struggles ack up the 0elches' driveway after drinking far more than he planned at a country pu . 3e scouts the perimeter of the house for a way in and notices, through a window, Bertrand 0elch em racing )arol 4oldsmith. After an initial pang of pity for )ecil 4oldsmith, )arol's hus and, 8ixon attempts to forget what he has seen and manages to get into the house. After unsuccessfully trying to so er up, 8ixon heads toward his edroom, ut this re:uires passing through a athroom that is in use and he is temporarily locked. 9argaret opens her edroom door, sees 8ixon in the hall, and invites him into her edroom. 9argaret tells 8ixon that Johns informed 9rs. 0elch that 8ixon had pro a ly gone off

to the pu .8ixon uses the athroom and finds, upon his return, that 9argaret has put on lipstick. %ouched y this gesture, and y 9argaret's help in getting him out of the helpless situation in the hall, 8ixon egins kissing her. 8ixon worries if he is eing fair to 9argaret, ut he continues to touch and kiss her. As his movements ecome more heated, 9argaret suddenly flings 8ixon off of her, stands up, and asks him to leave.%hrust out into the hallway with his coat under his arm, 8ixon finds the athroom door still locked, and heads downstairs to raid the 0elches' li:uor ca inet. 8ixon drinks half a ottle of port, then goes to his room, undresses, and thinks a out his pass at 9argaret. ,n the one hand, he reasons, 9argaret wants to have a sexual relationship with 8ixon, ut on the other, he feels guilty for eing involved with her so soon after her suicide attempt. 8ixon eventually maneuvers himself into ed and passes out. Analysis 8ixon's drunken re&entry into a house full of people provides most of the comedy of )hapter 2. %he device of a house full of characters coming and going while trying to hide things from one another is a common occurrence in comedies of manners. 9uch of the events in the chapter are due entirely to circumstances outside of 8ixon's controlA not only is he too drunk to really do anything of his own volition, ut the house's windows and doors deny him access to places he wants to e, and grant him access to things he wants to avoid. =or example, 8ixon's inadvertently witnesses )arol 4oldsmith and Bertrand em racing through a window, and is una le to get ack into his edroom ecause the athroom is in use.)hapter 2 also marks the eginning of 8ixon's choosing his own fate. Before, 8ixon was merely trying to get y when it came to .rofessor 0elch and 9argaret, ut in this chapter he egins to rock oth oats. 'onetheless, even though he a andons the party for the pu and hits on 9argaret, 8ixon remains a passive character. 3e leaves for the pu so as not to further antagoni/e Bertrand, and the descriptions of 8ixon's pass at 9argaret are filled with disclaimers, primarily references to his drunken condition. %herefore, although 8ixon is no longer merely the victim of ad luck, and has taken his fate into his own hands to some extent, he is still not :uite in control of his fate. 8ixon's pass at 9argaret serves to ensure his entanglement with her, as their relationship is fueled y guilt and pity. 8ixon spends the time during and after their encounter worrying that he's taking advantage of 9argaret, even though she clearly knows what she does and does not want.@@@ )hapter " 8ixon wakes up in the morning with a tremendous hangover. 3e soon reali/es that he fell asleep while smoking and has urned large holes in the edsheets as well as in the rug and the ta le. 0ithout thinking, 8ixon cuts the urnt sections out of the edsheets with his ra/or. 3e also egins to think a out how to plan an escape from the 0elches' even earlier than he had previously planned. 3e attempts to put a call through to Atkinson, asking Atkinson to phone earlier than previously planned so that 8ixon can escape efore the damaged sheets are discovered. 8ixon waits on the telephone for a half&hour, however, without ever reaching an operator. =rustrated, he proceeds into the reakfast& room, where he finds )hristine eating reakfast.8ixon :uickly apologi/es to her for his ehavior the previous evening. )hristine listens with intermittent fascination and haughtiness to 8ixon's description of his night at the pu . 8uring their conversation 8ixon again notices )hristine's eauty, as well as her large, una ashed appetite, and her laugh, which is less musical than he expects.+uddenly, 8ixon remem ers his edsheets and explains the source of his panic to )hristine. +he agrees to have a look at the sheets and try to help conceal the damage. )hristine's enthusiasm for hiding the damaged sheets from 9rs. 0elch suggests to 8ixon that she may not e so prim after all. 0atching )hristine from the other side of his ed, 8ixon feels anguished that she is so far out of his league. )hristine goes out to the hallway to signal 8ixon when it is safe for him to remove the urnt ta le. 8ixon rings the ta le out, laughing with )hristine, when 9argaret suddenly throws open her edroom door and asks 8ixon what is going on.)hapter D 8ixon tries sheepishly to explain the situation to 9argaret while )hristine attempts suppresses her laughter. )hristine reaks into the conversation to suggest that they take care of the ta le. 0hen 8ixon returns from hiding the ta le in a room down the hall, )hristine has left and 9argaret is waiting for him. 3e explains to her a out the fire, and is surprised when 9argaret does not laugh at the story, and instead expresses her disgust at 8ixon's handling of the situation and her dislike of )hristine. 8ixon explains to 9argaret that 9argaret is the one utting in and instantly regrets this tactic.9argaret theatrically displays hurt and then reproves 8ixon further for his ehavior the night efore. As 9argaret's distress rises, 8ixon egins to panic. 3e eventually reaks in to speak, and 9argaret ecomes :uiet and, finally, decides to return to ed. Bertrand calls out from downstairs that 8ixon has a telephone call, which 8ixon takes in the drawing&room. 8ixon speaks idly with Atkinson on the phone for several minutes, then hangs up and egins to tell the group that he must leave immediately to meet his parents, who've unexpectedly arrived in town. Before he can finish, 9argaret and Johns come into the drawing&room. 1n the ensuing chatter, 8ixon slips out with hurried explanations.Analysis %he opening of )hapter " continues to make 8ixon's choices and actions seem more like ad luck than ad choices. 8ixon has fallen asleep with a lit cigarette the night efore and wakes up to find the damage he's caused to his room, ut the language of these passages makes him seem more like a victim than the cause of the fire. 8ixon's hangover is not descri ed as the conse:uence of having drunk too much the night efore, ut instead as the result of ? eing expertly eaten up y the secret police? during the night. 0hen 8ixon finds the damage, he wonders if he is fully responsi le. %hus, the language invites the theme of ad luck and also exploits the comic incongruity of what 8ixon remem ers doing with what 8ixon has done.8ixon's early&

morning encounter with )hristine in this chapter allows him to study her more closely. 3e notices some more human aspects of her that somewhat crack the facade of her aloof eauty, like her slightly irregular teeth, her unmusical laugh, and her very healthy appetite. %hese imperfections, oddly enough, increase 8ixon's agitation over )hristine. 0hile she previously seemed like a woman deserving only of long&distance appreciation ecause she was so o viously unattaina le, )hristine now seems much closer to 8ixon. 3er fascination a out his drinking escapades, her sense of humor over his predicament with the edsheets and her willingness to conspire with him in deceiving 9rs. 0elch are com ined to send 8ixon into a near&fren/y of disappointment. 'ot only is )hristine someone 8ixon thinks he could never have, ut she is now someone whom 8ixon suspects he might want, and for reasons other than her eauty.9argaret's appearance and disapproving attitude upon finding 8ixon and )hristine sneaking around in the hall with the ta le serves to solidify the allegiance etween 8ixon and )hristine. )hristine stifles her laughter ecause the censorious 9argaret cannot e included in the joke, and 9argaret's attitude forces 8ixon into taking sides etween the two women. Although 8ixon does initially take )hristine's side, when 9argaret changes tactics and ecomes dramatically upset, 8ixon reverts to his previous guilt and sides with 9argaret instead. %he language of the narration underlines 9argaret's phoniness and her conscious adoption of different female roles.@@@ )hapter 5 A week and a half after the 0elches' party, .rofessor 0elch calls 8ixon into his office for a discussion a out 8ixon's article. 0elch tells 8ixon that 8ixon's pu lisher, 8r. (. +. )aton, apparently has a history of shady ehavior. 0elch suggests that 8ixon o tain an exact pu lication date from )aton. Before leaving, 8ixon rouses up the courage to ask 0elch a out his standing within the department, ut 0elch tells 8ixon nothing has een decided yet. =urious at eing strung along, 8ixon thanks 0elch, thinking to himself that he'll never e a le to express his frustration and anger to 0elch or to 9argaret. (eaving 0elch's office and entering the )ommon >oom, 8ixon sees 9argaret sitting y herself and feels affectionate and remorseful towards her. 8ixon and 9argaret have seen each other once since the 0elches', when they spent an evening at the ,ak (ounge, where 8ixon tried to put their friendship ack to normal. As they talk, 9argaret egins to cry and admits that she's feeling depressed and hasn't een sleeping. 8ixon, feeling ad for not having called her the previous evening, tries to placate 9argaret with a cigarette and with sympathy, and then asks her to lunch that day. 9argaret explains she's expected at the 0elches' for lunch and then mentions the +ummer Ball on the upcoming weekend. 8ixon :uickly asks 9argaret to the dance, and she cheers up instantly and agrees to oth the Ball and lunch. Before she leaves, she mentions that Bertrand will e escorting )arol 4oldsmith to the Ball since )ecil is out of town. 8ixon sits down to write the letter to )aton asking for a specific pu lication date. )hapter # 9aconochie, the college porter, finds 8ixon in the )ommon >oom and asks him to take a phone call for .rofessor 0elch, who is taking the day off. 8ixon picks up the phone in the next room and hears )hristine on the other end, calling to get information a out Bertrand's wherea outs. )hristine has an opportunity to set up the meeting etween Bertrand and 4ore&6r:uhart for the coming weekend at the )ollege +ummer Ball, ut can't locate Bertrand to tell him. 8ixon claims not to know if Bertrand plans to attend the +ummer Ball so as not to reveal to )hristine that Bertrand is planning to escort )arol 4oldsmith. 8ixon suggests that )hristine telephone 9rs. 0elch, ut )hristine explains that she doesn't get along with 9rs. 0elch. 8ixon offers to telephone the 0elch residence and get .rofessor 0elch to call )hristine ack. 8ixon and )hristine spend several more minutes chatting. Just as 8ixon hangs up, Johns comes in and 8ixon wonders if he's een eavesdropping. 8ixon walks down the hallway ack to the )ommon >oom, where 9ichie overtakes him. 9ichie explains to 8ixon that he likes the sylla us for 8ixon's special su ject, ut that the three attractive female students, 9iss ,'+haughnessy, 9iss 9c)or:uodale, and 9iss ap >hys, consider it too heavy. 8ixon agrees to meet with the three girls and 9ichie the next morning to discuss the sylla us, and mentally resolves to further change it to attract the girls and discourage 9ichie. =rom the phone in the )ommon >oom, 8ixon calls the 0elch house and hears 9rs. 0elch on the other end. 9rs. 0elch recogni/es 8ixon's voice and egins asking him a out the ruined sheets. Before she can finish, 8ixon tells her that he is actually a reporter with the Evening Post, and that he is calling for Bertrand. Bertrand comes to the phone and 8ixon continues with his charade, asking Bertrand :uestions a out his artwork. 8ixon ends up the conversation y pretending that )hristine suggested the interview and mentions to Bertrand that he should telephone )hristine that afternoon. Bertrand asks for his name, and 8ixon calls himself Beesley. 8ixon hangs up, overwhelmed ut elated y his successful deception of 9rs. 0elch and Bertrand. 3e calls )hristine ack to prepare her for Bertrand's phone call.Analysis 0hen 0elch calls 8ixon into his office for a discussion, 8ixon automatically assumes that he will e losing his jo for one reason or another, and he is ultimately relieved that the issue of his jo has een put off ecause he prepares only for the possi ility that he will e let go. 8ixon's pessimism affects how we see the greater workings of the novel. 1n a comedy, the reader can usually e sure that comic justice will e rendered at the end, and that the hero and heroine will win out and live happily ever after. 3owever, the hero and heroine of Lucky Jim are not clearly identified, and any confidence we might feel that things will end well for 8ixon is mitigated y 8ixon's view of events.8ixon's meeting with 9argaret in the )ommon >oom marks their second encounter in which 9argaret enters their conversation extremely upset and 8ixon manages to placate her y the end, this time y inviting

her to the +ummer Ball. 1n this meeting, 9argaret's sadness and loneliness are presented as less artificial, making it harder for us to pass a negative judgment on her. 8ixon's agreement to phone the 0elches )hristine's ehalf again makes them accomplices, and on oth occasions their alliance is the result of )hristine's ?sinking? to 8ixon's level of immature ehavior. %his colla oration also jumpstarts 8ixon's campaign against Bertrand, thus eginning a new trend in 8ixon's life wherein he makes things happen rather than simply watching them and commenting. 8ixon's ?anarchistic? urst of laughter after the Evening Post phone call highlights 8ixon's newfound disregard for the long& term conse:uences of his actions.@@ )hapter !< As 9argaret and 8ixon dance together at the +ummer Ball the following weekend, 9argaret explains to 8ixon how furious )arol was when Bertrand told )arol that she would now e attending the Ball with 4ore&6r:uhart while Bertrand escorted )hristine. 8ixon decides not to tell 9argaret a out )arol and Bertrand's em race on the night of 0elch's party. 9argaret and 8ixon head into the makeshift ar with Bertrand and )hristine for a drink. 4ore&6r:uhart and )arol already occupy a ta le in the corner. 4ore&6r:uhart has coaxed 9aconochie, a fellow +cotsman, into ringing them all full pints of eer instead of the usual )ollege half&pints. 1n an aside to 8ixon, 9argaret dramatically explains that she's ?getting much too fond? of 8ixon and asks him to hold her seat. 8ixon listens to Bertrand rag to 4ore&6r:uhart. 9argaret returns and asks 4ore&6r:uhart to dance. Bertrand asks )arol to dance, 8ixon asks )hristine to dance.)hapter !! 8ixon leads )hristine onto the dance floor. ,nce they egin dancing, )hristine asks 8ixon if )arol is sulking ecause Bertrand was initially going to take her to the dance. 8ixon tells her he knows nothing a out it. )hristine responds to this with itterness and 8ixon again feels confusion a out her true character. 8ixon thanks )hristine for her help covering up his phone hoax with the 0elches'. )hristine admits that she thought 8ixon's Evening Post routine was ? rilliantly funny,? and they dance even closer. )hristine tells 8ixon that Johns told .rofessor 0elch that 8ixon asked Atkinson to call him at the 0elches' and pretend 8ixon's parents had come to town. 8ixon, furious, reali/es that Johns had een eavesdropping while he planned with Atkinson. )hristine and 8ixon return to the ar to find Bertrand ragging to 4ore&6r:uhart. )arol reappears and asks 8ixon to dance with her.Analysis )hapters !< through !* take place at the college's +ummer Ball and could descri ed as the first climax of the novel. ,nce again, all the characters are rought together and the final important characterA4ore& 6r:uhartAis introduced. 4ore&6r:uhart, )hristine's uncle, is rich, well&mannered, and successful, ut he has the same endearing imperfections as )hristineC his evening suit is not as nice as one would expect, and he has one eye row that extends across his forehead. 4ore&6r:uhart also does not succum to Bertrand's ragging, and prefers to remain in the ar rather than dance, as does 8ixon. Although 8ixon and 4ore&6r:uhart arely speak, 4ore&6r:uhart remem ers 8ixon's name and ecomes 8ixon's enefactor when he ac:uires full pints of eer for the ta le. (ike )hristine, 4ore& 6r:uhart seems more appealing to 8ixon ecause he displays no anxieties over needing to prove his upper class standing. )hristine and 8ixon dance together for almost all of )hapter !!, and this is an important moment as we finally see 8ixon eing frank with )hristine. 0e also see, for the first time, someone genuinely explaining the inner workings of their mind to 8ixon when )hristine attempts to discuss and analy/e her reaction to 8ixon's mention of the Evening Post phonecall. 8ixon keeps the secret a out having seen Bertrand and )arol 4oldsmith em racing from oth 9argaret and )hristine, even though it would help him with )hristine y hurting Bertrand. %his code of honor ecomes even more apparent as it is set against Johns's tattling. %wice now, we have heard of Johns reporting incriminating information a out 8ixon to 'ed 0elch and 9rs. 0elch %he deli erateness of Johns's eavesdropping also contrasts with 8ixon's inadvertent view of Bertrand and )arol through a window.@@@ )hapter !$ ,n the dance floor, )arol speaks frankly to 8ixon. +he asks him what the two of them should do a out the Bertrand situation, given that 8ixon is attracted to )hristine and )arol is having an affair with Bertrand. )arol warns 8ixon not to waste more time on 9argaret, who she says will pull 8ixon down with her. )arol explains her own anger at Bertrand's mistreatment of her that evening, and 8ixon is impressed y )arol's straightforward explanations, even more so when she tells him that she has told her hus and a out Bertrand.)arol urges 8ixon to act on his desires with )hristine. 0hen 8ixon tells her he would rather not try it ecause he thinks )hristine is of his class, )arol accuses him of eing reverential a out )hristine, and wanting to have sex with her ut elieving he cannot. 8ixon and )arol return to the ar to see 4ore& 6r:uhart still in the same position, with Bertrand and 9argaret on either side of him. )hristine looks ored. )arol encourages 8ixon to save )hristine from her oredom. 8ixon approaches the ta le and egins talking to )hristine, who justifies Bertrand y saying that he did come mainly to talk to 4ore&6r:uhart. At this moment, Bertrand gets up from the ta le and walks over to talk to )arol, who is still at the ar. 8ixon tells )hristine that he is going outside to get a taxi, and that she should come out in fifteen minutes and he will take her ack to the 0elches'. 8ixon leaves the dance to look for a telephone.)hapter !7 8ixon steps outside to wait for the taxi he's ordered, excited y the uncharacteristically decisive action he's just taken in asking )hristine to let him take her home. A taxi pulls up for .rofessor Barclay, and 8ixon identifies himself as Barclay, asking the driver to wait around the corner. .rofessor Barclay and his wife emerge, and 8ixon egins talking to them so that they will not notice their taxi. 8ixon walks with the Barclays down the road a it, then sees )hristine come outside and walk toward him. )hristine asks 8ixon if he has

gotten a ca yet, and he :uickly keeps her from saying more and leads her away from the Barclays. %he ca 8ixon has ordered pulls out into the road, and 8ixon runs over to the driver and tells him to wait around the lock for them. 3e tells the Barclays that the driver has told 8ixon he could not stay. 8ixon and )hristine meet the taxi around the lock. 8ixon gives the driver the 0elches' address and, when the driver protests that he cannot go that far, orders him to stop at the gas station near campus. Analysis )arol and 8ixon's conversation in )hapter !$ is interesting primarily ecause )arol speaks frankly and exposes 8ixon's own insincerity and hypocrisies. 0hen )arol calls 8ixon on his feigned indifference to )hristine, a development in 8ixon's character ensues. 0hen )arol admits that her frankness extends even to telling her hus and of her affair with Bertrand, 8ixon reali/es how little he really sees a out people. )arol also manages to underscore the hypocrisy of 8ixon's own practice of pretending not to e thinking the exact thoughts that he is thinking. )arol also exposes the hypocrisy of the period's social mores when she reproaches young people for acting as if o ligations played as much of a role as sexual attraction in intimate relationships. )arol views this as self& importance and ?false maturity.? +he therefore manages to convince 8ixon that pursuing )hristine and dumping 9argaret is his ?moral duty.?8ixon's attempts to take )hristine home early represent his first fully controlled, consciously decisive action of the novel. 0ell aware of this, 8ixon feels that the course of his life could change and recogni/es that he values change over stasis. 8ixon's pessimism does not disappear, however, and so his emotion in this chapter are always a mix, as when he feels, within the space of just a few minutes, that he has humiliated himself even more than usual and is then romantically excited. %he taxi scene offers some situational comic relief and also prolongs the suspense a out whether )hristine will accept 8ixon's offer. %he fact that )hristine does ultimately appear allows 8ixon to translate his newly decisive actions into even more decisive actions, as he orders the ca driver to take them to the 0elch home and stop for gas, even though the ca driver is not supposed to do either. %hus we see that 8ixon's freedom from the relationships that ind him is contingent on his learning to control others as well.@@@ )hapter !* 1n the ca , 8ixon egins to feel annoyed that )hristine doesn't feel ad a out 8ixon's stealing the ca from the Barclays, ut he relents when )hristine says that she was annoyed y all the intrigue at the Ball, and that she has felt depressed of late. %he ca arrives at the gas station and 8ixon angs on the closed shop door until a man comes out and agrees to fill up their tank. 8ixon feels more warmly toward )hristine now that she seems to trust him, and asks here why she is depressed. )hristine descri es how people focus on her outward poise and forget the fact that she is not even twenty years old yet. )hristine goes on to explain to 8ixon her past difficulties with men who dropped her after reali/ing she didn't want to e seduced. +he explains that Bertrand has not tried to seduce her and that she has een feeling fondly toward Bertrand despite their fre:uent arguments. )hristine mentions that she suspects Bertrand expect to marry her. 8ixon asks )hristine what Bertrand's pictures are like and is pleased to discover that Bertrand has not shown any of his work to )hristine, saying he's not a real painter yet. 8ixon does not accept )hristine's explanation that it's harder to date a man who is an artist than an ordinary man. )hristine asks 8ixon if he thinks she should marry Bertrand. 3e says ?no,? explaining that Bertrand, like .rofessor 0elch, is only interested in himself. 0hen )hristine says that she could marry Bertrand without loving him, 8ixon gives )hristine a lecture on the dangers of viewing feelings o jectively. 8ixon explains that knowing you're in love is the easy part, and that deciding how to act on it is harder and re:uires thinking. )hristine ecomes tired and naps on 8ixon's shoulder until they pull up to the 0elch residence. )hristine asks 8ixon to help her get ack in the locked house. 8ixon gets the taxi&driver to wait.@@@)hapter !2 8ixon and )hristine walk through the 0elches' yard in search of a way into the house. 8ixon finds an unlocked window, enters the room, and switches on a light. )hristine and 8ixon find themselves very close together and 8ixon kisses her riefly. %hey sit down to drink the coffee and eat the cookies that have een left out. 8ixon tells )hristine that he likes her and she protests that he does not know her at all. 8ixon asks )hristine to come out with him. )hristine reminds him of their respective ties to Bertrand and 9argaret. 8ixon explains that 9argaret has no official claim on him, and then asks )hristine what she would like to do. +he says she would like to come out with him and they kiss again, this time for longer. 8ixon momentarily places a hand on )hristine's reast, ut removes it when he feels her go slack. %hey decide to meet at a hotel in town for tea on %uesday. %hey hear the 0elches' pull up in their car. Before 8ixon can hop out of the window, )hristine shoves some money in his pocket for the taxi. Analysis )hapter !* continues 8ixon's trend of self&discovery, which he egan with his conversation with )arol 4oldsmith in )hapter !$. 8ixon is honest to himself a out his pessimism and limited perceptiveness, and in this chapter he vows to ? et on his luck? for the first time and is surprised when he egins to pick up on people's :uirks and foi les, which he would normally not notice. 8ixon and )hristine continue to e honest with one another, even after they leave the dance. 8ixon confronts )hristine when he perceives that she is eing insincere and )hristine continues to explain herself to the est of her a ility. ,verall, the taxi ride and re&entry to the 0elches' is a success, ratifying 8ixon's theory that ?nice things are nicer than nasty ones.? %his theory is similar to )arol 4oldsmith's theory that people in their twenties make relationships more complicated than they need to e y foolishly and self& importantly letting other o ligations get in the way of straightforward sexual attraction. 8ixon's long speech to )hristine a out the

uncomplicatedness of love, and the self&indulgence of thinking too hard a out love, also fits under the same theory. +ome of )hristine's responses to 8ixon continue to e nasty rather than nice, however, such as her remark that artists have different needs than ordinary people, ut 8ixon cleanly circumvents this pro lem y attri uting those statements to. %here are a few rief moments in )hapters !* and !2, however, during which 8ixon and )hristine do not connect. 8ixon misunderstands some of )hristine's comments, ut only ecause he does not yet suspect what we do, namely, that )hristine likes 8ixon and wants him to like her.All together, the taxi ride, the talk with )hristine a out Bertrand's failings, the shared coffee cup, and the two kisses make )hapters !* and !2 a triumphant climax for 8ixon. )hristine wins out over 9argaret in each of the several comparisons made in these chapters, and she rounds out the evening y giving 8ixon money for the taxi, contrasting symmetrically with 9argaret's tendency to let 8ixon pay for drinks even though she has more money.@@@ )hapter !D ,n +unday, 8ixon composes a threatening letter addressed to Johns. %he letter accuses Johns of carrying on with one of the secretaries, and 8ixon writes as if he were the secretary's angry oyfriend. 8ixon daydreams for a it a out )hristine, then egins thinking of his desperate financial situation. 9argaret comes into 8ixon's room and asks him why he deserted her at the Ball. +he also informs 8ixon somewhat triumphantly that all three 0elches are upset with him. 8ixon reminds 9argaret that she ignored him at the dance in favor of 4ore&6r:uhart, and 9argaret condescendingly tells 8ixon he can't tell the difference etween flirting and friendliness. 8ixon tells 9argaret that he is not interested in her romantically, and that she should stop acting as though he were. +uddenly, 9argaret falls onto 8ixon's ed and has an emotional fit. Bill Atkinson and 9iss )utler come in the room. Atkinson slaps 9argaret several times and sends 8ixon upstairs to Atkinson's room for whiskey. +oon 9argaret acts normally again and apologi/es for her ehavior, commending 8ixon on his patience. 9argaret acknowledges their reak&up and leaves, and 8ixon feels a mixture of concern and guilt over her. 3e gra s the letter to mail to Johns and goes to the pu with Atkinson and Beesley.@@@)hapter !D 8ixon comes down to reakfast early on 9onday so as to spend the full morning writing his ?9errie -ngland? lecture. Beesley and Atkinson come in, followed y Johns with his letter. Beesley and Atkinson, who know a out the contents of the letter, watch Johns with amusement as he reads the letter and ecomes flustered. Atkinson asks him several times if he's heard ad news. 8ixon doesn't enjoy the moment as much as he thought he would. Johns turns to 8ixon and tells him the letter isn't funny, and threatens 8ixon with revenge. Beesley and 8ixon walk to the college together. %hey enter the )ommon >oom and check their mail oxes, and in one of his academic journals Beesley finds a notice announcing that 8r. (. +. )aton has gotten a jo in Argentina. 8ixon panics slightly and makes plans to call )aton soon a out 8ixon's article. 8ixon walks over to the music department to get a ook on medieval music from .rofessor Barclay to pad the ?9errie -ngland? lecture with material .rofessor 0elch will like. At the li rary, 8ixon runs into .rofessor 0elch, who gives 8ixon a sheaf of papers containing titles he would like 8ixon to check out for him at the pu lic li rary in the city that day. 0elch also tells 8ixon to come to a meeting at five o'clock the next day, just an hour after 8ixon is supposed to meet )hristine in town. Analysis 1n )hapter !", the scene etween 9argaret and 8ixon makes 9argaret's manipulative ehavior even more apparent and ridiculous than it has previously een. 3er comments to 8ixon a out )hristine reveal 9argaret's capacity for nastiness and reinforce a general alignment etween her and the 0elches on the issue social class. 9argaret's fit of hysterics unsettles 8ixon profoundly and somewhat re&esta lishes his desire not to rock the oat. %hese concerns, along with his employment and financial situation, weigh 8ixon down to such an extent that he does not even fully enjoy his practical joke on Johns. Although 8ixon seems unhappy with his current jo at the university, the end of )hapter !D serves to reinforce our perception that 8ixon is in fact performing his academic tasks must etter than the incompetent 0elch. 0elch takes advantage of his power over 8ixon to get 8ixon to research asic topics that 0elch should have full command of. %hese added tasks, on top of the ?9errie -ngland? lecture, make it seem impossi le that 8ixon could ever actually fulfill what's re:uired of him to keep his jo .@@@ )hapter !5 By the end of that %uesday, 8ixon rings the checked&out li rary ooks to .rofessor 0elch, who invites 8ixon to dinner at his house. 8ixon accepts, even though he should e working on his ?9errie -ngland? lecture. 1n the car, .rofessor 0elch discusses how much 8ixon, 0elch, and 9ichie have in common, namely, an interest in ackward&looking -nglish traditions. 8ixon tunes out and thinks of how he will face 9argaret at dinner and manage to signal that he still cares for her without returning to their previous relationship. 8ixon tunes ack in to hear 0elch descri ing his second son, 9ichel, who is a writer. %hey pull up to the 0elch residence and 8ixon rips his only pair of good pants on an exposed spring in the car seat while getting out. 1nside the 0elch house, .rofessor 0elch suddenly explains there's een a mix&up and that the 0elch family cannot have dinner with 8ixon after all, as they are expected in town for a show with the 4oldsmiths. 9rs. 0elch confronts 8ixon a out the damaged sheets, and 8ixon admits his guilt and offers to pay for them. 9rs. 0elch also tells 8ixon that she suspects that he called her house posing as a reporter for the Evening Post. 8ixon feigns ignorance so successfully that 9rs. 0elch leaves the room slightly em arrassed. Bertrand confronts 8ixon a out leaving the Ball with )hristine. 8ixon explains that he has done nothing wrong and that )hristine can see whomever she would like. Bertrand screams at 8ixon that 8ixon is wasting his time with )hristine and calls him a ?lousy little

philistine.?.)hristine pulls Bertrand away and 8ixon sits down on the couch with 9argaret. Bertrand's final comments have reinforced 8ixon's feeling that he and )hristine could never e together, and that he is destined to e with a woman like 9argaret. 8ixon talks listlessly and straightforwardly to 9argaret a out resuming their relationshipE he refers to their relationship in terms of duty. 3e persuades 9argaret to come to the movies with him later in the night and she goes upstairs to get ready. 0hile 8ixon waits in the hall, )hristine comes downstairs. 8ixon rings up the matter of their tea date, seemingly to cancel it, ut )hristine reassures him that she'll e there. .rofessor 0elch rings the car around and 8ixon, Bertrand, )hristine, 9argaret, and 9rs. 0elch get in. Analysis 1n the car on the way to 0elch's house, 8ixon feels pessimistic a out ever eing a le to end his relationship with 9argaret and, therefore, egin a relationship with )hristine. Accompanying this pessimism is 8ixon's dou t a out the appropriateness of his desire for )hristine. 8ixon's renewed passivity egins to seem self&pitying in this chapter, as he mourns to himself the ad luck of not having had parents like the 0elch's with enough money to set him up in (ondon. %he return of 8ixon's negative, paraly/ing thinking is also accompanied y the return of 8ixon's previous ad luck, as he rips his pants getting out of 0elch's car. 8ixon's ad luck continues as he arrives at the 0elches' and finally remem ers that 9rs. 0elch is going to confront him a out the sheets. Bertrand's insistence that 8ixon em arrass himself y revealing how the sheets were damaged makes Bertrand seem downright mean, instead of just pompous, especially in light of 8ixon's reticence a out Bertrand and )arol's affair. 9rs. 0elch and Bertrand almost seem to e working as a team to forcefully remind 8ixon of his inferior class status. 8ixon, however, outwits them in the matter of the Evening Post phone call, thus reinforcing the common romantic literary theme of intelligence winning over privilege. Bertrand's rudeness and aggressiveness in this chapter makes the lines etween the ?good? and ? ad? characters in the novel even clearer than efore, ut 9argaret's mean&spirited comments a out )hristine do not place 9argaret in the same low category as Bertrand. =or example, in this chapter, 9argaret appears :uite calm, genuine, and friendly to 8ixon. %his surprising normalcy on 9argaret's part reinforces 8ixon's pre&existing hunch that 9argaret is the only kind of woman he will ever e with. -ven )hristine's unexpected repitiion of her commitment to their tea date the next day does little to shake 8ixon's feeling of paralysis.@@@ )hapter !# 8ixon sits in the drawing room of his house on %uesday preparing to telephone )hristine to cancel their tea date. 9rs. 0elch answers when he calls, and in a panic, 8ixon pretends to e an operator ringing someone through from (ondon, then asks to speak with )hristine in a strange accent. 9rs. 0elch suspects she is speaking to 8ixon and says soE 8ixon hangs up.A man introducing himself as )atchpole telephones 8ixon. )atchpole asks a out 9argaret's health and 8ixon reacts coldly to him. )atchpole seems confused a out 8ixon's treatment of him, and asks 8ixon to meet him at the pu on %hursday afternoon. 8ixon next telephones )aton to ask him for an estimated pu lication date, ut )aton evasively refuses to give even an estimated date. 8ixon returns to his room to work on his lecture and stands up five hours later with the lecture nearly complete. 3e rushes to get ready for his date with )hristine and arrives at the hotel two minutes late. )hristine, who is already there, almost immediately tells 8ixon of Bertrand's suspicion and her decision not to go on seeing 8ixon. Although 8ixon has come to tell her the same thing, he also expresses disgust at their mutual decisions to cautiously do what they should do instead of taking a risk. 8ixon asks if he will ever see )hristine again and she tells him that they will see each other one more time at 8ixon's lecture the following night. )hristine explains that she and Bertrand will e attending with her uncle 4ore& 6r:uhart, who has mentioned that he is looking forward to seeing 8ixon again. 8ixon asks )hristine for her address in (ondon, ut she refuses to give it, as there would e no point. )hapter $< %he next day, 8ixon writes the last lines of his lecture, which expresses 'ed 0elch&like thoughts a out a return to a etter past, then jumps around the room making ape gestures. Bertrand comes into 8ixon's room and accuses him of seeing )hristine the day efore. Bertrand says Johns has told him a out the tea date etween 8ixon and )hristine. Bertrand explains to 8ixon that he plans to marry )hristine, and that 8ixon has ecome a distraction to them. Annoyed, 8ixon tells Bertrand that Bertrand himself is the one who is a distraction to )hristine and 8ixon. 8ixon goes on to call Bertrand insincere for claiming to care a out )hristine while he is sleeping with )arol 4oldsmith. Bertrand and 8ixon egin to fight. Bertrand hits 8ixon near his eye and 8ixon hits Bertrand in the ear, sending him to the floor. 1t ecomes apparent that 8ixon has won the round. At this moment, 9ichie knocks on 8ixon's door and enters. 8ixon ushers Bertrand out of the room and turns to 9ichie. 9ichie has come to tell 8ixon that the three girls won't e taking 8ixon's special su ject, ut that 9ichie will. 9ichie wishes 8ixon luck on his lecture, informing him that a large num er of students plan to attend. 8ixon decides to shave and then go up to Atkinson's room for some whiskey efore the evening egins. Analysis %he phone call from the mysterious )atchpole rouses 8ixon's protectiveness of 9argaret, strengthening his resolution to end his ac:uaintance with )hristine. %he otched phone conversation with 9rs. 0elch and )aton's evasiveness over the pu lication date of the article makes 8ixon's jo situation seem tenuous, even as he egins to work hard to keep it.)hristine and 8ixon agree at tea that they will each do the ?right thing? and honor their attachments to Bertrand and 9argaret, respectively. 3owever, the outcome, even though it was what he had planned, is unsatisfying to 8ixon, and he takes refuge y eing passive a out things. 8ixon reasons that it is no use wishing that 9argaret had een orn with )hristine's looks,

ecause then 9argaret wouldn't have turned out to e 9argaret at all, ut presuma ly someone like )hristine. %his time, however, 8ixon is less compassionate toward those with ad luck. 3e reasons that 9argaret is the victim of ad luck, ut that does not make him feel any more compassionate toward her.0ith the opening of )hapter $<, 8ixon's acceptance of his degraded situation seems complete. %he text of his ?9errie -ngland? lecture seems to come straight out of 0elch's mouth, and su scri es to the very class dynamic that 8ixon has een resisting for the entire novel. %o top this off, Bertrand comes to 8ixon's room to yell at him for pursuing )hristine, and to claim )hristine, and all women like her, as his irthright. %he writer and scholar 8avid (odge points out, however, that this moment, when 8ixon's fortunes hit rock& ottom, is also the first moment in the text where 8ixon's thoughts match 8ixon's actions. 1nstead of thinking something scathing a out Bertrand and keeping it to himself, 8ixon finally articulates devastating insults, and even knocks his rival down. %hat 8ixon's fortunes are looking up is confirmed y the entrance of 9ichie, who now display a respect for the victorious 8ixon that he has not during any of their student&teacher conversations.@@@ )hapter $! 8ixon stands at the pre&lecture reception talking to the .rincipal, 4ore&6r:uhart, and 'ed 0elch. 4ore& 6r:uhart suspiciously admires 8ixon's eye, which is lack where Bertrand punched him. 8ixon has explained to the men that it happened y umping his face on the side of his sink, and drinks many glasses of sherry on top of the whiskey he has had earlier in the evening. 3e nervously surveys the num er of people attending the lecture, oth from the college and from the town. 4ore&6r:uhart asks 8ixon a out his jo and his commitment to it, and then they ond over the a surdity of the lecture event. 8ixon also catches a glance exchanged etween 4ore&6r:uhart and )arol 4oldsmith across the room, ut does not know what it might mean. 8ixon approaches )hristine and Bertrand, and )arol intervenes and takes Bertrand away. 8ixon tells )hristine a out his fight with Bertrand. Bertrand reappears and drags )hristine away while warning 8ixon that he will have 8ixon fired. 9argaret approaches 8ixon and ji es him a out his unreali/ed desire for )hristine. 8ixon is angry, and leaves for the athroom without a word. 4ore& 6r:uhart walks in the athroom after 8ixon to find 8ixon making one of his signature face&contortions. 4ore&6r:uhart gives 8ixon a large swig from his flask of whiskey. 8ixon walks into the lecture hall feeling drunk.)hapter $$ 8ixon egins reading his lecture and unconsciously imitates .rofessor 0elch in his intonation, to the delight of the students in the alcony. >eali/ing that something is wrong, 8ixon makes a conscious effort to change his voice, and reali/es after a while that he is now imitating the .rincipal. 3alf of the audience murmurs with alarm, while the other half, including 4ore&6r:uhart, are delighted. 8ixon pauses for a minute to gather himself, then egins speaking again in a voice not his own. >eali/ing that his fate is sealed, 8ixon changes his voice one last time to an exaggerated version of his childhood regional accent and inflects his tone with disgust for the su ject at hand. %he crowd ecomes :uite loud and 8ixon reaches up to cover his ears. Atkinson and 8ixon have made a plan earlier in the evening that Atkinson will attend the lecture and pretend to faint if 8ixon scratches oth his ears at once. %hinking 8ixon is signaling him, Atkinson faints loudly in the crowd, and general mayhem ensues. 8ixon attempts to finish his lecture, now disregarding his notes and speaking scornfully of people who remain attached to an ideali/ed version of the past. 0elch and the .rincipal approach 8ixon to drag him off&stage, ut 8ixon passes out first.Analysis 4ore&6r:uhart seems intrigued y 8ixon's lack eye, and they have their first chance to talk alone at the reception, where 4ore&6r:uhart, like )hristine, is honest and genuine with 8ixon. 3e takes 8ixon into his confidence, explaining why events such as the reception are oring ut necessary. 8ixon sees 4ore& 6r:uhart's point and agrees with him a out the oring :uality of such events. %his newfound common ground etween them seems enough to override any potential em arrassment later when 4ore& 6r:uhart ecomes the first person to actually see 8ixon make his private faces of disgust.%he description of 8ixon's drunken lecture, as with his earlier damaging of the 0elches' sheets, stresses that 8ixon's em arrassing ut hilarious imitations of .rofessor 0elch and the .rincipal are not his own fault. %he voices seem to rise up out of 8ixon, su consciously summoned y his unerring ear and y his talent for mimicking the vocal nuances of others.As the lecture continues, it shifts into a pu lic display of 8ixon's de ased position, as his remorse for his misera le jo and ad luck seeps into his voice. -ventually, 8ixon's true nature emerges from his drunkenness, and he takes over his own lecture with purpose. 3e reads the material he has written with latant contempt, and changes the actual text to articulate his complete disgust for the tired, useless, and sentimental scholarship that he was originally trying to replicate. At this point, when 8ixon egins to sei/e control of his performance, he speaks with an exaggerated version of his own northern accent, and this adds to his statement, setting him off from refined accents of ,xford or )am ridge.@@@ )hapter $7 0alking in to college on %hursday, Beesley tries to comfort 8ixon a out his lecture, ut 8ixon finds a note from 'ed 0elch in his mail ox telling him that he will not e kept on at the )ollege. 8ixon goes upstairs to his office and a sent&mindedly flips through an 1talian academic journal. 3e recogni/es 8r. (. +. )aton's name next to one of the articles and translates enough of it to reali/e that it is 8ixon's own article. =urious at first, 8ixon eventually just laughs. 3e turns his mind to Johns and possi le revenge for Johns's having told Bertrand a out 8ixon's tea date with )hristine. 8ixon pockets a few insurance policies sitting on Johns' desk and goes down to the oiler room to urn them. 8ixon starts walking home when he runs into 9ichie. 9ichie congratulates 8ixon on his

lecture, which the students greatly enjoyed, and sympathi/es with 8ixon a out eing fired. 9ichie tells 8ixon that he and a few others will miss him. 8ixon returns home and gets in the ath. 9iss )utler comes to his door with a phone call for him, and 8ixon asks her to take a message. 3e discovers that the caller was 4ore&6r:uhart. %o 8ixon's surprise, 4ore&6r:uhart offers 8ixon the jo that Bertrand wanted and tells 8ixon to e in (ondon y 9onday morning. 8ixon leaves his house for his arranged meeting with )atchpole. )hapter $* 8ixon arrives at the pu to find )atchpole waiting for him. )atchpole explains that he and 9argaret were never sexually involved, and also explains that 9argaret only pretended to commit suicide so that oth )atchpole and 8ixon would find her with the sleeping pills in her hand. )atchpole warns 8ixon that 9argaret feeds on emotional tension and that 8ixon should let her go, as she can ultimately take care of herself. 8ixon understands, ut he still leaves the pu feeling that he cannot get out of his relationship with 9argaret. 8ixon returns home for lunch and Atkinson tells him that )hristine has called for him. Atkinson gives 8ixon a vague message a out meeting her at the train station efore her train leaves at !C2< so that she can give him some news, ut that she is leaving it up to 8ixon whether to come or not. 8ixon, confused a out what the news might e, runs out of the house to catch the us to the station. 8ixon arrives at the station three minutes efore the train is due to arrive, ut the conductor says the train to (ondon actually left at !C*<. 8ixon assumes Atkinson mixed up )hristine's message, ut then he sees 0elch's car slowly pull up and )hristine step out of it and hurry toward him. )hapter $2 8ixon explains to )hristine that she's missed her train, and )hristine tells 8ixon that )arol 4oldsmith told her a out Bertrand's infidelity. )hristine is now through with Bertrand. 8ixon reveals that he knew of the affair all along. )hristine feels that )arol has told her a out Bertrand ecause )arol has egun seeing someone else, who 8ixon guesses to himself is 4ore&6r:uhart. 8ixon tells )hristine that and 9argaret are through. 8ixon asks )hristine if she minds if 8ixon comes ack with her to (ondon later in the afternoon and tells her of his new jo with 4ore&6r:uhart. )hristine laughs at the irony of 8ixon winning the jo that Bertrand was actively pursuing. 8ixon spots 0elch's car parked outside a teashop near y. All of the 0elches, including the younger son 9ichel, who has come to town the night efore, emerge from the teashop. 8ixon walks up to them with )hristine. A out to denounce Bertrand and 9r. 0elch, 8ixon instead releases a ?howl of laughter.? )hristine leads 8ixon away up the street.Analysis %he final three chapters of Lucky Jim play out somewhat like a fairy tale, and in these chapters it ecomes clear that comic destiny will take over and comic justice will e served. Although the serendipity of the final eventsA8ixon learns of 9argaret's deceit, )hristine leaves Bertrand, 4ore& 6r:uhart offers 8ixon a jo Aseems entirely like a happy ending, the morality ehind ending is difficult to pin down. 3as 8ixon truly changed at all through the course of the novel, or have his opportunities merely shiftedF ,n the one hand, 8ixon does finally ecome a le to articulate his interior frustration with those around him. ,n the other hand, 8ixon does not seem to have improved himself in any specific way, and 4ore& 6r:uhart offers him the jo note ecause of who he is ut ecause of who he is notC ?;ou haven't got the dis:ualifications.? Additionally, the ethics that 8ixon and )hristine su scri e to at the end of the novel center hedonistically on acting on their desires, rather than taking other people into consideration.%his sort of self&centered ethos can e seen in 8ixon's final explosive laugh at the 0elches, which also points to his new alliance with )hristine. 8ixon's laugh, expressive of the contempt he has felt for the 0elches throughout, reminds us that 8ixon has not laughed all that fre:uently through the course of the novel. %his final laugh recalls his ?anarchistic? laugh in )hapter # after his Evening Sun phone call to BertrandE oth of the laughs seem to e a gesture of defiance to standards shaping 8ixon's life. 8ixon has usually laughed alone in the course of the novel, except for select scenes in which )hristine laughed with him as well. %hus we have the final angle of comic justice at the endC 8ixon is united with the one other character with a sense of humor against all those who don't. /// 1mportant Buotations -xplained &?1t was a perfect title, in that it crystalli/ed the article's niggling mindlessness, its funereal parade of yawn&enforcing facts, the pseudo&light it threw upon non&pro lems.? %his :uotation, thought y 8ixon in )hapter ! as he is riding in the car with .rofessor 0elch, expresses 8ixon's feelings a out his own academic article, and scholarship in general. %he :uotation asserts that not only is 8ixon's articleAand academia in generalAo scure, ut also condemns the article for mas:uerading as something useful and revealing. %his added offense of posturing prepares us for 8ixon's hatred of academia and the false posturing of others throughout the rest of the novel. %he :uotation is also a good early example of one type of linguistic humor in the novel, which periodically uses multiple clauses to increase the ridiculousness of a situation. =inally, the :uotation stands as our first evidence in Lucky Jim of 8ixon's capacity for self&deprecating humor. 3e does not spare himself in his sardonic identifications of pomposity. ?%he sight of her seemed an irresisti le attack on his own ha its, standards, and am itionsC something designed to put him in his place for good.? 8ixon thinks this :uotation to himself when he first sees )hristine )allaghan at the 0elches' home in )hapter *. %he :uotation is the first indication of 8ixon's tormented feelings a out )hristine, who he is tempted y ut who is unavaila le to him. )hristine is unavaila le not only ecause she is currently dating Bertrand, ut also ecause she is in a different class than 8ixon or the kind of women he dates. 9any parts of the 0elches' artsy party seem designed to put 8ixon in his place, ut, significantly, it is only )hristine who arouses this kind of class anxiety in him. ?)onsciousness was upon him efore he

could get out of the way.? %his :uotation comes at the eginning of a long passage descri ing 8ixon's hangover at the eginning of )hapter ". %he :uotation is a good example of how comedy works in Lucky Jim, as the humor of this particular :uotation lies in its twisting an ordinary phrase into something a surd. 8ixon's humor often works this way in the novel, taking trite or clichGd language of others, then inverting it on itself. %he passage in which this :uotation appears descri es at length 8ixon's feelings upon waking up with a nasty hangover, and this is also indicative of the humor of the novel, where comedic lines are used to underscore comedic situations. ?...his theory that nice things are nicer than nasty ones.? Both Lucky Jim and Kingsley Amis were often evoked in service of, or mentioned in association with, a shifting, or even revolutionary, atmosphere in -ngland after 0orld 0ar 11. Buotations such as the one a ove, however, reveal the underlying fidelity to stasis and simplicity in 8ixon's philosophy. 8ixon knows what he likes and what he doesn't like, and his pro lem is learning to act on those instincts, not to re&evaluating them. %his particular :uotation is also indicative of the final comic justice at the end of the novel, where y the characters are rewarded for doing what they want. ?8ixon was interested y this conventional a sence of conventional sensitivityE for almost the first time in his life a woman was ehaving in a way alleged to e typical of women.? 8ixon thinks this :uotation in )hapter !#, when )hristine is indulging her healthy appetite after having just roken off their relationship. 8ixon is fascinated not only with )hristine's lack of pretense, ut also with her hard& heartedness in the face of his own suffering. %he irony of 8ixon's revelation, wherein a stereotype finally turns out to e true, is typical of some of the humor of Lucky Jim, which makes a point of standing our expectations on their heads. %he :uotation also recalls 8ixon's attraction to )hristine's less feminine ha its, such as her laughter and large appetite, which he knows are genuine ecause they are ?imperfections.?@@@