correct to do
But you were quite right to come out. It was a good idea.A Passage to India · 1984 — 第 5 / 19 章 · 3'37" · B1
Adela Calls Off the Wedding, Explained：put our shoulders to the wheel
Adela tells Ronny, flatly, "we're not going to be married." Nothing has blown up; he answers, "You never said we would be married," and the two stay unbearably polite. The scene's real subject is the English habit of managing a broken engagement the way one manages the weather.
あらすじ
Adela comes to Ronny with something important: she has decided they are not going to be married. He does not argue; he only notes that he never said they would be, and the two agree they are being 'awfully English' about it. They decide to wait a day or two before telling Mrs Moore, and the talk drifts to the coming expedition and the arrangements for entertaining guests.
注目の表現
put our shoulders to the wheelno earthly rightundertakelack of punctuality
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このシーンの表現
put our shoulders to the wheel
work hard together
As the picnic plans grow, Ronny says they must all work hard together.
If we all put our shoulders to the wheel, we'll finish by Friday.
このシーンの他の表現
- no earthly right
no right at all
- undertake
take on a task
- lack of punctuality
the habit of being late
- I'm off to bed
I am going to bed now
- too much fuss
too much unnecessary excitement
このシーンのメモ一覧
49 行のセリフに 19 件のメモ
About this runs together, hiding the t.
We're being awfully English about this, aren't we?negative question: A negative question with ought, asking for agreement.
- Oughtn't we get back to the bungalow? - Why?one or two days
If you don't mind, let's leave it a day or two.take on a task
Mrs Moore asks why Ronny took on such an expensive, fussy outing.
And why did you undertake such an extravagance?work hard together
As the picnic plans grow, Ronny says they must all work hard together.
Now we must all put our shoulders to the wheel.only
- Nothing but vegetables, fruits and rice. - And only if cooked by a Brahmin.nearby
And if there is a slice of beef in the vicinity, he will throw up.vomit — casual; use be sick in formal settings
And if there is a slice of beef in the vicinity, he will throw up.a large amount
The caves are a considerable distance from the station.the habit of being late
Someone warns Ronny to guard against the local habit of lateness.
Then you must take precaution against lack of punctuality.guard against
Then you must take precaution against lack of punctuality.leaving for
No, thank you. I'm off to bed.quite, to a high degree
I know I made myself rather ridiculous this afternoon.no right at all
Ronny apologises and admits he has no right to tell them what to do.
Of course, I have no earthly right to tell either of you what you can or cannot do.noun clause: The what-clause is the object of tell.
Of course, I have no earthly right to tell either of you what you can or cannot do.What you blends into a single sound.
Of course, I have no earthly right to tell either of you what you can or cannot do.however you wish
See India if you like and as you like.too much unnecessary excitement
Ronny says people make too much fuss about marriage, sounding tired rather than romantic.
Sometimes I think too much fuss is made about marriage.「Adela Calls Off the Wedding」を読み解く
What's really going on
On the surface this is a polite parting, but the politeness is the point. Adela has travelled to India partly to find out whether she and Ronny suit each other, and now she answers her own question: 'we're not going to be married.' Ronny refuses the role of the wounded man and answers with a technicality — 'You never said we would be married' — which keeps the whole thing from turning into a scene. Later, Mrs Moore is even blunter about what marriage is worth: 'Century after century of carnal embracement, and we're still no nearer understanding one another.' Between them, the two women reject the wedding not out of anger but out of a clear-eyed view that it would not bring anyone closer. The English manage the whole thing by not managing it at all.
Theme
MarriageAdela ends an engagement she never truly wanted, and Mrs Moore calls marriage too much fuss.
IdentityThe pair judge themselves by how English they are being, letting manners stand in for feeling.
このチャプターで学べること
- A flat decision can end a whole relationship.
- No earthly right is a formal way to step back.
- The picnic talk hides the pain of the breakup.
- Fuss is needless excitement about small things.
発音のポイント
- about this — About this runs together, hiding the t.
- what you — What you blends into a single sound.
we're not going to be married.Adela's flat declaration ends the engagement; the plainness is the point, after weeks of not knowing her own mind.
We're being awfully English about this, aren't we?Adela names the mood: both bury feeling under good manners and treat a breakup as a matter of form.
Now we must all put our shoulders to the wheel.A call to pitch in as hosts prepare for the trip and the guests — everyone shares the work, however grudgingly.
Of course, I have no earthly right to tell either of you what you can or cannot do.A concession that sounds humble but quietly asserts she has every moral right to speak; she steps back without approving.
Century after century of carnal embracement, and we're still no nearer understanding one another.Mrs Moore's verdict on marriage: physical union across the centuries has not produced any real understanding between people.
このシーンについての質問
Why does Adela call off the wedding?
She has finally decided she and Ronny are not suited, and she says so plainly rather than going through with a marriage she is unsure of.
Is Ronny upset that Adela ends the engagement?
He barely reacts. His answer, 'You never said we would be married,' is almost a legal point, and the two stay so calm that Adela calls them 'awfully English.'
Why do they wait to tell Mrs Moore?
Ronny doesn't want to upset his mother more than he already has, and Adela is about to leave on the expedition, so they postpone the news a day or two.
What does 'put our shoulders to the wheel' mean here?
It means everyone pitches in. As the guests and the trip are arranged, the speaker says all of them must share the effort.
What does Mrs Moore think about marriage?
That it is overrated. She says too much fuss is made about it, and that centuries of physical union have not brought people any closer to understanding each other.
インドへの道 · 全 19 章
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次のチャプター · 第 6 章condescend toFielding Visits Sick Aziz
第 1 章in the same boxAziz Meets Mrs Moore in the Mosque
第 2 章an exercise in powerThe Bridge Party at the Club
第 3 章a muddleAziz Invites Them to the Marabar Caves
第 4 章account forGodbole Explains the Marabar Caves
再生中 · 第 5 章put our shoulders to the wheelAdela Calls Off the Wedding
第 6 章condescend toFielding Visits Sick Aziz
第 7 章call it offAziz Shows Fielding His Dead Wife
第 8 章in tattersAdela Vanishes at the Marabar Caves
第 9 章go over the topFielding Defends Aziz After the Charge
第 10 章of no consequenceFielding Picks a Defence Lawyer
第 11 章await the verdictFielding Resigns from the Club
第 12 章have anything to do withMrs. Moore Says Goodbye to Ronny
第 13 章make it my businessMcBryde Accuses Aziz at Trial
第 14 章carried him awayDas Rules Mrs Moore Does Not Exist
第 15 章cast your mind backAdela Wavers on the Witness Stand
第 16 章withdraw the accusationAdela Withdraws the Accusation
第 17 章have a hunchAdela's Echo Is Gone
第 18 章extend an open invitationGodbole Says Goodbye to Fielding
第 19 章smithereensAziz Breaks With Fielding第 5 / 19 章 · 残り約 44 分