Summary
After leaving to look for work, Galahad quickly becomes frightened, as he realizes he doesn't know anything about London. He becomes disconcerted by the fog and worried he will not find his way back to Moses's apartment. Galahad gets directions from a police officer and heads to the employment office that Moses told him about. Then he looks down the road and sees Moses. He is overcome with joy and relief. Moses says he is lucky that he has a "soft heart." He then takes Galahad on a bus to the office.
Galahad pays the bus fare and Moses explains how to count British currency. They arrive at the Ministry of Labour building. Galahad speaks with a clerk, receives a number, and is told to sit down. Galahad is called and speaks with the clerk who asks him what his former profession was. Galahad says he was an electrician in Trinidad. The clerk says there is no opening for the position right now and that he should go to the building next door to register for an insurance card to collect unemployment.
Moses cautions Galahad about the insurance card. He points out a man who is a regular at the office and who is always "on the dole," meaning he collects unemployment and does not look for work. Moses tells Galahad if people see the card it may hamper his ability to find work elsewhere. Moses also tells Galahad that the clerks mark the forms for Black people, in case employers want to bar them from getting certain jobs. Galahad asks if he will find work eventually and Galahad said he thinks he will. Then they leave to look for an apartment for Galahad.
Moses remembers when he first arrived in London. He went to live in a hostel, which was an inexpensive boarding house with freshly cooked meals and small rooms. He then recalls meeting a man by the name of Cap. Cap is a sharp dresser who easily charms people. He constantly relies on the generosity of others to take care of him, going around the hostel in search of someone to buy him a meal. He is also often involved in get-rich-quick schemes.
Moses also recalls that Cap was very enamored with women. Cap is frequently involved with many women and could be seen all over town trying to pick them up at bars and parties. He treats them very poorly, often cheating on them and borrowing money from them and then not paying them back. He becomes involved with a French woman who he eventually marries. He continues to live in a similar manner, having numerous relationships and mooching off his friends and lovers. Still, the narrator notes, he seems extremely content with his life and can be seen at a café eating a good meal and smoking expensive cigarettes on the street.
Moses then remembers the time he met a man by the name of Bart. Bart is very light-skinned, so he claims to be South American, hoping to avoid the prejudice directed at West Indian people. Bart is extremely frugal and is constantly nervous that people will ask him for money, so he pretends that he doesn't have any, despite having significant savings. Cap frequently asks him for money. The narrator says that Bart often tries to act as though he is not Black, in order to assimilate into English society.
Bart moves frequently. One day, he becomes very ill. Moses comes to see him and is shocked to see how much he has deteriorated. A doctor comes and gives him medicine. In a few days he feels better and is seen out and about. Bart starts dating a young woman named Beatrice. Things are good between them until he meets her parents. Her father sees that he is Black and chases him out of the house. He struggles to find someone else. Eventually he takes a job as a doorman at the club where he met Beatrice, hoping to see her again.
Analysis
Money is one of the primary themes in this section of the book. Immediately upon arriving in London, Galahad has to set out to find work. Moses makes it clear to him that while he is happy to help him out a little bit as he adjusts, he will not be giving him free lodging and meals. Galahad immediately has to contend with material concerns. He and Moses also show that they are alike in their desire not to live off unemployment or the loans of others. Work is a point of pride for Galahad, as he was formerly an electrician, a job that paid relatively well and required technical knowledge. Moses tells Galahad that it is important for a man to be able to support himself and not rely on anyone else to pay their way. Money is shown to be both a perpetual concern and an issue of pride, as characters like Galahad want to earn a living.
Racism is another important theme in this part of the novel. Moses tells Galahad that he should be careful with his insurance card, as it may limit his ability to find work and may cause people to judge him. He also tells him that people at the employment office make a note when a job applicant is Black, so that employers can choose not to hire them. Moses informs Galahad about these issues so that he is aware of the issues he is up against as a West Indian immigrant. His comments reveal how much racism limits Galahad's freedom, as it significantly hurts his chances of finding a job and prevents him from getting specific kinds of work. Even the clerk's comment about there being no electrician positions open is called into question after this, as it is unclear if this actually true or if it is just a job that won't take Black applicants. Once again, Selvon highlights how prejudice plays a significant role in immigrants' lives in London.
Sexuality is also a prominent theme in this part of the book. Cap is described as a serial womanizer. He is very charming and has no trouble finding girlfriends. He frequently takes advantage of his romantic partners, showing no qualms about taking money from them or breaking promises to them. He shows no care or concern for the people he is involved with, casting them aside once he has gotten the things that he wanted. In this way, Cap is a disturbing character, as he treats romantic relationships as transactions. This remains unchanged even after he eventually gets married. Cap's story explores how these relationships can bring so much suffering to people engaging in them, as they end up both financially and emotionally ruined.
Sexuality and racism are also explored in Bart's storyline. Bart falls in love with a girl named Beatrice who makes him very happy. This is ultimately ruined when Bart meets Beatrice's parents and experiences the racism he has been trying to avoid by claiming to be Latin American. Her father sees that he is Black and chases him out of the house. He does not see Beatrice again and is left devastated. He eventually finds a job as a doorman at the club where he met Beatrice. He is so haunted by the loss that he spends his days imagining a reunion with Beatrice as he works the door job. In the opposite manner, the narrator says that Bart is something like Cap's polar opposite, noting that for all of the Caps, there are "men like that in the world too." His story reveals the danger of romance from a different angle, as it shows how race continues to play a role in all areas of life, limiting who immigrants can fall in love with.
This part of the book expands into other characters' stories, as Moses continues to reflect on all of the people he has met during his time in London. Taken together, Galahad and Bart's stories reveal how racism has such a profound impact on every part of their lives. Cap's story gives a sense of the sort of people who Moses attempts to avoid in his community. As the reader encounters more characters, they get a fuller sense of the daily life of Moses' social circle as well as the struggles they endure each day.
