CHAPTER XXV. -Crome yellow

In Chapter XXV of “Crome Yellow,” Henry Wimbush announces to his dinner guests that the upcoming Monday is Bank Holiday, which will be celebrated with a fair for charity at Crome, a tradition that has grown over twenty-two years into a significant event. Despite his personal distaste for the fair, Wimbush continues it in support of the local hospital, benefiting from the proceeds. The guests, including Anne, Mary, Mr. Scogan, Gombauld, and Denis, are assigned various roles in preparation for the fair. Anne will manage the tea tent, Mary will oversee children’s sports, Mr. Scogan wishes to tell fortunes (despite the oddity of his costume for such a task), Gombauld is appointed as a lightning artist, and Denis, protesting his lack of skills, is tasked with writing an “Ode on Bank Holiday.”

Jenny, another guest, recollects her youth skill in playing the drums and is eagerly assigned to that role for the fair. The conversation shifts towards the notion of holidays and their inevitable disappointment, a theme Mr. Scogan elaborates on extensively. He opines that true holidays, representing a complete change from daily reality, are impossible due to societal and self-imposed limitations. He recounts his personal and failed attempts to escape his own nature and find fulfillment in religious or aesthetic experiences, ultimately accepting his regular, unexciting existence.

Mr. Scogan’s monologue is a reflection on the inability to break free from one’s identity and society’s expectations, highlighting a broader theme of disillusionment with the pursuit of personal transformation through external experiences. The chapter balances the lighthearted planning for the fair with deeper philosophical discussions on human nature, societal constraints, and the search for meaning beyond the mundane.