Short Fiction · Chapter
The Remoulding of Groby Lington explained
Groby Lington, a middle-aged man who has settled into a parrot-like routine, visits his sister-in-law's family out of obligation to his brother Colonel John.
What happens
Groby Lington, a middle-aged man who has settled into a parrot-like routine, visits his sister-in-law's family out of obligation to his brother Colonel John. After seeing a caricature that likens him to his parrot, he becomes self-conscious about his monotonous life. Upon returning home, he learns his parrot has been killed by a monkey that Colonel John brought as a gift. Groby adopts the monkey, which gradually transforms his personality from passive to aggressive and impulsive. He later attacks a pianist at a house party, inadvertently becomes a hero during a fire, and eventually loses the monkey to disease, settling back into a subdued existence with a tortoise.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This excerpt is the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Egbert…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Rebellion and Individuality
Groby's adoption of the monkey and subsequent aggressive behavior represent a rebellion against his former parrot-like, conformist existence.
- The Absurdity of Social Rituals
The story satirizes the meaningless social rituals of family visits and polite conversation, which Groby compares to parrot-talk.
- Cruelty and Violence
Groby's violent attack on the pianist and the monkey's killing of the parrot illustrate underlying cruelty and sudden outbursts of violence.
Characters to notice
- Groby Lington
The protagonist, a middle-aged man who undergoes a personality transformation after acquiring a monkey.
- Bertie van Tahn
Mentioned as the nephew who drew the caricature of Groby and his parrot.
- John James Abbleway
Mentioned as the stable-boy who announces the parrot's death.
Key passages
“A man is known by the company he keeps.”
A person's character is revealed by the people they associate with.
Opening epigram that sets up the theme of identity and influence.
“Strings of stupid, inevitable perfunctory remarks came to his mind, remarks that were certainly not the mental exchange of human intelligences, but mere empty parrot-talk.”
He realized his conversations were just meaningless, automatic phrases, like a parrot repeating sounds.
Groby's self-reflection on the emptiness of his social interactions.
“Under Groby's vigorous measures the musician's flabby, redundant figure sat up in bewildered semiconsciousness like an ice-cream that has been taught to beg.”
Groby's rough handling roused the pianist from sleep, making him sit up in a dazed, comical manner.
Humorous simile describing Groby's violent awakening of the pianist.
