The Last Samurai

Sibylla tells Ludo the men’s stories. Hugh Carey and Raymond Decker first cross paths when Carey, originally from Edinburgh, applies to take an exam for Oxford at the age of 15. Meanwhile, Decker, aged 19 at the time, is a self-taught scholar deeply influenced by “Plato’s Gorgias” (267). They engage in discussions about their concerns regarding the upcoming exam. Decker stresses the importance of having sufficient time to address the most engaging questions, even if the rest appears trivial. Carey is surprised by Decker’s reluctance to share details about his own educational background. In an attempt to divert Decker’s anxiety, Carey suggests playing chess, which he is always prepared for with a pocket chess set and a chess clock that he carries everywhere. The night before the initial exam, they engage in a brief game of chess, and Decker finds himself frustrated by the time constraints. This encounter makes them “friends & rivals” as they embark on their Oxford journey (270).

Despite their chess battles, they both have academic ambitions influenced by the renowned Latin professor, Fraenkel. Carey’s determination to attend Fraenkel’s seminars leads to Decker reluctantly joining him. Their chess matches provide a necessary diversion from academic pursuits, adding a competitive edge to their friendship as they embark on their scholarly journey together.

As they approach their Mods (Oxford exams) with a focus on history and philosophy, Carey contemplates impressing the “Oriental Institute” by switching to Arabic while Decker remains committed to mastering valid reasoning methods, continuing their enduring intellectual debate. Their chess games become a reflection of their changing intellectual pursuits. Carey raises the possibility of taking the All Souls exam (which could lead to a Fellowship at the Oxford college), causing Decker to experience inner conflict about compromising his philosophical principles for exams.

On the day of the Plato and Aristotle paper, Decker challenges the exam’s authority with a daring statement, and although Carey secures the top first and Decker’s name does not appear on the list, the aftermath is marked by Carey’s growing despair at the prospect of a future without intellectual rivals as Decker takes a job as a tutor. Carey’s obsession with a “strange silent tribe” in the Kyzylkum desert drives him to years of linguistic preparation and multiple attempts to reach the destination (274). Eventually, he decides to leave England behind in search of the unknown by embarking on a journey from Mongolia.

Carey’s encounter with kites and a child in a village awakens his fascination with language and his detachment from academia. The child, possibly from Xinjiang’s Turkic tribe or the elusive silent tribe, leads Carey on a daring quest. After rescuing the child, Carey embarks on an arduous mountain climb, enduring injuries and fatigue, but his communication difficulties with the child alter the course of his mission. He eventually recovers and spends years with a “tribe in Xinjiang” whose language resembles Indo-European (276), marking a significant linguistic discovery. After leaving the tribe due to political circumstances, Carey and freed captives journey south, reaching the British consulate in Peshawar. Despite publishing a book about his experiences and facing controversy and skepticism, Carey remains resolute.

Later, Sibylla and Carey meet at an event in Oxford, where Carey shares that the tribe used “an elaborate system of case-endings” based on gender (286). They decide to leave the event, and Carey has intermittent absences and returns. Sibylla mentions Raymond Decker’s job at a dictionary and his participation in seminars but doesn’t engage in direct conversation during these events. Listening to this story, Ludo expresses curiosity about entering Oxford at a young age, and Sibylla suggests enrolling in lectures to gather evidence for a more informed decision later. Ludo finds inspiration in a samurai movie; he realizes that the movie scene mirrors his own life whereby he can make choices and “could have anyone [as a father whom he] wanted” (p. 289).

Ludo examines Sibylla’s papers and discovers that “HC” (Carey) is planning to embark on a solo journey across the former Soviet Union. Although the paper lacks details about HC’s whereabouts, Ludo contacts HC’s publisher to inquire about book signings. He manages to obtain the information about the next signing event taking place at “Waterstone’s in Notting Hill Gate” (290).

Ludo attends Hugh Carey’s book signing event, bringing his skateboard and following Carey to a large white house with a garden. When he arrives, a woman “in a pink dress” greets him at the door (291), and Ludo is surprised, thinking that she might be Carey’s wife or sister. Ludo informs her of his desire to see Carey, but she tells him that Carey is not receiving visitors. After the woman leaves in her car, Ludo returns to the house and rings the doorbell again, this time with Carey answering. Carey questions Ludo’s intentions, and Ludo confesses that he is Carey’s son, leading to a discussion about his age, schooling, and knowledge. They talk about Ludo’s ambition to attend Oxford at a young age and explore the Andes. The conversation delves into the tribe with which Carey stayed and their language. The woman in pink re-enters the room, and Ludo briefly talks about Seven Samurai, leading to a discussion about their complex relationship. Eventually, Ludo admits that he is not his son. When HC becomes increasingly insistent on finding out where Sibylla is and expresses his desire to see her again, Ludo leaves the house, narrowly escaping Carey’s grasp.

Ludo decides against applying to Oxford at the age of 11, reflecting on the unpredictable nature of life and choosing to continue his self-directed studies. During a trip to Tesco’s, a grocery store, Sibylla and Ludo awkwardly encounter a woman who “once saved [Sibylla’s] life” (304). Sibylla suggests that this was a suicide attempt. The woman recognizes Sibylla and attempts a conversation. Ludo is asked to take the woman’s children away, and they talk about his educational situation. The woman suggests that Sibylla should help her child, Micky, informally.

Sibylla and Ludo return home. Sibylla decides to teach Micky, reluctantly calling him the “Little Pauper” (305). Later, they watch a TV program hosted by George Sorabji, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist and astronomer known for his distinctive views and dedication to philanthropy. Sorabji’s show, called “Mathematics the Universal Language” (396), covers complex scientific topics and his remarkable experiences, including teaching mathematics to an Amazonian boy and surviving a plane crash in the rainforest. His encounter with a local boy, Pete, who was interested in math, leads to months of teaching using stones. After a run-in with loggers, Sorabji and Pete find themselves in jail, where the British consul, frustrated by adventurous citizens, embarks on a journey to free them. Sorabji vouches for Pete, the math prodigy, and convinces the consul with his impressive mental calculations. This leads to Pete’s release and their collaborative math-focused TV show. Sorabji’s resemblance to the actor Robert Donat, known for his roles in films like “The 39 Steps” and “The Winslow Boy” (305), captivates the audience. The program showcases Sorabji’s “self taught” approach and his ability to make intricate scientific concepts accessible to the public, all while maintaining a sense of humor. Sorabji’s self-taught approach to learning leaves Ludo with questions. Sibylla encourages him to understand the broader message Sorabji conveys to the public.

George Sorabji’s parents had an unconventional love story: His English mother met his father, “a Parsi from Bombay” (316), during a visit to Cambridge. After facing initial discord, they wed despite family opposition. Tragedy struck when his mother succumbed to malaria when Sorabji was 12. He was then sent to school in Britain where, despite his strong grasp of mathematics and science, he faced academic challenges in other subjects. His fascination with the universe and astronomy persisted, shaping his extraordinary life, with a chance encounter introducing him to the “Hertzsprung-Russell diagram” (319). Sorabji’s extraordinary feats include saving a man from a volcano. Pete, who calls Sorabji a “maniac” and a “lunatic” (320), never denies that Sorabji had saved his life.

Ludo dedicates “about a month” to diligently prepare for his meeting with Sorabji (321). He studies advanced topics and the periodic table. Finally, he decides to visit Sorabji’s London residence to make his request for a school project. Upon his arrival, a woman wearing “a purple sari” greets him (323), and she informs him about Sorabji’s dinner guest and potential unavailability. Sorabji extends an invitation for Ludo to stay for dinner with the condition that he must solve a page of math problems. In another room, Ludo observes Sorabji’s daughters working on mathematical exercises. He stumbles upon a folder filled with printed pages containing a variety of math problems and decides to tackle problems related to Fourier analysis. Ludo finishes the problems and joins Sorabji for dinner. Sorabji is preoccupied with a guest, Dr. Miller, and when Ludo offers to show his completed problems, Sorabji defers the review.

After dinner, Sorabji acknowledges Ludo’s efforts on the math problems, and Ludo tells him that he is his son. Sorabji is surprised by the revelation and shares his past, explaining how his marriage was arranged. He believes that Ludo’s mother must be a woman with whom he once had an affair; due to the implications for his career, he was not particularly supportive at the time of her pregnancy. He offers to help Ludo secure a scholarship to a school as he believes that Ludo “could be the next Newton” (335). Feeling guilty, Ludo admits that he lied about his identity and apologizes for his deception. Sorabji, aware that he has exposed his infidelity, hits Ludo. Upon Ludo’s apology, Sorabji warns Ludo about the potential repercussions of using this information against him and apologizes for his violent outburst. He tells Ludo that he “should certainly apply” to the school and use Sorabji’s reference in his application (341).