Death

As soon as the characters hit adulthood death becomes a major theme in the novel. Firstly Percival dies. All the characters are close to Percival in their own way and his death brings major changes. The biggest change is that the group begins to drift apart, because not only did his influence have a solidifying effect on their friendships, but also their reactions to the tragedy are all very different. For example, Bernard rushes straight into parenthood and Neville who loves Percival is distraught. Through the rest of the book, Neville cannot stop thinking of Percival.

The difference that Percival's death has on all of them is that from being young and alive they suddenly become aware of their mortality. From this point, the characters go their own way, striving to achieve no doubt before their own inevitable deaths. Neville becomes a famous poet, Bernard and Susan seek...