The Last Samurai

On September 6, 1993, Sibylla and Ludo visit the school to discuss Stephen’s education. Sibylla introduces Ludo as Stephen at the school. They encounter a problem when they find out that Stephen should have started school a year earlier, but due to not knowing this, they are concerned about him being behind. Sibylla discusses Ludo’s advanced studies with Ms. Thompson, the teacher, including languages that he has learned. Ms. Thompson explains that the educational system has changed since J. S. Mill’s time, emphasizing learning as a group and practical skills over learning dead languages. Despite the setback, they allow Stephen to attend school.

Ludo’s first week at school passes uneventfully. While attending school, he continues his studies and practice at home in languages and mathematics, focusing on multiplication and numbers. School, however, doesn’t seem to challenge him much, and he finds it boring. On the weekend, Ludo continues to master Japanese characters and expresses a desire to study other languages like French, Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Arabic, and German, as he believes that he will not get to learn them at school. On Sunday, Ludo continues to study, reads about Amundsen and Scott, and masters 30 Japanese characters. During the second week of school, Ludo begins to explore mathematical patterns with a focus on multiplication. On September 20, he learns about the journalist Red Devlin being taken hostage in Azerbaijan. Between September 21 and 24, Ludo engages in mathematical calculations, mainly dealing with the repetitive patterns that arise from multiplication.

During Ludo’s third week at school, he encounters some challenges related to working cooperatively in the classroom. He also continues his self-study in various subjects, including reading the Argonautica and mastering more Japanese characters. Ludo is eager to continue his independent learning because he believes that J. S. Mill’s unconventional education allowed him to excel. In the fourth week of attending school, Ludo continues his pattern of performing complex calculations and learning mathematical patterns.

On October 11, 1993, Ludo receives a note from his teacher about disruptive behavior at school, leading to an emotional discussion with Sibylla about the futility of attending school. Despite his protests, Sibylla insists that he continues going to school and promises to discuss the matter with the teacher. The next day, Sibylla visits Ludo’s school to discuss his disruptive behavior with Miss Lewis. Miss Lewis expresses concern that Ludo’s advanced abilities and his tendency to disrupt the class may negatively impact his peers. She believes that there is more to life than just “academic achievement[s]” and that Ludo needs to understand the importance of cooperating and not interfering with others’ learning (198). Miss Lewis also suggests that there is a risk of Ludo becoming disconnected from reality, to which Sibylla counters with her own school experiences.

An argument ensues when Sibylla discovers a book with factual inaccuracies about samurai and condemns such educational materials. Miss Lewis tries to regain control of the conversation and reiterate her concerns about Ludo’s impact on the class. Despite the discussion, Miss Lewis and Sibylla do not reach a definitive decision. Upon reaching home, Sibylla is emotionally distressed, repeatedly asking herself what she should do next. Ludo reflects on the idea that sometimes you cannot truly understand something until you experience it firsthand. He uses this notion to justify the importance of studying judo. As Ludo’s enthusiasm for judo becomes evident, Sibylla, still struggling with a concern of her own, continues to pace and contemplate the situation. Eventually, Ludo firmly states that he believes that judo “solves everything” (202), expressing his eagerness to embark on this new journey.

Ludo is reading from The Eskimo Book of Knowledge about a dire situation in which a group of travelers faces starvation after a 10-day journey (208), having exhausted their supplies and sled dogs. Frustrated by the book’s lack of practical knowledge, Ludo laments its ineffectiveness in real-life situations, particularly concerning the Inuit people. As Ludo delves into the book, he also discovers a story about James Hatton, a man who undertook a solo expedition to the North Pole without informing anyone. Hatton’s journey involved encounters with a walrus and even self-amputation due to frostbite. Ludo contemplates whether Hatton might be his father. Meanwhile, Sibylla interrupts Ludo’s reading with news of Red Devlin’s daring escape into the “British Embassy in Tbilisi” (209), expressing her excitement. They discuss Red Devlin’s reputation for audacious feats and his ability to gain access to exclusive stories, along with his past accomplishments, including aiding a couple in adopting a Romanian orphan and bringing the child to the UK. When Ludo questions if Red Devlin could be his father, Sibylla avoids the question, focusing on learning the Inuit language from the book and singing an Inuit version of “God Save the King.” Ludo inquires again about James Hatton, but Sibylla starts showing her amazement at Hatton’s achievements instead and returns to her work, leaving the question of Ludo’s parentage unanswered.

Ludo feels that he might be wasting his time with The Eskimo Book of Knowledge and reflects on the elusive message he’s supposed to find within an artwork and a magazine article. When he listens to Liberace’s tape, he dismisses it as “complete and utter crap” (212). This frustrates Sibylla, who asks him not to play the tape. She remains stubbornly silent about the identity of Ludo’s father and decides to watch Seven Samurai instead of working on her computer. As Sibylla watches the movie, Ludo challenges Sibylla’s opinions on the artwork and magazine article he’s studying, seeking explanations. Their discussion shifts to literature, and Sibylla criticizes American novels in English; Ludo questions her arguments. Ludo probes further, asking if the person in question had raped her, to which Sibylla responds in the negative. He inquires about any likable qualities, prompting Sibylla to share insights into societal norms regarding relationships and politeness. She tells him about the societal taboo against ending something unpleasant, noting that it’s not nice to constantly offend people. Then, Sibylla rewinds the video and continues watching. Ludo thinks about how he could spend time with his father, perhaps traveling and learning useful skills. He expresses frustration at having to learn various languages and skills “just in case” (217). He decides to go to Sibylla’s room, thinking about an envelope marked “To Be Opened In Case of Death” and wondering if it might contain information about his father (217). He goes to her room and finds a folder with a thick stack of papers.

Ludo goes through the papers he found in the drawer, hoping to find information about his father. However, the papers only contain “a nickname” for his father (220). In addition, he does not find any mention of Liberace’s real name or the titles of his books. Just then, Sibylla calls Ludo to bring her the duvet, and he complies. He considers the enigma of his father and whether he could be as bad as Liberace.

While watching Seven Samurai, Ludo reflects on his growing proficiency in understanding Japanese, from recognizing spoken sounds to translating them into written characters. He helps Sibylla comprehend the film’s dialogue as they discuss the limitations of subtitles. As the film progresses, Sibylla grows bored and resumes working on her computer. Meanwhile, Ludo contemplates how to subtly inquire about the art pieces he wants Sibylla to explain and searches for the mysterious envelope he discovered earlier, but he cannot locate it.

On Ludo’s birthday, Sibylla conspicuously avoids mentioning the occasion. Ludo tries to engage in a conversation about Lord Leighton, the author of the magazine article. He also offers a mild apology for previously calling the tape “crap” (228). Sibylla finds it amusing but doesn’t reveal more about his father. She questions Ludo’s apparent indifference to his father’s personality, to which Ludo responds by expressing his strong desire to know who his father is. Sibylla remains evasive, and Ludo emphasizes her unique preferences, underscoring that she’s “a market of one” (229). They discuss a book on aerodynamics that Sibylla gave Ludo as a birthday gift, and she laughs about its entertaining content, particularly the section on grebes, which further confirms her eccentric interests. She offers to buy more books, but Ludo declines, feeling overwhelmed by the complexity of the topics. Ludo decides to leave the room and go outside to ride his new skateboard, leaving Sibylla in contemplation of something she would rather avoid.

Ludo and Sibylla are having an argument about buying a pricey book, The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ. Sibylla wants it, but Ludo argues that they can’t afford it. Sibylla agrees and sits “curled up” in her chair (232). Later, Ludo buys a movie for Sibylla, and they watch it together. Sibylla enjoys the film and makes humorous comments throughout. Meanwhile, Ludo is preoccupied with finding the envelope. Suddenly, it occurs to him that the envelope could be in Sibylla’s Fraser’s “Ptolemaic Alexandria” copy (234). He finally finds the envelope and discovers that it is not from Red Devlin as he had expected. Instead, it is from Val Peters.

Three days after discovering his father’s name, Ludo realizes that he might have been too quick to judge the travel writer. It’s common for travel writers to evolve in their narratives from being initially naive or cowardly to eventually doing something brave. He decides to give Peters a fair chance and goes to the library to look for more of his books. Over the course of a week, Ludo reads all of Val Peters’s books, hoping to uncover some hidden “genius or heroism” in his father’s writing (237), but he does not find what he is looking for. Although he is left with a sense of disappointment, the mystery of his father’s identity continues to elude him.

Ludo considers various ways to track down his father, who had been married to his first wife when he met Sibylla and now resides with his second wife in a different house. Eventually, Ludo has an idea. He decides to look for articles or pieces of journalism written by his father since his father often made “factual mistakes” and “logical fallacies” in his writing (239), particularly regarding scientific topics. Ludo plans to write a letter pointing out these errors in an innocent, boyish manner and hopes that his father will respond with his address. He spends two days carefully crafting the letter, aiming to sound clever but not “obnoxious” (239), as he does not want to offend his father.

Ludo patiently waits for a reply to his letter to Val Peters. He speculates about potential reasons for the delay. After a few weeks, he receives a letter from Val Peters in which Peters acknowledges the theories about dinosaur extinction and his use of a convenient one for his argument. Peters also discusses the selfish gene theory and praises Ludo’s understanding of its significance. Despite receiving a response, Ludo is somewhat disappointed, wishing for something more remarkable. Nevertheless, he now has Val Peters’s address, located not far from the Circle Line.

Ludo continues to visit his father’s house, observing it from across the street. He sees a woman leaving the house and later, a man who turns out to be his father, Val Peters. Ludo makes observations about Val’s appearance; he looks “older” and “less handsome” than he had imagined (243). Over the next few days, Ludo visits the house regularly, even carrying books and peanut butter sandwiches with him. He observes the house but remains mostly unnoticed by the residents. Eventually, he decides to ask his father for an autograph.

Ludo visits his father’s house and engages in a conversation with him. He initially pretends to collect for “Christian Aid” but eventually confesses that he came for “an autograph” (249-50), leading to a humorous exchange. Ludo hands over a book for signing, and they discuss the book’s edition and Ludo’s school interests. His father invites him to see his workspace, and they chat about various topics, including language studies and a signed book collection. His father offers to give him a unique signed book in a foreign language, and Ludo chooses Finnish with a heartfelt message from his father. Before leaving, Ludo contemplates revealing his true identity but decides against it.