48 pages • 1 hour read
James HiltonLost Horizon
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1933A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 3-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 3 Summary
Conway waits while he watches a group of men approaching him and the other passengers. When they get close enough, Conway moves toward them, noting that some of the Tibetan men are carrying a chair with a robed man sitting in it. The robed man dismounts and greets Conway in English, telling him that his name is Chang and that he is from Shangri-La. Conway explains their situation, and Chang introduces himself to the others. Mallinson is rude, demanding that Chang arrange a way for them to return to civilization, but Chang maintains a kind and dignified demeanor, inviting everyone to Shangri-La. As the group hikes the mountains, the group from the plane struggles to keep their breath in the high altitudes, but Conway relishes the thin air. As they approach a tall mountain that Conway admires, Chang tells him its name is Karakal. Mallinson expresses his anxiety about where they are going and what they will do, but Conway comforts him by explaining that they do not have another course of action. Conway helps tie ropes around everyone for protection as they move onto a narrow path along a mountainside, but, after the path, Shangri-La comes into view. Chang invites everyone to dinner after they get settled, Barnard jokes about the amenities, and Mallinson insists again on planning to leave.
Chapter 4 Summary
At dinner, Chang inquires on everyone’s stay, and even Mallinson and Brinklow seem pleased with the amenities, many of which come from outside countries. Conway suspects that a drug was added to their food to help with respiration and anxiety since he feels that he and the others are breathing easier. Brinklow asks Chang about the residents at Shangri-La, and he reveals that there are about 50 lamas; some people, like himself, aspiring to become lamas; and some thousands of people who live in the valley under Shangri-La’s governance. Brinklow asks about the lamas’ religious beliefs, and Chang gives a vague answer, specifying to Conway that their dominant belief is in moderation. This moderation also applies to virtues, and Conway appreciates the relaxed attitude Chang takes to religion and government. Mallinson starts demanding assistance to get back to India, but Chang explains that he is not the person to help with that effort. Mallinson almost passes out in exasperation while making further demands, and Conway suggests that they all go to bed. Staying back a moment, Conway and Chang discuss the situation, but Chang does not give any new or useful information beyond insisting that they will enjoy their time at Shangri-La. Conway stares at Karakal, and Chang tells him that the name means “blue moon.”
The next day, everyone is in good spirits, and they continue to talk with Chang over breakfast. Mallinson tells Conway that he does not trust the vague answers Chang gives, and Conway tries to get Mallinson to relax. Mallinson continues to demand that Chang provide them with porters to help them travel, and Chang addresses Conway, explaining that they periodically receive shipments from the outside world. A shipment is expected in one or two months, at which time they can request travel with the men who bring the shipment, though Chang does not know where they might be going at that time. Mallinson is furious, and he suggests that this might mean an indefinite stay at Shangri-La, but Chang is confident in the range of time he gave.
Chapter 5 Summary
Continuing to discuss their situation, Conway tries to comfort his companions by saying that there is nothing they can do but try to enjoy their experience at Shangri-La, and only Mallinson is reluctant to agree. Chang offers to give them a tour of the lamasery’s buildings, and they notice that Chang only leads them into certain buildings while avoiding others. Conway believes that, among his companions, he is uniquely able to understand the lamasery and Chang, as he considers himself free of the prejudice that taints his companions’ perceptions. In a library, Conway notes books he recognizes on Chinese and Asian history, and Chang asks if he is a scholar. Conway denies the title, knowing the weight it carries in Chinese culture and the pretentiousness it implies for the English. Brinklow demands to see the lamas at work, and Chang refuses, noting that they are rarely seen by outsiders. When Brinklow asks what they do, Chang replies that they spend their time in contemplation, to which Brinklow indignantly replies that contemplation is not work.
The group gathers for tea in a room with musical instruments, and Chang comments that the lamas practice Western music. A young girl, who Conway identifies as Manchu, comes in, plays a gavotte by Rameau on the piano, and then leaves, impressing everyone. Brinklow is shocked to hear that the girl is working to become a lama, like Chang, and Barnard asks her age, but Chang refuses to answer. Barnard asks if the piano was brought by the same mountain path they took to get here, and Chang confirms but refuses to detail the process of shipping goods to Shangri-La.
After dinner, Conway stands outside and finds two Tibetan men talking. From what Conway understands, they are speaking reverently of the death of the pilot, whom they call Talu and consider a hero. Conway realizes that the hijacking of their plane was planned. Talu came from this valley, and the men note that he left the valley a long time ago. Conway struggles to piece together the mystery of Shangri-La and resolves not to tell his companions this new information.
Chapter 6 Summary
After a week at Shangri-La, Barnard is in good spirits, and he jokes frequently with Chang and the other travelers. The group goes into the valley to see how the Tibetan community functions, and they are interested to find that the society runs smoothly. There are Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist temples, and Brinklow suggests learning the Tibetan language and setting up a Christian mission. She thinks the Tibetan community has no value because they are happy, saying that doing things for happiness is worthless. Conway, however, loves the valley and finds that it reminds him of China and the time he spent there. Conway investigates the library, impressed by the lamas’ tastes, and Chang reveals that the most recent arrival in the library is from 1930, just one year prior to the group’s arrival. Conway questions the way Shangri-La governs the valley, and Chang notes that there are rarely any crimes, especially not those that would warrant expulsion from the community, and courtesy seems to be the guiding principle of their society.
Mallinson tells Conway that he has discovered Barnard is using a fake name on his passport, noting that Chang mistakenly gave him Barnard’s wallet, which contained photos of Barnard labeled as Chalmers Bryant. After dinner, Barnard admits his true identity, and Conway and Mallinson note that Bryant is fleeing the police after losing $100 million in the stock market crash of the late 1920s. Barnard insists that the losses were only bad luck, not malice, and that the market cannot be predicted. Conway sees no issue in continuing to be friends, but Mallinson claims that Barnard was entrusted with other peoples’ money, making him a crook. After the conversation, Conway goes outside for his nightly walk, and Chang invites him to meet the High Lama, noting that this meeting will put an end to the mysteries and blocked information that Conway has encountered thus far.
Chapters 3-6 Analysis
The novel continues its discussion of The Tension Between Ambition and Idleness as Conway maintains his preference for the path of least resistance. On the mountain path and in Shangri-La, though perturbed by Chang’s skillful deflection of any probing questions, Conway retains his relaxed demeanor, commenting, “I don’t see why it should be much worse than two months in any other isolated part of the world” (75), and even noting that he likes Shangri-La. For Barnard, Conway’s statement about being in “any other isolated part of the world” is directly true, as Barnard simply needs to avoid the authorities. Barnard, or Bryant’s, crime is, in some ways, a criticism of ambition, as he was once a wealthy businessman who lost his fortune (along with other people’s fortunes) in the stock market crash of 1929. When Conway notes that the world seems to be falling apart, he may be referring both to the increasing tensions that would lead to WWII and the economic impact of the Great Depression. Separate from his business, Conway identifies Barnard as a “good fellow,” highlighting how simplicity might bring out the best of each character. Brinklow decidedly takes a stance against simplicity, though, saying, “There’s no good in doing a thing because you like doing it” (91), insisting that ethical behavior is necessarily unpleasant. Mallinson, too, seems to have a strict ethical perception of his role and the roles of others, calling Conway’s calmness regarding Barnard’s identity “slack,” to which Conway replies, “I don’t care if it’s slack so long as it’s sensible” (97). This disagreement encapsulates the contrasting views of the characters. Conway rejects the virtue of industriousness for its own sake. In World War I, he saw the ruin that can come from unchecked ambition. He is thus far better prepared than the others to accept the overriding ethos of Shangri-La, with its emphasis on moderation and peacefulness. Brinklow and Mallinson, on the other hand, rigidly structure their lives around progress, actively rejecting happiness in favor of accomplishment.
Mallinson and Barnard both seem to suggest that Shangri-La could be turned into an asset, exploited as a ski resort or hotel. Mallinson, as a British officer, represents the European imperialism that dominated the previous century, while the American businessman Barnard represents the unofficial, economic imperialism that will come to dominate the 20th. Though their grounding ideologies are different, the effect is the same: Both value Shangri-La solely as a source of profit.
Unlike his profiteering companions, Conway sees The East as a Source of Wisdom. Through Conway’s perspective, the novel presents the culture of Shangri-La as both an antithesis and antidote to the destructive ambition that characterizes the West. It’s important to note that this romanticization of Eastern wisdom has long been another facet of the imperial mindset, one the Palestinian scholar Edward Said terms “orientalism.” Orientalist views of “Eastern” cultures tend to treat those cultures as a blank canvas on which to project Western ideas, often those that don’t fit into the dominant ideology. This projection is made literal in Shangri-La, the polyglot and syncretic culture of which is the result of an anti-industrialist aestheticism imported from Europe by Perrault. The best retort to the claim that Conway romanticizes or exoticizes the spirituality of Shangri-La is Chang’s insistence that moderation is the valley’s principle, which counters any perception of total or elevated spirituality.
Conway’s vision of the valley as “a landlocked harbor, with Karakal brooding over it, lighthouse fashion” furthers the theme of Utopia as Refuge by emphasizing how distinct Shangri-La and the valley are from the rest of humanity (69). The “harbor” is self-contained, supporting itself with food and labor from the valley with only periodic imports of specific goods, on which the population does not seem to rely. In a sense, the valley is only moderately isolated, following with Chang’s view of the culture of Shangri-La, and Conway comments that the valley forms a “strange culture pocket, hidden amongst unknown ranges, and ruled over by some vague kind of theocracy” (86). The valley is a “fertile paradise” with neither “soldiers nor police” (94), and Chang insists that courtesy is the primary governing method. This self-contained society operates entirely on moderation, but its geographical isolation plays an important role in maintaining its peace. Later in the novel, Perrault notes that most of the valley’s inhabitants are unaware that anything exists beyond the icy wastes that surround Shangri-La. Believing that their valley is the entirety of the world, they are freed from the impulse to grasp for more.
