This sombre, inevitable doom in the atmosphere is also portrayed through the claustrophobic account of the room. The “suffocating” (24) disposition, the heat, the “prison stink” (29); though these descriptions contrast with the initial empty feeling of the room, Tomasi di Lampedusa’s depiction of the stale and musty atmosphere overpower the emptiness. Having “three days’ growth of beard” (3), the Prince himself illustrates staleness. Images, olfactory and otherwise, of the “mustiness of ill-dusted plush” (25), the “faint medicinal odour” (26), and the “stale and varied urine” (27) add to this depressing and nauseating tone of the mood and atmosphere.
Throughout, the Prince gives a strong impression of his isolation. Although it is not clearly stated, this feature is shown through the inseparability of ideas between the atmosphere of the passage and Prince Don Fabrizio’s state of mind. Tomasi di Lampedusa seems to have written the Chapter in such a way that the atmosphere and surroundings described are almost by the character of the Prince himself. This is briefly mentioned previously where the Prince’s perception is directly linked to his current situation. The morbid atmosphere adds to his morbid reminiscent state, where he thinks about death and decay through various ways. His self-decay, or weakness, is depicted through his helplessness as he feels he is unable to “contravene” (14) and that he is a “prey of untameable currents” (54) – a victim of his circumstances. This is even despite his attempt to maintain composure – “immersed in that great outer silence, in that terrifying inner rumble” (37). One interesting feature of this passage is the way the Prince bitterly makes ironic comparisons and contrasts of his current dying state to his previous healthy state. For example, “to hold up a razor would have been like holding up his own desk, before” (14-15), or “he found that to give way to drowsiness now would be as absurd as eating a slice of cake immediately before a longed-for banquet” (34-35), which indirectly contributes to the extract’s resentful tone. When the Prince contemplates the downfall of everything around him, it is as if ‘his life is flashing before his eyes’, as he is remembering everything of significance to him. Another stereotype of death occurs when there is a “blinding light” (28) amongst the darkness of the atmosphere; this follows the stereotypical idea of ‘walking into the light’ pre or post-death. Overall, the Prince’s state of mind seems to be depressed, bitter, weak, and reminiscent, which is easier to observe due to the state of the atmosphere and mood.
As this passage is fairly significant, there are many themes and patterns evident. Towards the beginning, when the Prince is describing his physical self as “one of those maniac Englishmen who amble around the vignettes in books by Jules Verne” (3-4), he also adds that he is “A Leopard in a very bad trim” (5). This hints a pattern of animal imagery, which is used fairly often in the novel. This may also be thought as slightly paradoxical, as leopards, animals that are noble, gallant and dignified are rarely in “bad trims”. Though there is not a great deal, olfactory images definitely occur a few times as well when Tomasi di Lampedusa describes the “mustiness” of the room, which was mentioned earlier. As obvious however, the main theme of this passage that appears in the novel is the idea of death and decay. Because the whole gist of the extract is based on this theme, the idea is self-explanatory; the death of the Prince, the decay of his life and surroundings (Donnafugata). This is related to another theme that is found in the passage: the inevitability of change. This is depicted by his helplessness as he gives in to “enforced camouflage (13) and relinquishes with the idea that “They’ll shave [him] […] afterwards” (17). Another unavoidable theme throughout the passage is the idea of ‘the passing of time’ through death and aging. Similar to the theme of death and decay, this is also quite apparent as the aging of the Prince, Donnafugata, and his belongings is clear through his words; for example, “old man” (10), “telescopes now destined to years of dust” (41), “exhausted body” (51). A last but important theme that this extract illustrates is the concept of isolation and solitude. The Prince makes it very clear here that he is alone as he is not interrupted by personally close characters during the excerpt. He seems as if he is in his own little world of thoughts, which already makes him emotionally isolated. The reader can only know he is alone for certain though by the last line, “He was alone, a shipwrecked man adrift on a raft” (54).
This passage of Chapter VII from The Leopard is very significant in depicting the various themes and writing styles of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa throughout the novel. The strong atmosphere and mood of the extract strongly facilitates the depiction of Prince Don Fabrizio’s state of mind. The contrast of his behaviour and thinking in this passage and chapter to his behaviour and thinking throughout the rest of the novel makes this extract very interesting to analyse. However what inclines to be the most evocative feature in the overall passage is Tomasi di Lampedusa’s ability to express the protagonist’s subjective, bitter views through his own objective narration. The effect of Chapter VII is thus a lasting one.