Summary of "The Road from Colonus" by E. M. Forster

The Road from Colonus is one of the short stories written by E.M. Forster.

It tells us the story of Mr. Lucas who is an Englishman getting old. He is finally accomplishing the dream of his live: visit Greece. However, the trip it is not going as it was expected.

He is travelling with a party made of his little sister Ethel, who has to dedicate his life to take care of him in his old age, and two or three more English people.

During the travel, Mr Lucas has a revelation and he realize that he did not want to have a peaceful death, he desires to die fighting instead. So that, he is determined to stay in a small inn near to the place with the hollow tree where he has felt that revelation and the sensation that he must stay there.

Needles to say, the party is horrified and force him to leave with them. The people from the village appeared to understand Mr. Lucas and try to support them but they did not success.

Back in England, when some time has pass, Mr Lucas barely remember what was happened in that hollow tree. He has become a grumpy old man always complaining about everything.

Eventually, a gift arrives from a friend in Greece and it is wrapped in a Greek newspaper. Ethel is upset when read that on the night they left Greece, the old tree had felt on the family living in the inn, killing them all. However Mr. Lucas no longer care about that. It is just as he could not remember how were their feeling back then.

The Distracted Preacher

• I: How his cold was cured Stockdale arrives & lodges at Lizzy Newberry’s house; they get smuggled alcohol together; S fancies her & L flirts

• II: How he saw two other men S hears L talking to Owlett & sees another man watching L & O talk; S asks L to marry him – she will not promise

• III: The mysterious