For Philip on His Last Night T the Palace

Section B

1. Summary

The text called “For Philip, on his last Night at the Palace”, which is writes by Stuart Nadler, is about a man called Philip. Every Friday evenings Philip eats at a restaurant called the Cantonese Palace.  This particular evening is the last evening for Philip in the Cantonese Palace since the restaurant is going to move. Philip orders meals for himself and dead his wife Margene. Han serves him as usual. Philip thinks about the time when he first visited the Cantonese Palace and how much things has changed since then. He met the place for the very first time with Margene when they were young.
Later the same evening Han presents a framed photograph. The photograph is of Philip himself and Margene when they were a young in the Cantonese Palace. Han helps Philip out into the parking lot. Before Philip steps into his van Han offers him the chair he used to sit on and tells that he also has Matgene’s chair. Philip asks for Margene chair instead.

1. Characterization

The main character in the story is an old man called Philip. Philip’s departed wife is called Margene.  Philip has his very own habits. E.g. it is a habit for him to go to the Cantonese Palace every Friday evening. He has followed this habit ever since he visited the place with Margene when they were young. In the Cantonese Palace he always sit on the same place and orders the same dishes every time. The dishes are always served by Han. All these facts make it clear that Philip always follows his own routine.

The fact that the environment and people around him don’t keep their routine disturbs and distracts him. In the text (line 76 page 11) it says, “It was difficult to know what bothered him more, growing old or seeing everyone else around him growing old as well”. He has become old, which means many things have changed physically and mentally. E.g. he doesn’t finish his meals anymore. The reason why he can’t finish it is because of age and time. This is written in line 75 on page 11 - “He couldn’t finish anything anymore. Not his sole, nor his soup, not even his Blue Tornado. Age had ruined his appetite. Or perhaps time had done it”.  

Not only has he changed because of time. His surroundings have also changed. In line 132 on page 12 it says, “Every Friday night now it was a different driver. Invariably they seemed afraid to be here. It stuck Philip as impossible that he’d ever thought this was the best street in his city”. This indirectly says that Philip once used to have the same driver and the street used to be safety and comfortable, while it is dangerous now. At the end of the story Han mentions to Philip that the chair, which he hands him, is original.  This shows that Philip is fond of original things. Moreover he doesn’t like changes.

Instead of receiving the chair Philip ask for his wife’s chair. This shows that he loved and still loves his wife. In the story the readers hear about the memories Philip had with his wife, Margene. Despite all the changes around him he doesn’t want the feeling that Margene is not in his everyday life anymore. That’s the reason why he orders food for her although she is dead. This is also the reason why he asks Han for her chair.

1. Comment

”The Cantonese Palace” has a special role in Philip’s life. This is a place where he has spent forty years of Friday nights.  It’s the place where Margene and his love developed. It is not only a place where his love developed - it is also a place where Philip himself personally developed.  ”The Cantonese Palace” is the place where Philip noticed how much the world around him has changed. E.g. the restaurant upgraded the written bills to an adding machine, and then, to a computerized ticketing system. This shows that many things in the palace had changed by the technology. It was not only inside the palace things where changed, but also outside in the world.