The Last Samurai

Ludo and Sibylla are on the Circle Line again, escaping the cold weather outside. Ludo is diligently studying, impressing an admirer with his reading skills and youthful enthusiasm. He’s reading a wide variety of books, from classics to mathematical subjects. Another woman talking to him is surprised by his advanced reading and suggests he should play football instead. They continue riding the Circle Line, passing the time with various activities.

On December 12, 1992, Ludo, who is five years and 267 days old, begins his journal as recommended by Sibylla to practice his handwriting. He mentions his love for polynomials and his dislike for the word “binomial” (112). His favorite Greek word is “γαγγλíον” (112). On December 13, 1992, someone thinks Ludo’s father is Arabic because he’s reading something in Arabic. Ludo talks about his love for Greek, Arabic, and Hebrew and mentions his wish for a language with more numbers. On December 14, 1992, Ludo recalls an argument between Sibylla and a lady on the Tube. They argue about the concept of death and its timing; Sibylla strongly expresses her views. On December 15, 1992, Ludo mentions a man who praises him for starting to read at a young age and talks about his knowledge of Hebrew. He shares a song that he learned in Hebrew about a Pharaoh’s daughter. On December 15, 1992, a man observes Ludo reading Homer’s Odyssey and praises him for starting his religious education early. However, Sibylla says that she is teaching him language, not religion. On December 16, 1992, Ludo notes that despite reading on the Tube for a long time, nobody has asked if his father is Greek or French. He describes an argument between Sibylla and a lady on the Tube about ritual disembowelment and languages. On December 17, 1992, Ludo finds the Tube boring. He reads the Odyssey and White Fang and asks Sibylla if his father is any of several nationalities, but she says no.

On the Circle Line, Ludo is reading the Odyssey, and people around him constantly commend his remarkable intelligence. In an attempt to offset the Circle Line’s influence, Sibylla has been regularly watching Seven Samurai with Ludo. During a commute, a woman notices a book about handwritten Japanese in Sibylla’s lap and inquires if Ludo is studying Japanese. Sibylla explains that Ludo’s main goal is to fully comprehend certain Japanese films and texts, particularly Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai and Mizoguchi’s Five Women Around Utamaro. However, a tense conversation arises when the woman shares her perspective on the samurai as an “elite band,” leading to a disagreement with Ludo. Sibylla tries to promote rational thought and the need for gathering evidence, using an example. The woman finds the discussion “clinical” and “morbid” (119), but they ultimately express their mutual admiration for the film as she leaves at Moorgate station.

At 277 degrees “above absolute zero” (120), an argument between Sibylla and Ludo ensues, primarily about bringing a dictionary along for their plans. Despite Ludo’s persistent pleas, Sibylla insists that they cannot bring the dictionary to places like the Barbican or South Bank Centre due to their inability to use it while holding their books. In the end, they decide to abandon their Circle Line plans and head to the National Gallery instead. Sibylla instructs Ludo to remain silent, reminding him not to run into restricted areas. They sit in front of Bellini’s “Portrait of the Doge” (121). Ludo reads Odyssey 18. Sibylla attempts to read but is repeatedly distracted by the warm room that makes her overly sleepy. She imagines a “monstrous heiskaihekatontapus” and considers Thatcher’s ability to function with minimal sleep. Upon being observed by a guard, she pretends to take notes.

The narrative moves to the past. In a moment of realization, Sibylla regrets her intimacy with Liberace, comparing it to a chaotic “Drunken Medley” (122). Seeking solace, she listens to Glenn Gould’s classical music. As Liberace sleeps, Sibylla decides to leave without waking him, attempting to craft an intellectual-sounding note based on their discussion of the Rosetta Stone. She struggles with the note’s complexity but ultimately leaves it for Liberace, hoping that he’ll understand her polite implications. Afterward, Sibylla reflects on her aimless existence, considering ways to add purpose to her life such as creating guides to help people learn languages more easily.

Then, Emma, her coworker, discusses Sibylla’s departure from the company and job prospects for Sibylla. Emma offers her a position involving computer work and mentions an affordable house for rent. She also suggests going back to the United States to be with her family, to which Sibylla merely says, “[t]hank you very much” (128).

Back in the present, Sibylla cannot find Ludo in the British Museum, and she’s torn between searching for him and staying put for him to find her. A guard locates Ludo in the basement’s restoring rooms. When the guard asks about the boy’s name, Sibylla reflects on Ludo’s name, Ludovic, and the fact that on his birth certificate it says either David or Stephen—“one or the other” (130). Sibylla and Ludo decide to view art in Room 34, and Sibylla reminisces about their past in the museum when Ludo was younger and her life was simpler, balancing work and care. The four years since have brought significant changes to their lives.

Ludo maintains his journal where he records his reading progress, vocabulary expansion efforts, and thoughts. He discusses his reading of White Fang, the Odyssey, and his selective word choices. During a museum visit with his mother on March 3, 1993, they encounter an artwork based on the Odyssey, and Ludo suggests writing a letter to the gallery head to point out an omission. He reflects on his upcoming birthday and, during a Circle Line ride, observes an argument between Sibylla and a multilingual lady, learning a lesson about social etiquette and restraint from his mother.

In early March, Sibylla observes Ludo’s reading habits, noticing he’s reading Metamorphoses but has slowed down on the Odyssey. She struggles to come up with new places to visit in London, feeling constrained by their usual free options. An argument with Ludo about visiting the National Gallery leads to a lesson on respecting signs and authority. While waiting for a Circle Line train, a curious woman admires Ludo’s linguistic prowess and questions Sibylla’s teaching methods. Sibylla explains their vocabulary tasks and the importance of consistency. She later encounters another woman concerned about the complexity of Latin but demonstrates the concept of word matching to ease the woman’s concerns. She describes how Ludo enjoys coloring in words and completing grammar table exercises, but one day this irritates her and she imagines the Alien bursting out of her chest to devour Ludo.

The next week, Ludo shows great dedication to his Latin learning, getting up early and practicing every morning. Sibylla allows him to learn an animal fable, and she prepares new words for him to learn each day. Seeing Ludo’s dedication and interest to his work, Sibylla considers teaching him Hebrew as well.

Sibylla finds herself reading a book titled Let’s Learn Kana—the EASY Way!!!! while Ludo is engrossed in Jock of the Bushveld. She realizes that her book isn’t suitable for presenting to a small child and doubts it will be effective.

A week passes by. Sibylla and Ludo take trips on the Circle Line. Sibylla is still working on a teaching system for Japanese. During this time, she comes across an interview of the pianist Kenzo Yamamoto in the Sunday Times. Yamamoto discusses his unconventional concerts and reflects on his journey in exploring percussion and the fear of music sounding like what it is. He tells a captivating story about a remote village’s ritual involving drums during which a boy’s life was lost. Yamamoto became fascinated by pure percussion and eventually embarked on a quest to find the village but faced unexpected challenges. He ended up smuggling the boy inside a drum on his return journey but tragically lost him to soldiers’ gunfire. Yamamoto returned to Paris and shared his experience, emphasizing the importance of understanding the fragments in music and delving beyond the surface to grasp its true depth and meaning.

Sibylla and Ludo decide to see Yamamoto perform at the Royal Festival Hall where he surprises the audience by adding drums and other instruments to the stage. He plays extended experimental segments with repeated chords. He incorporates various sounds (including traffic noises) into his performance, which lasts for hours. The concert concludes with a brief rendition of “Op. 10 No. 2” (154), No. 3, and No. 4, followed by Yamamoto’s thanks to the audience. Sibylla leaves the concert and realizes that Ludo, who was with her, has gone missing. She finds a note from Ludo stating that he has “decided to walk home” (157). When she returns home, she discovers that Ludo has already come back and is sleeping in his bed. Sibylla plans to advise him to ask for money for a taxi if he ever leaves a concert again. She also contemplates her expenses for the night and ends up reading about clipping country poodles.

The next day, Ludo wakes up late while Sibylla works for seven hours to cover their concert expenses. Sibylla longs to hear Brahms’s Ballade Op. 10 No. 2 and they head to the Barbican to borrow a Brahms Piano Works book. Ludo laughs as she practices a phrase repeatedly, and Sibylla becomes frustrated and goes to the bathroom. She reflects on baby monkey experiments and decides to go to bed for a fresh perspective.

She reflects on the research involving baby monkeys and how they clung to monstrous surrogate mothers. Sibylla’s thoughts become fragmented, but she concludes that she should go to bed. Upon waking up, Sibylla feels better and thinks about Ludo starting school soon. She finds Ludo downstairs, who shares that he has finished Odyssey 24 and learned hiragana and katakana (elements of the Japanese writing system) by himself. Sibylla is thrilled and suggests teaching him kanji (another element). They begin discussing the system.

Sibylla prepares for Ludo’s birthday and reflects on some notes that she has made about his upbringing. Ludo is still sleeping after staying up late the previous night, so she begins watching Seven Samurai. The movie depicts a village’s plan to fight off bandits with bamboo spears, and their search for samurai to help. Sibylla watches as the samurai team forms and recruits Toshiro Mifune’s character. She reflects on the various male role models in the film, totaling 17. When Ludo wakes up, they continue watching the movie with six characters remaining in the story.