51 pages • 1 hour read
Varjak Paw
A 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 27-35Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 27 Summary
As the three friends hurry out of the city, Varjak tells Holly and Cludge about the Gentleman and the black cats. A rainstorm begins as they climb the hill to the Contessa’s house. Varjak is shocked to see that the old stone wall that “once seemed so high and impossible to climb” now looks so small compared to the ones he scaled in the city, and he realizes that he has changed during his time away (191). Varjak feels momentarily devastated when Cludge apologetically explains that he can’t climb. Instead of giving up, the cat feels himself filled with the same “wild power” of the storm” (192). He reassures Cludge and asks Holly to accompany him inside the house. While the dog hides under a tree, the two cats scale the wall, cross the garden, and reach the cat door.
Chapter 28 Summary
The cat door locks shut behind Varjak and Holly, and he feels nervous when he realizes that the Gentleman has changed things. A mewling sound comes from upstairs, and they hear cats talking further down the corridor. Varjak and Holly split up to investigate. He’s relieved to see his family gathered in the front room, and he’s shocked to discover that Julius is now the head of the family. Julius looks even bigger and stronger now than he did when Varjak left. Father expresses alarm at the recent changes occurring in the house, but Julius responds with apathy and intimidates everyone into silence. When Varjak enters the room, his relatives are ecstatic to see him. However, when Varjak explains that the Gentleman’s cats killed the Elder Paw, Julius accuses him of lying: “The Gentleman loves us. His cats are our friends. Why would they do a thing like that?” (197). Mother intervenes and begins grooming Varjak. His younger brothers excitedly ask about his scars, and he begins to tell them about his adventures.
Chapter 29 Summary
Varjak tells his family about the friends he’s made Outside, his fights with street cats, and the Vanishings taking place in the city. However, he doesn’t tell about his dreams of Jalal because he doesn’t think they’ll understand. After he finishes telling his story, Father praises him, “Varjak’s brought glory to the family” (200). Jealous, Julius accuses Varjak of inventing the tales and mocks him. Varjak stands up for himself despite his relatives’ fearful warnings, and he challenges Julius to make good on his threats. Varjak uses Slow-Time and Moving Circles to evade Julius’s attacks and strike back. Varjak has the opportunity to kill his brother, but instead he declares that the fight is over. When Julius launches one last attack, he crashes headfirst into the fireplace and collapses. Varjak’s relatives chant his name in celebration of his victory.
Chapter 30 Summary
A horrified Holly bursts into the room and says that they have to find a way to escape from the Contessa’s house at once. She’s found an enormous cage containing all the cats who vanished from the city and says that some of them aren’t alive. Varjak’s family treats Holly with disdain because she’s a street cat, and they declare that they don’t want to go Outside. They know that the Gentleman brings street cats into the Contessa’s home, but they don’t care what befalls the other cats and are convinced that their pedigree guarantees them safety and special treatment. Incensed, Holly tells Varjak that they should leave, saying “These idiots deserve everything they’ve got coming” (210). His relatives plead for him to stay and declare that he is the new head of the family. Unwilling to give up this newfound recognition, Varjak decides to stay even though he wants to go with Holly.
The Gentleman enters the house, and his black cats drag Holly upstairs. Varjak feels as if his “heart [is] being torn out” (214), but he doesn’t intervene because his family says that their safety depends on not challenging the black cats. Varjak tries to convince himself that he belongs among his fellow Mesopotamian Blues, but their assurances that he did the right thing do nothing to ease his conscience.
Chapter 31 Summary
Later that evening, Varjak returns to Mesopotamia in a dream. He greatly prefers his dreams to the “decisions and dangers and failures” of the real world (216). Varjak wonders if his ancestor would approve of him choosing his family over Holly, but he doesn’t ask. Jalal reveals that the final skill is to Trust Yourself and that Varjak’s training is now complete. Recalling his descendant’s concerns that he isn’t a true Mesopotamian Blue, Jalal tells Varjak, “You see, who you are and where you come from count for nothing with me. The only thing that counts is what you do” (218). Still, Varjak worries that he can’t be a Mesopotamian Blue because he doesn’t have green eyes like his relatives. Jalal leads Varjak to the shore of the Tigris. Looking into the river, Varjak sees “two silver-blue cats with amber eyes” (221).
Chapter 32 Summary
Varjak awakens and calls for a Family Council. He debunks his family’s claims of superiority over other cats and declares that he’s going to rescue Holly, but his relatives are too afraid of the black cats to join him. Now that Varjak understands who he is, he’s able to Shadow-Walk. He scales the stairs without the black cat on guard noticing and enters a room in which hundreds of street cats are confined in a cage with “a solid metal door and sharp wire mesh” (226). The Gentleman takes a tortoiseshell cat from the cage and leaves the room. Varjak sees Holly and Tam together in a corner of the cage. His Awareness guides him to a box of mechanical cats with glassy eyes like the one he saw outside the toy shop. The Gentleman returns with the tortoiseshell cat, which now has a collar, glass eyes, and a hollow voice.
Chapter 33 Summary
After the Gentleman goes downstairs, Varjak scales the sharp metal cage and pulls the lever that opens the cage. The terrified street cats try to flee downstairs, but the black cats brutally cut off their escape. Using Slow-Time, Moving Circles, and Shadow-Walking, Varjak battles the black cats. He’s fueled by the memories of what the Elder Paw and his friends suffered and by remembering “[e]veryone who’d ever put him down, every time he’d walked away” (237). The black cats don’t bleed or feel pain, so they eventually overpower Varjak. Holly realizes that the black cats are controlled by their collars, and Varjak tears off one of the cats’ collars with a last desperate lunge. The mechanical cat shuts down.
Chapter 34 Summary
Varjak expects the other black cat to strike him down. Instead, it approaches him with a “terribly, terribly sad” expression in its glass eyes and allows Varjak to remove its collar (242). With the battle over, the street cats cheer. Varjak apologizes to Holly, and she assures him that he’s already made amends. The Gentleman seizes Julius and scatters the street cats by shouting at them. Varjak, Holly, and Tam brace themselves for a fight to the death. Just as the Gentleman’s hand closes around Varjak’s neck, Cludge breaks through a window and roars, “LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!” (246). Overwhelmed with fear, the Gentleman cowers away from the dog. Cludge chases the screaming man through the window and out into the night.
Chapter 35 Summary
Julius and the rest of Varjak’s family cheer for Varjak and his friends, and the street cats celebrate their freedom by feasting on caviar. Cludge returns and assures Varjak that the Gentleman will never come back. Varjak asks his family to join him in the world outside. He promises to teach them the Way and says that they can find a new home for themselves just like Jalal did when he left Mesopotamia. However, he understands when they decide to remain in the Contessa’s house, at least for the time being. Together, Varjak, Holly, Tam, Cludge, and many of the freed cats form a gang of their own.
Chapters 27-35 Analysis
In the novel’s final section, Varjak completes his heroic journey. His return to the Contessa’s house represents the step of ‘the road back.’ Going back to the ordinary world causes Varjak to temporarily forget some of the lessons and self-knowledge he gained in the Outside. For instance, he reverts to the Mesopotamian Blues’ pattern of inaction in the face of danger, and he tries to persuade himself that his pedigree matters more than his friendship with Holly: “He want[s] to be a Blue. He [is] a Blue. He belong[s] with them. Not her. Them” (215). ‘The resurrection’ marks the climax of the hero’s journey. Varjak fulfills this step through his near-death experiences during his battle with the black cats and his confrontation with the Gentleman. In keeping with the monomyth pattern, Said raises the stakes with these climactic conflicts. Varjak is fighting not just for his own life but for his friends, his family, and all of the trapped street cats. The author places a twist on the final step of the hero’s journey, ‘the return with the elixir.’ Cludge serves as the elixir because he banishes the Gentleman for good, but the dog is delayed in entering the Contessa’s house, forcing the protagonist to find the courage to face the Gentleman without the object of his quest. In addition, Varjak gains his relatives’ acceptance only to find that he no longer needs it. In fulfillment of the monomyth, completing his journey empowers Varjak to embark on a new life, which he achieves by returning to London with his new gang.
In these final chapters, Varjak’s experiences reframe his understanding of his family legacy, building his confidence in his own potential and underscoring The Impact of Heritage on Personal Development. The protagonist’s fight with Julius marks a key moment in his arc as Varjak uses the traditional skills his ancestor taught him to claim his place among his relatives and ascend to the role of head of the family. Having achieved what he’s always longed for—his family’s hard-won acceptance—he finds that he’s learned to value new things on his quest, such as The Power of Friendship and Loyalty. Varjak discovers that his old values are at odds with the friendships he’s come to prize—to remain as the head of his family, he must betray Holly: “He wanted to go with her, but how could he? He finally had what he always wanted: he was a proper Mesopotamian Blue at last! He couldn’t ruin it. He couldn’t walk away now” (211). In this moment of tension, Jalal offers Varjak a new perspective on heritage that has nothing to do with genes or pedigrees: “If being a Blue means anything, it means following my Way. Any cat who does that is one of mine” (219). This insight gives Varjak the confidence to stop looking to his family for validation, challenge his relatives’ hubris, and take decisive action even if that means being alone again. By asserting his own autonomy, Varjak brokers a peace with his relatives built on mutual understanding—they admit that they were wrong about street cats, and he understands when they decide not to make a new life for themselves Outside. Varjak’s personal development allows him to gain a more expansive and empowering perspective on his heritage and to form a healthier relationship with his family.
The story’s outcome hinges on the characters’ abilities to face frightening challenges with courage. Varjak demonstrates his unshakeable bravery when he implements his plan to rescue the street cats on his own: “The urge to flee claw[s] at his chest. The cage, the cats, the smell: it [is] like a nightmare” (227). The theme reaches its culmination when he resolves to fight the Gentleman even after he loses all hope of survival. Like Varjak, Cludge must also face his fears: “Cludge [draws] himself up to his full height. ‘Wall scare Cludge. But friends need Cludge.’ He shrug[s]. ‘So Cludge climb wall’” (251). By overcoming his fear of heights, Cludge ensures the novel’s happy ending. In the end, the Gentleman loses because he doesn’t have the courage to confront his fears the way that Varjak and his allies have: “[F]aced with Cludge, the Gentleman [becomes] like a little boy, lost and frightened and all alone” (248). The novel’s climax emphasizes the importance of courage in the face of challenges.
Said’s resolution celebrates the power of friendship and loyalty as Varjak leaves behind his family of origin and embraces the love and support of his chosen family. Varjak triumphs over the Gentleman thanks to the help of Holly and Cludge. The new gang that Varjak forms at the end of the story proves that he has come a long way from the lonely kitten he was at the start of the novel. The group represents a challenge to the current hierarchy among the city’s cats; Varjak’s gang is founded on mutual friendship and loyalty, not the violence and intimidation that Sally Bones and Ginger rely on to reify their dominance. The power of friendship allows Varjak to save his family and to form a found family. Said uses the novel’s symbols and motifs to undergird his protagonist’s growth in these final chapters. At the end of the novel, Varjak’s relatives choose to remain in the Contessa’s house even though their earlier refusal to leave their familiar environment placed them in peril. Said uses the contrast between Varjak and his relatives to emphasize the dangers of complacency. Varjak conquers these temptations by choosing to return to the city.
The Way of Jalal serves as a motif for Courage in the Face of Challenges as Said weaves the Seven Skills into the novel’s climactic conflicts: Varjak’s fight with Julius, the rescue of the street cats, and the battle with the black cats. Having completed his quest, Varjak finds that he has all the skills he needs to protect himself and his loved ones: “It was all right. Like being in the city again, he had nothing to rely on but himself, and the Skills Jalal had taught him. Nothing else” (224). The Way gives Varjak the courage and confidence he needs to face daunting odds. Varjak’s amber eyes, which serve as a motif of the theme of heritage, bring the narrative full circle. At the beginning of the story, Varjak’s relatives claimed that he didn’t belong among them because he didn’t share their green eyes. In Chapter 31, the revelation that Varjak inherited Jalal’s eye color proves that he is a true Mesopotamian Blue and grants the protagonist conviction in his identity and self-worth. The novel concludes with the image of the rising sun “shining bright and amber, like the eyes of Varjak Paw,” as the hero and his friends leave the Contessa’s house (255). Said’s use of color imagery affirms Varjak’s personal growth and ends the novel on a triumphant, hopeful tone.
Unlock all 51 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 9,100+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features: