Cloud Atlas

Content Warning: This section discusses death by suicide.

In the 12 days since Frobisher’s last letter, Ayrs has fallen sick. Frobisher has used this time to write “music of [his] own” (457). Frobisher visits a cemetery with Morty Dhondt to see the grave where Adrian, Frobisher’s brother, is supposedly buried. However, the World War I cemetery contains so many gravestones that they can’t locate Adrian’s grave. They leave roses on a different grave. Frobisher reflects on how his parents always seemed to love his brother more than him. Traveling back to Zedelghem, Dhondt hits a “monster pheasant” with his car. The bird isn’t quite dead, so Frobisher kills it to stop its suffering. The incident may have damaged the car, so they stop in a small town to find a mechanic. As they sit together in the town square, Dhondt speculates on his theory that greed will cause the end of civilization.

With Ayrs still sick, Frobisher has time to work on his own music. He’s writing Cloud Atlas Sextet. The next day, he argues with Ayrs because Ayrs continues to take all the credit for their collaborations. Jocasta comes to Frobisher after the argument, begging him to stay. Eva talks to Frobisher, revealing that Mademoiselle Van de Velde wants to introduce Frobisher to her daughters because he’s “a genuine English gentleman” (465).