Besides the books, there are significant pictures in the room that reveal more about Arthur Jarvis. The portraits of Jesus and Lincoln, both men of action and of compassion, reveal Arthur's concern for humanity. Both men thought deeply before acting, both showed great compassion not only for their friends and followers but for their enemies, and both suffered and died for their beliefs.
The depth of Arthur Jarvis' mind is seen in the page of an unfinished letter that his father reads. It is well-reasoned, it shows a knowledge of the nation's history, and it shows a concern for helping the oppressed rather than attacking the oppressors. Arthur was more concerned with appealing to the best in the oppressors instead of appealing to the worst in the oppressed. All of these ideas are new to James Jarvis; it is small wonder that he finds himself overwhelmed and has to read the page a second time to take it all in. His search for his son is well under way. His education in humanity has begun.
The beginning of Chapter 21 reverberates with the idea of "why this young man had to die." Jarvis tries to discover some logical reason why his son, who had been such an advocate for justice, had to die.
The great mass of people at Arthur's funeral affects Mr. Jarvis in two ways. Besides impressing him with the admiration felt for his son in all sections of society, it brings him into contact, direct physical contact, and on the same level of grief, with all the races of South Africa. Hitherto, James Jarvis has largely seen the natives as labor, a commodity rather than a set of individuals, but now he is introduced to them on a different basis, one further step in his education.
