The Lonely Londoners

by

Sam Selvon

One of Tolroy’s Jamaican relatives, and Agnes’s husband. Like Tanty, Lewis arrives in London unannounced, having accompanied Tolroy’s mother. One time during a nightshift, he asks Moses if it’s true that women sleep with other men while their husbands are working at night. Because Lewis asks so many stupid questions, Moses decides to have a little fun with him by lying and saying that this is indeed a regular occurrence. A gullible man with a history of having been cheated on, Lewis is immediately perturbed, rushing to the boss and insisting that he must go home because he doesn’t feel well. When he arrives, he finds that Agnes is alone, but he beats her anyway, accusing her of infidelity. Because his suspicions continue, he goes on abusing Agnes on a regular basis until, finally, she leaves him for good and presses charges against him, though nothing ever comes of the lawsuit. Although at first Lewis is distraught to have lost his wife, he quickly moves on by starting a romantic relationship with another woman.
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Lewis Character Timeline in The Lonely Londoners

The timeline below shows where the character Lewis appears in The Lonely Londoners. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Section 1
Immigration and Community Theme Icon
Upward Mobility Theme Icon
...the train. To his surprise, she’s followed by his aunt, Tanty Bessy, and his relatives Lewis and Agnes, along with their two children. His mother explains that when he wrote to... (full context)
Section 5
Romance and Sex Theme Icon
...boarding house in which he himself lives. While Tanty and Ma get situated, Agnes and Lewis decide to live in a nearby house, and Tolroy aids Lewis in securing a job... (full context)
Romance and Sex Theme Icon
Immigration and Community Theme Icon
When Moses tricks Lewis into thinking that wives frequently sleep with other men while their husbands are on the... (full context)
Romance and Sex Theme Icon
Lewis finally beats Agnes so hard that she leaves him for good. Suddenly full of remorse,... (full context)
Section 10
Immigration and Community Theme Icon
...Five.” At this point, Ma and Tanty arrive at the party along with Tolroy and Lewis, and Tanty starts embarrassing Harris by screaming his name and talking about how big he’s... (full context)