"...that beautiful, beautiful Other Place, whose memory, as of a heaven, a paradise of goodness and loveliness, he still kept whole and intact, undefiled by contact with the reality of this real London, these actual civilized men and women" (201).
I found this line to be incredibly ironic, especially when John still refers to the people in London as "actual civilized men and women." John was known as the savage, and those in London were considered civilized which I thought was not only ironic but also a bit saddening. The reality of this paradise took a toll on John, who was able to see through London's perfect front. To John, the imperfections were glaringly obvious. The people in London are the true savages, taking as many women as they please, burning their dead and using them to grow plants, and not having a purpose to life, living life they way they were instructed. Those savages are educated only on the social caste, not the classics like Shakespeare. Those savages do not appreciate the beauty of books and flowers. John is the civilized man, daring to challenge the modern society and pointing out its flaws. John understands Shakespeare, is able to love, and knows beauty when he sees it. John acts with decency and acknowledges his emotions. The real London did not live up to Linda's stories and John's expectations, so John chooses to remember it as a true paradise, an actual utopia.
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