Under the Volcano Malcolm Lowry’s Under the Volcano is a haunting, symbolic novel set in the Mexican town of Quauhnahuac on the Day of the Dead in 1938. The story unfolds over a single day, tracing the final, drunken descent of Geoffrey Firmin, a British consul and alcoholic, as he grapples with despair, lost love, and political disillusionment. His estranged wife, Yvonne, returns hoping to save him, while his half-brother, Hugh, tries to bridge the emotional chasm between them. However, Geoffrey’s self-destruction, fueled by guilt and addiction, becomes inevitable. Against a backdrop of volcanic mountains, revolutionary unrest, and surreal imagery, Lowry explores themes of spiritual decay, exile, and redemption. The volcano symbolizes both inner torment and apocalyptic fate. Written in dense, poetic prose, Under the Volcano is a profound meditation on human weakness, existential despair, and the impossibility of salvation—a modernist masterpiece of psychological and symbolic depth.
