Cousin Klothilde Character Analysis in Buddenbrooks

Cousin Klothilde is the daughter of one of Johann’s nephews. She comes from a line of the Buddenbrook family that doesn’t own any property. The novel portrays Klothilde as an almost pathetically meek charity case, but with detached irony. The Buddenbrooks (and the narrating voice) poke fun at Klothilde for her voracious, unsatiable appetite—no matter how much or how ardently Klothilde eats, she remains wan and lanky. Yet behind this mocking tone there lies a degree of respect for Klothilde’s meek and industrious character: she eschews decadence and self-indulgence, and the narration overwhelmingly sees value in that sort of personality.

Cousin Klothilde Quotes in Buddenbrooks

The Buddenbrooks quotes below are all either spoken by Cousin Klothilde or refer to Cousin Klothilde. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

“It is so!” she said with all her strength and dared them with her eyes.

There she stood, victorious in the good fight that she had waged all her life against the onslaughts of reason. There she stood, hunchbacked and tiny, trembling with certainty—an inspired, scolding little prophet.

Related Characters: Sesame Weichbrodt (speaker), Hanno Buddenbrook, Gerda Buddenbrook (née Arnoldsen), Tony Buddenbrook, Erika Grünlich, Cousin Klothilde

Page Number and Citation: 731

Explanation and Analysis:

These are the final lines of the novel. Several months after Hanno’s death, Gerda announces her plans to return to Amsterdam. With Gerda gone, the few Buddenbrooks who remain will have virtually no social standing in Lübeck, and they will be reduced to living in squalor. Tony is beside herself but tries to take Gerda’s decision in stride. After Gerda makes her announcement, she and the remaining Buddenbrooks and their close friends reflect on all those who have died, musing on the possibility that they might be reunited in the afterlife. When one of the late Gotthold’s daughters snidely expresses Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque o

Cousin Klothilde Character Timeline in Buddenbrooks

The timeline below shows where the character Cousin Klothilde appears in Buddenbrooks. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Personal Fulfillment and Self-Knowledge Theme Icon

Ida appears in the doorway, holding hands with young Klothilde. Klothilde, the daughter of one of Johann’s nephews, comes from a line of the Buddenbrook... (full context)

...bothers her to do any chores, and no one compares her to her hardworking cousin Klothilde. (full context)

Tradition, Modernity, and Change Theme Icon

...enrolls Tony in boarding school. Clara is growing into a lovely young woman, while “poor Klothilde” remains slight despite her ravenous appetite. Tony and Christian aren’t doing as well as the... (full context)

...young Clara, who is wandering around the yard searching for flowers. The “skinny and old-maidish” Klothilde brushes cookie crumbs from the table into her mouth. (full context)

One day in October of 1846, Clara and Klothilde are doing embroidery work while Bethsy sits reading letters from Tony and Christian. Suddenly, they... (full context)

One September afternoon in 1855, the Buddenbrooks—Tony, Bethsy, Clara, Klothilde, and Thomas—are in the landscape room, waiting on Consul Buddenbrook, who is still dressing. The... (full context)

...late husband’s memory. She starts holding weekly “Jerusalem Evenings,” which she requires Tony, Clara, and Klothilde to attend. About 20 older women attend the meetings, during which they eat, drink, and... (full context)

...the house is quiet and empty. Erika has been enrolled at Sesame Weichbrodt’s boarding school. Klothilde has gone to live in a room in the home of an old widow’s house.... (full context)

...a bit too much to drink, he joins Tony and Christian in mocking “poor Aunt Klothilde.” Thomas finds himself laughing along, egging on Hanno—even as Thomas himself has long abhorred this... (full context)

Sesame Weichbrodt sits in Tony’s living room with Gerda, Erika, Klothilde, and the ladies Buddenbrook of Breite Strasse. She insists that it’s “not right” for Gerda... (full context)

Cousin Klothilde Character Analysis

Cousin Klothilde Quotes in Buddenbrooks

Part 11, Chapter 4 Quotes

Cousin Klothilde Character Timeline in Buddenbrooks