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Count Kai Mölln
Gotthold Buddenbrook is Johann’s son by his first marriage. Johann disowned Gotthold following Gotthold’s marriage to a woman Johann didn’t approve of, though based on what Consul Buddenbrook (Gotthold’s half-brother) has read of Johann’s contributions to the family records, it seems that Johann has resented Gotthold since Gotthold’s birth (since Johann’s first wife, Josephine, died giving birth to Gotthold). Consul Buddenbrook extends an olive branch to Gotthold following Johann’s death and ensures that Gotthold receives what inheritance he is owned. Despite this act of goodwill, Gotthold’s family—namely his daughters, referred to collectively as “the ladies Buddenbrook of Breite Strasse”—remains resentful of the main Buddenbrook family, taking perverse pleasure in watching the once-powerful Buddenbrook family’s decline.
Gotthold Buddenbrook Quotes in Buddenbrooks
The Buddenbrooks quotes below are all either spoken by Gotthold Buddenbrook or refer to Gotthold Buddenbrook. 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:
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Part 1, Chapter 3 Quotes
“Bon appétit!” she said with a sudden, brief, cordial nod, while her eyes rapidly swept the full length of the table to the children at the far end.
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This quote takes place at the Buddenbrook family’s new house on Meng Strasse, where all their close friends, family, and business associates have gathered for the Buddenbrooks’ Thursday dinner. Antoinette has just been speaking with her son, the consul, about a troubling letter Johann’s estranged son Gotthold has sent to demand his rightful inheritance from the family fortune. Though Antoinette and the consul are both troubled by the letter—and by how Johann is likely to respond to it—Antoinette insists they discuss such matters later. In the meantime, they have guests to attend to—and with that, she returns to the dining 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.
Part 1, Chapter 10 Quotes
“Father, I find this whole affair with Gotthold so depressing,” the consul said softly.
“Nonsense, Jean, no sentimentalities! What depresses you about it?”
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This exchange between Johann and the consul takes place after the Buddenbrooks’ guests have left Meng Strasse following the family dinner that begins the novel. The consul has just given to Johann the letter in which Johann’s estranged son Gotthold demands money he claims the Buddenbrook family owes him, which angers Johann. Johann disowned Gotthold after he married a woman Johann didn’t approve of, and he hasn’t forgiven him. When the consul, wanting to resolve the issue with Gotthold, comments that the situation is “so depressing,” Johann scoffs at the consul’s show of emotion. “Nonsense, Jean, no sentimentalities!” he cries, 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.
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Gotthold Buddenbrook Character Timeline in Buddenbrooks
The timeline below shows where the character Gotthold Buddenbrook appears in Buddenbrooks. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Chapter 3
...Antoinette to speak in private. The consul explains to Antoinette that the letter is from Gotthold, the consul’s stepbrother. This is the third letter that Gotthold has sent. Johann only responded...
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The consul is in a tricky position. He thinks Johann should give in and honor Gotthold’s wishes, but Johann has stood firm. The consul doesn’t want it to seem that he...
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Part 1, Chapter 9
...everyone has left, the consul heads upstairs to at last approach his father (Johann) about Gotthold’s letter.
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Part 1, Chapter 10
...will be okay—“with God’s help.” Then, the consul gets right to business, informing Johann of Gotthold’s letter. Johann reacts calmly to the consul’s announcement, but the consul can tell Johann is...
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In the letter, Gotthold condemns Johann for ignoring his first letters. He acknowledges that Johann was upset when Gotthold...
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...hands. The consul reads the letter himself and promises Johann that he is furious about Gotthold’s demands—and that Gotthold would deign to call the Buddenbrooks “un-Christian.” Johann furiously mocks Gotthold’s attempt...
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...terms with his eldest son. He urges Johann to make amends and give in to Gotthold’s demands. “A family has to be united, to hold together, Father; otherwise evil will come...
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Part 2, Chapter 1
...marriage to Josephine, his first wife, with whom he only had one year—her pregnancy with Gotthold was difficult, and she ultimately died in childbirth. Based on some remarks Johann made in...
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Part 2, Chapter 4
...are sent out, and he soon passes. Up to his death, Johann refused to acknowledge Gotthold. The consul writes Gotthold, pleading for him to visit Johann on his deathbed.
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Gotthold appears at the Buddenbrook home, but the consul regretfully shares that Gotthold is too late—Johann...
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Still, the consul is touched to see Gotthold reappear later for the funeral. Gotthold has brought his family with him, too—his wife and...
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Part 2, Chapter 5
...eroded his later father’s fortune over the years. In addition, the consul opted to give Gotthold the inheritance that Johann denied him.
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Part 5, Chapter 1
...it’s apt to call Thomas “consul” yet, but Thomas informs him that he has invited Gotthold to fill the late Consul Buddenbrook’s role, and Gotthold immediately accepted. Justus agrees this was...
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Part 5, Chapter 4
In May, Uncle Gotthold dies of a heart attack at age 60. Over the years—and especially since Thomas transferred...
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...there just in time to say goodbye to his uncle. In his mind, Thomas laments Gotthold’s stubbornness—his unwillingness to follow the rules and make compromises for the sake of the firm....
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Part 8, Chapter 9
...sold everything necessary to pay for his legal fees, the Ladies Buddenbrook from Breite Strasse (Gotthold’s daughters) admit that they had a feeling all along that Weinschenk was no good—but they...
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