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Part 10, Chapter 6
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Buddenbrooks, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Family and Sacrifice
Tradition, Modernity, and Change
The Protestant Ethic
Personal Fulfillment and Self-Knowledge
Pretense and Etiquette
Summary
Analysis
Christmas passes. Now it’s January of 1875. It’s Saturday, and the weekend market is in full swing. Thomas leaves the senate before the session has ended. Stephan Kistenmaker playfully chides Thomas for “playing hooky.” Thomas tells Kistenmaker that he isn’t playing hooky—he has an awful toothache and is experiencing unbearable pain. The whole left side of his jaw feels like it’s on fire, and he’s headed to Brecht’s office on now to get it treated.
Teeth and poor dental health symbolize moral decay, most often that which results from overindulgence. Thomas’s poor dental health has remained mostly in the background for much of the novel, so its prominence in this scene is significant, building tension.
Active
Themes
At last, Brecht calls Thomas in and examines the tooth. Brecht grows pale as he realizes the infection’s severity. The tooth will have to be extracted. Thomas braces himself as Brecht gets to work performing the painful procedure. He hears a crunch, then feels an immense release of pressure. But his jaw continues to throb. Brecht informs him that the tooth’s crown came off, and the situation is worse than he thought—he’ll have to pull the entire tooth down to its roots. Thomas, already in so much pain, asks if he can postpone to tomorrow. Brecht agrees, but he seems concerned.
Thomas goes to Brecht for relief, only to learn that his dental health is far worse than he initially thought—and perhaps even worse than Brecht is willing to admit aloud, given the dentist’s wary tone. Symbolically, this indicates the deeper moral decay Thomas has undergone even as he sees himself as an upstanding citizen and a productive member of society.
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Themes
Thomas sets off for home but feels strange and light-headed. He makes it as far as Fischer Grube, but then he passes out, falling face first onto the street. Blood starts to flow from his head. He lies on the ground until at last some people notice him and call for help.
Active
Themes
