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Part 11, Chapter 3
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
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 to leave them all and return to Amsterdam for good. Tony pleads with Sesame to be reasonable—there is nothing keeping her here now. It’s autumn, and Hanno has been dead for six months now. The family has gathered to say goodbye to Gerda. Tony isn’t happy about Gerda’s departure—once Thomas’s widow leaves town, Tony will have no social standing. Still, she tries to keep her head held high. Erika, 31 years old now, tries follow her mother’s lead, though she can’t hide her disappointment entirely.
Gerda’s imminent departure ushers in the end of an era. With her gone and Hanno dead, Tony and the other surviving Buddenbrooks will be left without the wealth and social clout they once held in town. They are without means, but more importantly, they are without name. Tony, ever loyal to her family and what it stands (or rather, stood) for, resolves to keep her head held high, showing that she still has her propriety, even if she has nothing else.
Active
Themes
Tony says that everyone will stick together as long as she’s still alive. They’ll have dinner together once a week, and they’ll “read from the family papers.” Gerda regrets that she won’t be able to say goodbye to Christian, who is still institutionalized. His condition has (supposedly) worsened, and he can no longer live independently. Tony suspects that Aline is conspiring with the doctor to keep Christian institutionalized.
Tony’s efforts to uphold the family traditions she has held dear all these years ultimately come off as feeble and desperate. There aren’t many people left to invite to family dinners any longer. And the family papers she has obsessed over all her life now describe not a legacy in the making, but an era that has long since passed.
Active
Themes
The room turns silent as everyone’s thoughts drift to Hanno, who suffered greatly in his last days. They recall how Kai came to visit him and kissed Hanno’s hands “over and over.” Tony begins to weep as she thinks of her late nephew. “Oh, he was an angel,” she exclaims. Sesame corrects Tony: “He is an angel now.” Tony continues to cry as she thinks of all her departed family. Sesame stands up straight—as straight as she can manage in her old age—and promises that they will all see their dearly departed in the afterlife.
