Buddenbrooks: Part 2, Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis

Thomas is 16 years old when he leaves school and starts working for the firm, and the consul regrets that Johann died before he could see this happen. Thomas has grown up a lot in the past three years—in fact, he looks quite like his late grandfather. He is notably “composed and prudent in his gestures.” When he laughs, he “reveal[s] his rather bad teeth.”

On Thomas’s first day at the office, the consul introduces him to the firm’s employees, including Herr Marcus (the chief clerk) and Herr Havermann (the cashier). Thomas is a dedicated worker and strives to emulate his father in everything he does.

One night, the consul is sitting beside Bethsy in the landscape room when she asks him if they might hire a butler—the house is so large, and she and the girls have felt stretched thin lately. The consul pauses, caught off guard. He suggests it’s not necessary to have a butler, as the family won’t be entertaining guests so soon after Johann’s death. When Bethsy doesn’t catch the consul’s subtext (or perhaps just chooses not to), the consul comes clean: the family can’t afford to hire additional household staff. As evidence, he cites all the various expenses that have eroded his later father’s fortune over the years. In addition, the consul opted to give Gotthold the inheritance that Johann denied him.

Bethsy nods, acknowledging the consul’s explanation, though it’s clear she doesn’t see why the firm’s tight finances should prevent her from hiring a butler. The consul carefully but frankly acknowledges that this isn’t the lifestyle Bethsy grew up with—her family is bad with money and prone to lavish spending. Bethsy accepts this. A few days later, though, the consul returns from work in good spirits and agrees to hire “the Möllendorpfs’ Anton.”