Buddenbrooks Part 2, Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis

Time passes. The consul 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 family would like. Bethsy is disappointed in Christian’s poor performance at school and his general unseriousness. He often embarrasses the family with his tactless behavior.

This passage contrasts Tony and Christian’s development with the other young Buddenbrooks. Thomas has risen to duty and left school to start working for the family firm, and Klothilde’s slight frame suggests that she is still as hardworking and disciplined as ever, even given her ravenous appetite. Tony and Christian, on the other hand, seem to be unserious and unmotivated.

Active Themes

Tony, meanwhile, has also begun to act out. One day, the consul learns that Frau Stuht—a socially important woman—caught Tony walking with a boy, unchaperoned. Tony’s parents forbid her from taking such walks, but then they discovered that she continued to communicate with the boy in secret. That’s when the consul at last decides to send Tony away to boarding school.

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Both Tony and Christian use the privilege of their family’s wealth to behave poorly (according to the strict norms of her upper-class society) and without consequence. The consul’s choice to send Tony to boarding school marks the first time he seems to put his foot down to a family member. It also shows that Tony’s wealth and status puts expectations on her, too. Though as a woman she is not expected to work, she is expected to court and marry in a way that is advantageous to her family, their business, and their public image.

Active Themes

Buddenbrooks: Part 2, Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis