Previous
Part 3, Chapter 9
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
In a letter to Tony, Grünlich laments how long it’s been since he last saw her beautiful face. He has anguished since Tony’s departure from the city and hopes she’s had enough time to collect her thoughts and give him an answer. He encloses a ring in the envelope, “a pledge of his undying tenderness.”
Grünlich, it’s clear, isn’t willing to take no for an answer from Tony. Modern readers will find his behavior ridiculous and disrespectful toward Tony, but in the context of the novel and the time period in which it’s set, his behavior wouldn’t be seen as illogical or uncalled for: Tony’s parents have strung him along and given him hope in their refusal to support Tony’s rejection of Grünlich.
Active
Themes
Tony writes to the consul to complain about Grünlich. She pleads with her father to pass this along to Grünlich. Then she informs Consul Buddenbrook that she has fallen in love with another: Morten Schwarzkopf. She knows it’s customary for her to marry a merchant, but Morten will be a doctor. Doesn’t that make him at least as good? He might not be rich, but he makes Tony happy. (In a postscript, she notes that Grünlich’s ring was rather cheap, anyway.)
Tony’s willingness to be honest with the consul and confess her feelings for Morten reflects her emotional closeness with her father—but perhaps also her naivety. It’s clear she thinks the consul will honor her decision to reject Grünlich’s proposal, even if doing so isn’t in the family’s best financial interest. Her closing remark about Grünlich’s ring being rather cheap humorously undercuts the sentiment she expresses in the body of her letter, in which she implies that she isn’t materialistic and doesn’t care about wealth.
Active
Themes
In his response to Tony’s letter, the consul says he passed along her rejection to Grünlich, who responded poorly and vowed to take his own life. The consul urges Tony to consider the situation again and really think things through. He reminds her that there are more important things in life than one’s own desires. Despite Tony’s feelings, Morten Schwarzkopf “would not be a worthy link in our family’s chain.”
