Buddenbrooks: Part 4, Chapter 11 Summary & Analysis

One September afternoon in 1855, the Buddenbrooks—Tony, Bethsy, Clara, Klothilde, and Thomas—are in the landscape room, waiting on Consul Buddenbrook, who is still dressing. The family has made plans to visit the public gardens with the Kistenmaker family. Tony agonizes over the consul’s pokiness—he’s always late in finishing work for the day. Ida Jungmann enters the room with Erika. Ida has been with the Buddenbrooks for two decades now, and she’s proud of how “indispensable” and “loyal” she is to the family.

Everyone sits in silence for a while as the last bit of blue in the sky fades away and the yellow furniture in the room appears “dulled.” Suddenly, everyone feels a sharp drop in air pressure—and then it starts to pour. Thomas assures everyone it will be over soon. But just then, the maid Lina bursts into the room in a panic. It’s Consul Buddenbrook—when she went to bring him his boots, she found him gulping for air and quite “yella in the face.” Thomas demands that they send for Dr. Grabow, the doctor. Bethsy rushes over to her husband—but by the time she reaches him, he has already died.