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Part 4, Chapter 1
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
Over dinner one night, the consul observes the “long, worried” faces of those seated at the table and asks Bethsy what is wrong—has something happened? After Anton leaves, Bethsy lets the consul in on the situation. She explains that Trina, the cook, has been “suddenly showing clear signs of revolt,” a change Bethsy attributes to Trina’s new friendship with the butcher’s apprentice, who has radical political views. Bethsy recalls a recent incident in which Trina obstinately suggested that soon, it will be Trina who lounges around while Bethsy attends to her needs.
The mid-1800s in Germany and Europe as a whole saw the emergence of many revolutions and coordinated protests that called for liberal reforms to the existing systems of government. Part 4 of Buddenbrooks takes place in October of 1846, which places it in the years leading up to the German revolutions of 1848-1849, in which the middle and working classes of states of the German Confederation rebelled against the ruling autocratic classes (to which the Buddenbrooks belong). In the novel, these revolutions build on the theme of tensions between the old and the new, the traditional and the progressive.
Active
Themes
The consul takes Bethsy’s fear seriously, having witnessed or heard about similar occurrences himself. There was a riot last spring, even though a new constitution was already in the works. One of the biggest issues concerns voting rights, with one side wanting suffrage extended to even more people, and the other side (including the consul) wanting to keep the existing “restricted voting rights.” There is also lots of talk about making it easier to gain citizenship, even among non-Christians. Things are tense now.
The consul supports the existing autocratic form of governance, which limits voting rights to the ruling upper class, consolidating political power.
Active
Themes
One day in October of 1846, Clara and Klothilde are doing embroidery work while Bethsy sits reading letters from Tony and Christian. Suddenly, they hear screams and heavy footsteps outside—and they’re getting closer. Bethsy springs to her feet in alarm and heads to the window. She looks at the approaching crowd outside and realizes the revolution is finally here. She’s more horrified when the consul says he has no intention of staying inside—he has a council meeting to attend. He assures his wife that the situation isn’t a full-fledged “revolution” and that he'll just leave through the back door to avoid the crowd.
Active
Themes
