Previous
Part 4, Chapter 4
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
On a January morning in 1850, Grünlich and Tony are eating breakfast with three-year-old Erika. A decadent, “English style” feast sits upon the table. There’s even a bottle of wine. Tony summons the housemaid to take Erika for a walk. Then, she and Grünlich resume their argument. Tony wants to hire a governess for Erika, but Grünlich insists they can’t afford it. Tony reminds Grünlich of her generous dowry (a recurring subject in the household). She also confronts him about why he insists on keeping her hidden away from society—why doesn’t he ever want her to go into town? Grünlich pours a glass of wine and ignores Tony.
The sumptuous feast Tony shares with her young family shows that she continues to indulge in the decadent lifestyle she has grown up with. But Grünlich seems to take things to a whole new level—he is, after all, enjoying a bottle of wine with breakfast. Chapter 5 also reveals that Consul Buddenbrook’s hope—for Tony to gradually fall in love with her husband—have been in vain. Grünlich is a controlling, manipulative, and unfeeling husband. The fact that he keeps Tony hidden away from Hamburg’s city center—and from his work—is highly suspicious and suggests that he's hiding something.
Active
Themes
When Tony won’t stop badgering Grünlich, he accuses Tony of being spoiled and high-maintenance. She retorts that she’s worked hard to learn how to manage her home. She thinks it’s unreasonable of Grünlich to expect her to do everything on her own. It’s not like they can’t afford it. Tony is confused when Grünlich reacts to this with “a superior, melancholy smile.” But before she can ask Grünlich if there’s something he’s not telling her about their financial situation, there’s a knock, and then Herr Kesselmeyer (a family friend) appears in the doorway.
Active
Themes
