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Part 4, Chapter 8
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
The consul summons Tony. When she appears, he tells her to gather her things—she and Erika are leaving with the consul at once. Grünlich barges in and throws himself at Tony’s feet and pleads with her not to leave him. When Tony won’t budge, Grünlich angrily declares that he only married Tony for her money.
Grünlich’s angry retort to Tony that he only married her for her family’s money is notable in that it’s essentially the first time he’s demonstrated unfiltered honesty. With this, Tony's ill-fated marriage has come to an end. She swallowed her pride to marry him, out of a sense of duty to her family, but in vain.
Active
Themes
