Buddenbrooks

In March, Thomas and Gerda return from their honeymoon in Italy. Tony waits at the front door of the couple’s home on Breite Strasse. She’s eager to show them around the house, which has been fixed up for their arrival. Later, after Gerda lies down in bed to rest, Thomas eagerly asks Tony to catch him up on everything that has gone on while he was away. Tony insists that there’s nothing new in her life, but after some prodding, she admits that she feels bored and unhappy in her post-divorce life. She detests the clergymen whom Bethsy invites over. 

Thomas sympathizes with Tony, but at least Tony has Erika, right? Tony admits that while she loves Erika, the child reminds her too much of Grünlich, and it bothers her. She also hates how society seems to judge her for being a divorced woman, and she holds out hope that she might have a shot at a second marriage—she’s still young, after all. If she could do that, she could start fresh. She wants to “make a match that would be a credit to [the Buddenbrook] name,” too. Thomas assures Tony that he’s always thought she could marry again if she wanted.

Pleased by her brother’s support, Tony happily tells Thomas some other news: she’s been invited to visit Eva Miederpaur (née Ewers) in Munich, where Eva’s husband is a brewery director. Tony will leave Erika at Sesame Weichbrodt’s boarding school for the duration of the trip. Thomas thinks this is a great idea.

Then Thomas speaks candidly about his own life. He’s happy to be married, knowing himself well enough to know he’d be depressed and lonely as a bachelor. And Gerda is exactly the woman for him: she can be a bit picky, and she has an artist’s strange and “complex” affect, but she fascinates Thomas. Hearing this, Tony is happy for her brother.