Buddenbrooks: Part 6, Chapter 4 Summary & Analysis

One day, Ida Jungmann presents Bethsy with a calling card. Bethsy is confused by the card’s message, and Ida explains that there’s a gentleman here to see her, but he doesn’t speak much German. Bethsy orders Ida to send him upstairs. Not long after, a short man in his 40s enters the sitting room and greets Bethsy. His clothes are old and ill-fitting, and he has blond hair and a slight mustache. Bethsy greets the man. Still a bit confused, she “politely but firmly” asks the man his reason for calling. The man introduces himself as Alois Permaneder, from Munich. He suggests that Bethsy’s daughter might have mentioned his name. Recognizing the man’s name, Bethsy stands up now and confirms that Tony did indeed mention him.

Bethsy asks Permaneder what has brought him to town. Permaneder answers, but Bethsy struggles to understand his accent, so she just smiles and feigns understanding. Eventually, she discerns that he’s here on business—and he’s come to Meng Strasse hoping to see Tony again. Bethsy summons Tony, who arrives soon after, visibly “spruced up a little.” Tony and Permaneder greet each other happily and familiarly. The more he talks, the clearer it becomes that he’s not really here for a business “deal”—or for any reason at all, really. Mostly, he hoped he might have the opportunity to meet “the whole durn fam’ly.”

Bethsy has been planning on having a late breakfast with Thomas, and she invites Permaneder to join them. Thomas arrives shortly after and goes out of his way to treat Permaneder with kindness and warmth. They all chat together over beer and then wine, and it’s clear that Permaneder feels “very much at home, almost annoyingly so.”

In the middle of dinner, Thomas receives a message that clearly distracts him, but he tries to remain hospitable to Permaneder. Permaneder remarks on how different the culture is here compared to in Munich, where no one would dream of reading a telegram during a meal. Ida Jungmann observes all this and is too shocked to eat—she’s never heard such language or witnessed such poor manners in the Buddenbrook house. As the meal drags on, Tony becomes “increasingly pensive and restless.”

Three hours after he first arrived, Permaneder at last gets ready to leave. He bids everyone goodbye—even Ida, whom he calls “missy.” He tells everyone he’s returning to his rented room at a local inn. Thomas and Bethsy exchange a look, and then Bethsy suggests that Permaneder is more than welcome to stay here with the Buddenbrooks. Permaneder immediately accepts this offer, promising to return with his luggage at 4:00, once he’s finished “taking care of that bit of business.”

After Permaneder leaves, Thomas and Bethsy discuss him—“A pleasant man,” Bethsy offers. Thomas agrees, trying to sound lighthearted. Bethsy suggests the man might swear a bit less. Tony insists Permaneder didn’t mean anything by the swearing—that’s just how people are in the south. Thomas informs Tony that Permaneder called her “a sweet customer” on his way out. This  upsets Tony, who assumes that Thomas is mocking her. Thomas insists that he likes Permaneder and doesn’t look down on him.