Buddenbrooks: Part 6, Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis

Each morning, after Thomas wakes and bathes, he sits in the bathroom and receives a shave from Herr Wenzel, the barber and a member of the town council. Typically the men discuss politics and other current events, including talk of a potential direct railroad line from Copenhagen to Hamburg, which the Altona-Kiel Railroad Company opposes. Thomas supports the railroad and is interest in railroad policy in general. He’s been elected to serve on the board of directors of the Buchen Line, but he thinks that’s only because his father served on the board. Wenzel thinks this is nonsense, citing the impressive speech Thomas delivered to the council. Thomas admits his speech was good, but he insists that he must also thank his  forefathers, who all “paved the way” for Thomas’s respected role in civic affairs.

Thomas grumbles about Mayor Oeverdieck, who has started to drag his feet in his old age. Things are changing, and the city has to adapt to the times. In particular, Thomas is adamant about joining the Customs Union. He admonishes detractors who argue that joining the union would result in a loss of “independence and freedom.” To the contrary, entering the union “would open up the interior, Mecklenburg and Schleswig-Holstein,” to the Hamburg firms. 

Wenzel and Thomas chat about politics and the  economy until Wenzel finishes Thomas’s shave. Later, Thomas walks to his office on Meng Strasse, tending to business correspondence or speaking at meetings. He works all day and into the evening, taking breaks only to have second breakfast with Bethsy and dinner with Gerda. At the same time, he makes it a point “not to neglect his social duties,” attending balls and parties with Gerda. He maintains an impressively stocked kitchen and wine cellar. He works hard and makes an impressive name for himself, despite the financial setbacks that Christian and Tony have caused him.

Despite Thomas’s many successes, there are a few things he feels anxious about. Christian’s business partner in Hamburg dies suddenly, and his heirs draw out of the business. Though everyone advises Christian not to invest more of his own money in the business, Christian ignores them. Meanwhile, the Buddenbrooks have yet to produce any heirs.