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Part 7, Chapter 2
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
In February of 1862, James Möllendorpf, “the oldest of the merchant senators,” dies. His death is an undignified event. Diabetic and senile in his old age, he locked himself in a rented room and was ultimately found, deceased and decayed, his mouth full of sweets. His family tries to keep the details of his death a secret, but gossip spreads, and soon the whole town knows. But soon, all anyone cares about is who will take over his spot in the senate. Tony dutifully expresses remorse at the late senator’s death—but it’s not long before she starts to “cast her brother a sly look,” which Thomas catches and appreciates. Soon, Hermann Hagenström and Thomas seem to be the leading candidates.
Möllendorpf’s rather undignified death satirizes the decadent lifestyle of Lübeck’s elite merchant class. Whereas the downtrodden might starve to death, the wealthy Möllendorpf effectively gorges himself to death. He has more wealth (and rich, sugary sweets) than he knows what to do with, and it has eroded his soul and his physical body. Tony’s reaction to the death is almost humorously undignified and unfeeling. Not bothering to feign remorse any longer than she has to, her “sly look” at Thomas makes clear that she sees Möllendorpf’s death as a potential opportunity for her family. With Möllendorpf’s senate seat now empty, Thomas can run for election.
Active
Themes
What sets Hermann Hagenström apart from Thomas is that though Hagenström hails from one of the important ruling families, he’s also known for “his liberal and tolerant nature.” He comes from a long line of tradition, but he’s not tied to the past: he’s his own man. He doesn’t live in one of the “old patrician mansions.” He lives in a new house on Sand Strasse. It’s a simple structure, not too large, and furnished in a lovely but sensible style.
The Hagenströms are an important ruling family in Lübeck today, but they can’t compete with the history the Buddenbrooks have. The battle between Thomas and Hermann Hagenström embodies a larger battle between new and old, history and progress. Thomas, though modern in his own idiosyncratic ways, largely upholds the rigid class and social hierarchies of the past; Hagenström presents himself as a forward-looking man of the people.
Active
Themes
Thomas is different from Hagenström. For one, he’s “not just one man”—he is a Buddenbrook, and people respect that impressive family lineage as much as they respect Thomas himself. Beyond this, Thomas is “a man of exceptional refinement and culture,” and people like that about him.
Active
Themes
Thomas’s family tries not to mention the upcoming election outright, but Tony can’t help herself. She daydreams of the Buddenbrook coat-of-arms hanging in the town hall’s Chamber of War. Tensions rise as Consul Peter Dohlmann becomes involved. The man’s business is a shambles, but he still “d[oes] his part” by attending dinners hosted by the two candidates, addressing both as “Senator.” Consul Gosch becomes one of Thomas’s most ardent supporters, though that’s more due to his infatuation with Thomas’s wife Gerda than with Thomas’s potential as a senator.
Active
Themes
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