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Chapter 7
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Bonfire of the Vanities, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Morality, Power, and Self-Interest
Stereotypes, Ignorance, and Racism
Wealth, Class, and Status
Transactional Relationships
Truth and Bias
Summary
Analysis
Kramer rides with two police officers, Martin and Goldberg, to look into the case involving Henry Lamb. First, they’re going to speak to Reverend Bacon, who Martin and Goldberg describe as a scam artist. Kramer isn’t sure what to believe. He remembers reading an article in the Village Voice that described Bacon as a socialist who came up with his own methods to subvert capitalism and support Black people. Kramer isn’t a socialist, but growing up, his family thought of socialists as almost religious figures. No matter how misguided any particular socialist might be, their designation as a socialist signaled that they were doing God’s work.
Notably, Martin and Goldberg do not have an ambiguous view of Bacon. Unlike Fiske— who isn’t sure whether Bacon is a con artist or a successful financial magnate playing by his own rules—Goldberg and Martin are convinced that Bacon is a con artist. Kramer, though, shares some of Fiske’s thoughts about Bacon. By mentioning the Village Voice article, the novel also points to the idea that a larger conversation is happening about Bacon around the city, as others are debating whether Bacon is genuinely trying to promote Black liberation by dismantling unjust structures of power.
Active
Themes
Kramer, Goldberg, and Martin arrive at Reverend Bacon’s house. Bacon asks Kramer if he’s been briefed on what happened, and Kramer says he has. Bacon says that Henry Lamb is as good of a person as you could meet. He says Henry went to church every week, never got in trouble, just graduated from high school, and was preparing to start college. Then Annie Lamb arrives. Kramer tells her that the warrant for her arrest for the parking tickets has been thrown out, so she doesn’t need to worry about it.
This passage delves into more depth about who Henry Lamb is as a person. In many ways, Henry seems to be the opposite of Sherman. That is, Henry is a Black teenager who comes from a modest background and is trying to make the best life for himself, while Sherman is a White middle-aged man who comes from wealth and privilege and seems to view that wealth and privilege as his God-given right.
Active
Themes
Annie Lamb explains what happened with Henry. She says that Henry came home from the hospital one night with a broken wrist. He didn’t feel well, and the hospital might have given him something for the pain, so he didn’t really explain clearly what happened. The next morning, Henry felt worse and could barely lift his head. He told Anne then that he’d been hit by a car, a Mercedes, and gave Annie the first letter of the license plate number along with a few possibilities for the second letter. He said he’d been alone when the car hit him and that a White man and White woman had been in the car. Then Henry went into a coma. Annie also says she’s not sure how Henry got to the hospital the first time.
Active
Themes
Kramer says that doesn’t give them much to go on. Annie and Reverend Bacon are both incredulous. Bacon says that Annie gave them plenty of information. Kramer says that they need a witness. If they don’t have a witness, even if they are able to track down the car, that won’t give them anything useful unless the car’s owner confesses to being involved in a hit and run, Kramer says. Kramer says that Martin and Goldberg will look into the license plate, and he asks Annie to let him know if she hears anything about Henry being with someone else that night. Kramer, Martin, and Goldberg then leave. In the car, Martin and Goldberg say it’s unlikely that the case will lead anywhere.
Active
Themes
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