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Chapter 1
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Custom of the Country, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Marriage and Divorce
Materialism and Ambition
Gender Roles
Corruption
Summary
Analysis
Undine’s room at the Stentorian is white and gold, with a view of Central Park and a view of Fifth Avenue just past it. Undine begins to study the letter she received from Laura Fairford. She is disappointed that the note doesn’t have a monogram on it and begins to think less of Laura. At last, she begins to write a reply letter, pretending to be her mother (Mrs. Spragg). She rewrites the letter several times, changing only how she writes the closing of the letter.
Undine can see Fifth Avenue, but she can’t reach it. This represents how Undine knows her goals and the social circle she wants to join but lacks the means to do so. Fifth Avenue is also significant because, in addition to being a fashionable place to live, it is also in the process of becoming a major commercial district with luxury shops, and so Undine’s desire for Fifth Avenue reflects her materialistic worldview.
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Undine then calls over her French maid, Celeste, to help her pick an outfit. Although she has an extensive wardrobe, she doesn’t feel that she has any good dinner dresses, since she rarely has a chance to wear them. Eventually she decides on one and sends Celeste away.
Although Undine is not wealthy enough to belong to the Fifth Avenue crowd, her family is still wealthy enough to employ a maid. Undine may feel inadequate, but Celeste’s presence shows that Undine still lives a privileged life compared to other people.
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As a child in Apex (a town in the Midwestern U.S.), Undine was never very interested in playing with other children; she preferred to dress in her mother’s clothes and look at herself in the mirror. Now, Undine imagines what it will be like to go out in public and see real people looking at her. She regrets not paying more attention to Ralph earlier, focusing instead on Claud Popple.
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Undine comes out of her room just as Mrs. Heeny is about to take her leave of Mrs. Spragg. Mrs. Heeny lingers, telling Undine she looks stunning. She reassures Undine that Ralph is indeed at the top of New York society, along with the rest of his family.
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Since coming to New York, Undine has already gotten engaged once, to a handsome young Austrian. Shortly after promising herself to him, however, Undine ran into Mabel Lipscomb (née Blitch), who was originally from New York, but who went to the same Midwestern boarding school as Undine. They were rivals in school (along with another girl named Indiana Frusk). Eventually, Mabel moved back to New York and married a stockbroker named Harry Lipscomb.
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Still in the past, Harry Lipscomb investigated Undine’s new Austrian fiancé and found that he fled Krakow to avoid criminal charges for scamming servant girls. Undine broke things off, and on Mabel Lipscomb’s advice, the Spragg family took up residence in the Stentorian (where Mabel herself is staying).
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After the Spraggs first arrived at the Stentorian, Mabel Lipscomb introduced Undine to the local society. While Undine was interested at first, she soon realized that Mabel’s circle isn’t high enough for her—what Undine really wants is to be part of Fifth Avenue society. Claud Popple was the first person from this higher New York society that Undine recognized.
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Back in the present at the Stentorian, Undine goes to her parents and finds Mr. Spragg sitting next to Mrs. Spragg with her head drooping. Undine hints to her father that she’d like something new to wear to her upcoming party, and despite having bills piling up, Mr. Spragg allows his daughter to go buy something new.
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