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Chapter 3
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Rise of Silas Lapham, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Class
Realism vs. Melodrama
Love and Communication
Morality and Compassion
Summary
Analysis
The narrator muses about how even though marriage seems to be about unity, it can lead to people tearing each other’s hearts apart. In the case of Lapham and Persis, it doesn’t help that they’re both outspoken people. Although the Laphams were very happy in their early marriage, early on they lost a son, and neither spoke of it for a long time. When it came to his old partner Rogers, Lapham did indeed let Rogers leave the company with more money than he put in, but Lapham also never fully acknowledged that there was a moment when Rogers’s capital was all that kept the company from collapsing.
The death of Lapham and Persis’s first son seems to be the origin of many of their communication problems. In keeping with the novel’s focus on realism, this death shows the Laphams how the idealism of their early marriage won’t be able to last forever. Lapham’s relationship with Rogers raises difficult questions about morality in business—and it suggests the value of open communication (the implication is that had Lapham just said something nice to Rogers, everyone would feel better about how things ended).
Active
Themes
Lapham and Persis seldom formally apologize to each other, and so the next morning after they see Rogers in Boston and started to argue, they go back to their routines. Lapham says that Penelope and Irene would like to go see the house, so Persis agrees that all four of them can ride up together.
The lack of apologies between Lapham and Persis shows how they fail to communicate, but it also shows the durability of their relationship and how it can survive conflict. Once again, this shows how an imperfect relationship can still be a functional one.
Active
Themes
As the Laphams are looking over their unfinished house, a young man approaches them. It’s Tom Corey, who was working at a ranch in Texas but just recently got back to Boston. He bows to Irene, who introduces Lapham and Penelope. Lapham invites Tom to take a look around at the progress on their new house. Tom offers compliments to everything Lapham shows him.
Persis, who was over by another part of the house when Tom arrived, now sees him and is surprised that he’s here, not in Texas. She seems very happy to see him. When the Laphams leave, Lapham says that he thinks Tom seems like a nice young man, but he doesn’t like that Tom lives off his father’s money. Lapham believes a man should support himself, and he thinks that if he took Tom into his business, he could make a man out of him.
Active
Themes
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That night, Penelope and Irene stay up late talking about Tom’s nose and tease each other about their noses. Penelope jokingly calls Irene “Mrs. C.,” then says she could also have another letter, but “C” seems like a nice one. Lapham interrupts them and tells them to go to bed, so that they can be ready early enough for breakfast in the morning.
Active
Themes
Literary Devices
