Alice Adams · Chapter
Chapter XXI explained
Mrs.
What happens
Mrs. Adams monopolizes Arthur Russell with a lengthy, boastful monologue about Alice's virtues, while Alice nervously arranges roses and her father struggles with his ill-fitting clothes. The dinner is announced, and the family must present a united front despite the underlying tension and discomfort.
Themes in this chapter
Appearance vs. Reality
Mrs. Adams's exaggerated praise of Alice contrasts with the family's underlying anxiety and the shabby state of their home and clothes, highlighting the gap between presented image and actual circumstances.
Family Dynamics and Sacrifice
Alice and her parents make concerted efforts to maintain a facade of normalcy and prosperity for Arthur Russell, each sacrificing comfort and honesty for the sake of family unity and social ambition.
Characters to notice
- Mrs. Adams
Dominates the conversation with Arthur Russell, praising Alice's character and recounting her childhood, while masking her anxiety about the evening.
- Arthur Russell
Listens passively to Mrs. Adams's monologue, responding with brief, uncomfortable words, and appears pale and sweating.
- Alice Adams
Fusses over the table arrangement of roses, then dresses in the white organdie she wore when she first met Russell, showing nervousness and a desire to impress.
- Virgil Adams
Struggles with his ill-fitting clothes and a frayed collar, complains about the heat and the smell of cabbage, and seeks Alice's help with his shirt buttonhole.
- Gertrude Collamus
Serves as the waitress, bringing in a tray of sandwiches and later announcing dinner, while the family tries to manage the awkward social situation.
Key passages
“She never could bear to hurt their feelings, and always treated all of them just alike. About half a dozen of them were just bound to marry her!”
Mrs. Adams claims that Alice was so kind to her many suitors that several were determined to marry her.
Mrs. Adams exaggerates Alice's past popularity to impress Arthur Russell.
“It's pulled out again. But I guess there's no help for it now; it's too late, and anyway it lets some air into me when it bulges.”
Virgil Adams comments on his ill-fitting clothes, saying the bulge lets in air but there's no time to fix it.
Virgil's discomfort with his appearance reflects the family's struggle to maintain a respectable front.
“I didn't mean glue. I mean cabbage. Is that fashionable now, to have cabbage when there's company for dinner?”
Virgil complains about the smell of cabbage, questioning whether it is appropriate for a dinner with company.
Virgil's remark underscores the family's lower-class habits clashing with their attempt at a refined dinner.