# III: The Birthday explained — Anna of the Five Towns

> Chapter companion for Anna of the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett.

## What happens

On her twenty-first birthday, Anna Tellwright inherits a substantial fortune from her grandfather, including properties and investments worth over £48,000. Her father, Ephraim Tellwright, instructs her to manage her own affairs, including collecting rent from Titus Price, who is deeply in arrears. Anna visits the bank, opens an account, and then goes to Edward Street to confront Price about his debt, feeling both the weight of her new wealth and the moral hypocrisy of Price as a Sunday-school superintendent.

## Themes in this chapter

### Money and Moral Corruption

Anna's inheritance brings moral dilemmas, especially regarding Titus Price's debt and his hypocrisy as a religious leader.

### Religious Hypocrisy and Methodism

Titus Price's role as Sunday-school superintendent contrasts sharply with his financial dishonesty and shabby works.

### Female Agency and Constraint

Anna is thrust into financial responsibility but feels constrained by her inexperience and her father's control.

## Character check-ins

### Anna Tellwright

Inherits a fortune on her 21st birthday; feels overwhelmed and naive about managing money; visits the bank and then confronts Titus Price about his rent arrears.

### Ephraim Tellwright

Transfers control of Anna's inheritance to her; instructs her to collect rent from Titus Price; displays a mix of sternness and grudging respect for her new role.

### Titus Price

Sunday-school superintendent who is deeply in arrears on rent; Anna is shocked by his hypocrisy and his shabby appearance at the works.

### Richard Lovatt

Bank manager who handles Anna's account; described as influential and impassive, with a frosty gaze.

### Agnes Tellwright

Anna's younger sister; present during the inheritance discussion, mystified by the events.

## Key lines

> He owes ye a hundred and twenty-five pun altogether⁠—he's five quarters in arrear.

Titus Price owes Anna £125 in back rent, covering five quarters.

_Ephraim informs Anna of the debt she must collect._

> Total face value, as I value it, forty-eight thousand and fifty pounds, producing a net annual income of three thousand two hundred and ninety pounds or thereabouts.

Anna's inheritance is valued at £48,050, yielding about £3,290 per year.

_Ephraim summarizes Anna's financial portfolio._

> She felt no elation or ferment of any kind; she had not begun to realise the significance of what had occurred.

Anna felt numb and unable to grasp the full impact of her inheritance.

_Anna's emotional state after receiving her fortune._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/anna_of_the_five_towns_se/chapters/iii-the-birthday
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- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/anna_of_the_five_towns_se/chapters