Babbitt · Chapter
Chapter X explained
Babbitt and his companions dine at the Hotel Sedgwick's Moorish Grillroom, engaging in boisterous humor and drinking whisky from teacups.
What happens
Babbitt and his companions dine at the Hotel Sedgwick's Moorish Grillroom, engaging in boisterous humor and drinking whisky from teacups. They mock an Italian waiter, read a burlesque advertisement aloud, and hesitate to leave the safety of the table. When they finally depart, they awkwardly tip the check-girl three dollars among themselves.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Social Pretense
The men's performative humor and anxiety about appearing drunk or ungentlemanly highlight their concern with social image.
Conformity and Materialism
The group's collective behavior—drinking, joking, tipping—reflects a conformist social ritual among businessmen.
Characters to notice
- George F. Babbitt
Participates in the dinner, reads the burlesque ad aloud, and joins in the tipping.
- Elbert Wing
Admires W. A. Rogers's mockery of the Italian waiter.
Key passages
“Say, Gooseppy, I want a couple o' fried elephants' ears.”
W. A. Rogers jokingly asks the Italian waiter for fried elephants' ears.
Illustrates the casual ethnic mockery and group bonding through humor.
“They all drank whisky from teacups, and they were humorous, and never listened to one another.”
The men drank whisky disguised in teacups, made jokes, and paid no attention to each other's conversation.
Highlights the performative and superficial nature of their socializing.