Barriers Burned Away · Chapter
VI: “Starve Then!” explained
Dennis Fleet, desperate for work after his father's death, searches Chicago for employment but faces rejection due to his lack of practical skills.
What happens
Dennis Fleet, desperate for work after his father's death, searches Chicago for employment but faces rejection due to his lack of practical skills. After a near-temptation to work in a barroom, he refuses the job on moral grounds and is told to 'starve then.' He finds cheap lodging in a German boardinghouse and struggles with despair and doubt, questioning God's providence.
Themes in this chapter
Faith and Doubt
Dennis questions God's justice and providence, recalling his father's belief that God was against him, and struggles with despair.
Suffering and Providence
Dennis's suffering and near-starvation lead him to doubt divine care, as he feels crushed by fate and the world's indifference.
Materialism vs. Spirituality
Dennis's refusal to work in a bar for moral reasons highlights the conflict between material survival and spiritual integrity.
Characters to notice
- Dennis Fleet
Desperately searches for work, refuses a barroom job on principle, and sinks into despair and doubt.
- Mr. Swig
The bulky bartender who is offered Dennis as an assistant.
Key passages
“I will starve before I will do this work.”
Dennis declares he would rather go hungry than work in a bar.
Shows Dennis's moral conviction and the theme of materialism vs. spirituality.
“Starve then!”
The landlord dismisses Dennis's refusal with a cold command to starve.
Highlights the harsh indifference of the world and Dennis's deepening despair.
“Perhaps father was right. God was against him, and is also against me, his son.”
Dennis begins to believe that God is punishing him as He did his father.
Reflects the theme of faith and doubt and the struggle with providence.