His Family · Chapter
Chapter XXII explained
Roger Gale, after a night of brooding, resolves to focus on practical matters, particularly settling Bruce's affairs.
What happens
Roger Gale, after a night of brooding, resolves to focus on practical matters, particularly settling Bruce's affairs. Madge Deering offers to accompany Edith and the children to the mountains. Roger feels a growing sense of change in his home as Deborah plans her wedding for the end of August, and he struggles with financial pressures from Bruce's debts and the cost of raising five children. He works hard, cuts down on indulgences, and finds companionship and distraction in his office assistant, Johnny Geer, who has been drumming up business from petty criminals wanting newspaper clippings. Roger rebukes Johnny for this scheme but raises his salary and offers him a month off, which Johnny partially declines. Roger then departs for the farm.
Themes in this chapter
Economic Struggle and Class
Roger faces financial strain from Bruce's debts and the cost of raising five children, while Johnny Geer's entrepreneurial schemes highlight class-based survival tactics.
Mortality and Legacy
Roger broods over mortality and legacy after Bruce's death, but shakes off morbid thoughts to focus on settling Bruce's affairs and supporting Edith.
Characters to notice
- Roger Gale
Resolves to focus on practical matters, works hard in his office, cuts down on smoking and socializing, and feels the weight of financial and familial responsibilities.
- Deborah Gale
Informs Roger that Edith's furniture has been stored; plans to marry at the end of August, mindful of not hurting Edith.
- Edith Gale
Departs with the children for the mountains, accompanied by Madge Deering; her furniture is stored or returned to the family home.
- Madge Deering
Offers to accompany Edith and the children to the mountains; Roger notes her recovery from past tragedy and her alert demeanor.
- Johnny Geer
Works in Roger's office, shows sharp wits and vim; drums up business from criminals seeking clippings, but is rebuked by Roger; receives a raise and a month off.
Key passages
“But there was a rugged practical side to the character of Roger Gale, and the next morning he was ashamed of the brooding thoughts which had come in the night. He shook them off as morbid, and resolutely set himself to what lay close before him.”
Roger's practical nature reasserts itself; he feels embarrassed by his previous night's dark thoughts and decides to focus on immediate tasks.
Highlights Roger's pragmatic response to grief and his determination to move forward.
“How everything centered ’round Edith, he thought. To pay the debts which Bruce had left would take all Roger had on hand; and from this time on his expenses, with five growing children here, would be a fast increasing drain.”
Roger reflects that his life revolves around Edith's needs, and that Bruce's debts will consume his savings while the cost of raising five children continues to rise.
Illustrates Roger's financial anxiety and the central role Edith plays in his decisions.
“Johnny Geer was a great help. He was back in Roger’s office, and with the sharp wits he had gained in his eighteen years of fighting for a chance to stay alive, now at Roger’s elbow John was watching like a hawk for all the little ways and means of pushing up the business.”
Johnny Geer proves invaluable in the office, using his street-smart instincts to find ways to grow the business.
Shows Johnny's resourcefulness and the contrast between his background and Roger's more conventional approach.