Hudson River Bracketed · Chapter
XXIII explained
Vance and Laura Lou return to Paul's Landing and face Mrs.
What happens
Vance and Laura Lou return to Paul's Landing and face Mrs. Tracy's conditional forgiveness, which is rooted in her resentment over Vance's corruption of her children and the broken engagement with Bunty Hayes. Vance struggles with the realities of married life and his financial dependence, while continuing his work for The Hour. A letter from his mother offers a reluctant welcome back to Euphoria, but Vance declines, choosing to stay at Paul's Landing. He also receives a letter from his grandmother, whose spiritual understanding touches him.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Marriage
The chapter explores the practical and emotional challenges of marriage, as Vance and Laura Lou navigate Mrs. Tracy's disapproval, financial constraints, and the transition from romantic idealism to domestic reality.
The Pursuit of Wealth and Success
Vance's struggle to earn a living through his writing for The Hour, his promise to repay the loan to Bunty Hayes, and the pressure to prove his worth to his family and in-laws highlight the theme of economic ambition and its costs.
Social Class and Cultural Divide
The tension between the Lorburn family's expectations of gentility and Vance's more bohemian aspirations, as well as the contrast between Euphoria's provincial values and New York's literary world, illustrate class and cultural conflicts.
Characters to notice
- Vance Weston
Returns to Paul's Landing with Laura Lou, faces Mrs. Tracy's resentment, and struggles with the practical demands of marriage and his writing career.
- Laura Lou
Returns to her mother's home, eager to learn homemaking skills, and her love for Vance is quieted by the familiar routine.
- Mrs. Tracy
Grants conditional forgiveness to Vance and Laura Lou, but remains resentful over Vance's influence on her children and the broken engagement with Bunty Hayes.
- Upton Tracy
Visits Paul's Landing, now broader and stronger, with an air of importance from his new job that irritates Vance.
- Mrs. Lorin Weston
Writes to Vance offering a reluctant welcome back to Euphoria, conveying her husband's hurt and the advice of Yula Marphy.
- Grandma Scrimser
Sends a touching letter to Vance, the only one at Euphoria who dimly understands his spiritual and artistic quest.
Key passages
“Mr. Hayes wanted she should be brought up like a lady, as her father's daughter ought to be.”
Mrs. Tracy insists that Bunty Hayes intended for Laura Lou to be educated as a proper lady, befitting her father's lineage.
Mrs. Tracy uses this argument to justify Laura Lou's broken engagement and the financial obligation to Hayes.
“Why, see here, there's been a law in the United States for some years now against trading in flesh and blood.”
Vance angrily points out that it is illegal to treat a person as property, implying that Mrs. Tracy's insistence on the debt is akin to selling her daughter.
Vance's retort highlights his frustration with the financial and moral constraints imposed by Mrs. Tracy.
“The world to which Laura Lou admitted him seemed to comprise all the others, and it was not till he woke from his first ecstasy that he saw she herself was not an extraterrestrial joy but a solid earthly fact.”
Vance initially felt that Laura Lou opened a universe of wonder, but soon realized she was a real person with practical needs, not a celestial being.
This reflects Vance's disillusionment as he confronts the mundane realities of married life.
“We want to wipe out the past and get a fresh eye on things.”
Eric Rauch explains that The Hour seeks raw, unpolished reactions from new writers, not standardized reviews.
Rauch's philosophy underscores the modernist desire to break with tradition and embrace fresh perspectives.
