Hudson River Bracketed · Chapter
XXVII explained
Vance struggles with financial strain from Laura Lou's illness, unable to ask his family for help or secure a loan from Mrs.
What happens
Vance struggles with financial strain from Laura Lou's illness, unable to ask his family for help or secure a loan from Mrs. Pulsifer. He grapples with creative blocks, feeling too ignorant to write about society or the metropolitan world. After a tense encounter, he later tells Laura Lou he has paid off their debt to Hayes, though the source of the money remains vague.
Themes in this chapter
Artistic Ambition and Creative Struggle
Vance's inability to write about society due to lack of firsthand experience, and his frustration with documentation and 'local colour'.
The Pursuit of Wealth and Success
Vance's financial desperation, his failed attempt to borrow money from Mrs. Pulsifer, and the contrast between her wealth and his poverty.
Social Class and Cultural Divide
The gulf between Vance's poverty and Mrs. Pulsifer's world of art and leisure, and her inability to comprehend his situation.
Characters to notice
- Vance Weston
Struggles with poverty, creative block, and humiliation after asking Mrs. Pulsifer for a loan; later lies to Laura Lou about paying off Hayes.
- Laura Lou
Convalescing slowly from illness; unaware of Vance's financial desperation, she is pleased when he claims to have paid off Hayes.
- Upton Tracy
Refuses to help financially, claiming his savings went into buying a Ford.
- Mrs. Tracy
Expects Vance's family to help; blames Laura Lou's illness on his imprudence.
- Eric Rauch
Vance discusses his creative block with him; Rauch dismisses the difficulty as imaginary.
- Mrs. Pulsifer
Invites Vance to dine; he asks for a loan of two thousand dollars, which she awkwardly refuses, citing her staff and the prize.
Key passages
“At odds with himself, he ground out a dull article on “The New Poetry,” the result of random reading among the works of the Coconut Tree poets; but it satisfied neither him nor the poets.”
Feeling conflicted, he forced himself to write a mediocre article about modern poetry based on superficial reading, but it pleased no one.
Highlights Vance's creative frustration and lack of inspiration.
“He brought his difficulty to Eric Rauch. “Unless I can think their thoughts it’s no use,” he said. Rauch looked puzzled, and seemed to regard the difficulty as an imaginary one.”
Vance told Eric Rauch that he needed to understand the inner lives of his subjects to write about them, but Rauch didn't grasp the problem.
Illustrates Vance's deep need for authentic understanding versus Rauch's practical view.
“Mrs. Pulsifer, who was sitting near him, and leaning forward in her solicitous way, involuntarily drew back. “Oh—” she faltered, and he divined that her embarrassment was greater than his.”
When Vance admitted he had pawned his evening clothes, Mrs. Pulsifer recoiled, more embarrassed than he was.
Shows the social chasm between them and her discomfort with poverty.
“He wondered, as he clasped her, if anyone would ever feel about the deep invisible things as he did.”
Holding Laura Lou, Vance doubted that anyone else could share his sensitivity to profound, intangible matters.
Reveals Vance's sense of isolation and his introspective nature.
