Look Homeward, Angel · Chapter
XXXII explained
Eugene returns to university for his second year, finding the campus subdued by war.
What happens
Eugene returns to university for his second year, finding the campus subdued by war. He rooms with Bob Sterling, a diligent student with a heart condition, who dies during the term. Eugene then rooms with Elk Duncan and Harold Gay, engaging in intellectual banter. Meanwhile, family tensions escalate at home, with Helen and Luke antagonizing Eugene, leading to a physical fight. Eliza's nagging and the looming death of Oliver Gant create a suffocating atmosphere, driving Eugene to rage and a desire for solitude.
Themes in this chapter
Family Conflict and Dysfunction
The chapter vividly portrays the Gant family's internal strife, including physical fights, verbal attacks, and deep-seated resentments among Eugene, Ben, Luke, and Helen.
Alienation and Loneliness
Eugene feels alienated from his family and later from his roommate's death, longing for solitude and independence.
The Power of Memory and the Past
Eugene is haunted by memories of Bob Sterling and the oppressive shadow of Oliver Gant's impending death, which shapes his present emotions.
Characters to notice
- Eugene Gant
Returns to university for his second year, struggles with family hostility and the death of his roommate Bob Sterling, and expresses a desire for solitude.
- Eliza Gant
Her nagging and thrusts at Oliver Gant exacerbate family tensions; she intervenes in the physical fight between Eugene and Ben.
- Ben Gant
Goads Eugene into a fight, revealing his own frustration and bitterness; is physically subdued by Eugene.
- Helen Gant
Expresses hostility toward Eugene and defends Oliver Gant; her antagonism is part of the family conflict.
- Luke Gant
Joins Ben in attacking Eugene during the fight; accuses Eugene of lacking appreciation.
- Bob Sterling
Eugene's first roommate at university; dies from a heart condition, leaving Eugene deeply affected.
Key passages
“The boy sprang at his brother like a cat, with a snarling cry. He bore him backward to the floor as if he were a child, laying him down gently and kneeling above him, because he had been instantly shocked by the fragility of his opponent and the ease of his advantage.”
Eugene attacked Ben suddenly, pushing him to the floor with surprising ease, but then felt conflicted upon realizing how frail his brother was.
This moment highlights Eugene's physical strength and his internal conflict between rage and compassion.
“The big guns had blown all spun schemes to fragments: they hailed the end of all planned work with a fierce, a secret joy.”
The war had shattered all carefully laid plans, and the students secretly rejoiced in the destruction of routine and future ambitions.
This captures the war's disruptive effect on the students' mindset and their embrace of the present moment.
“They have taken his courage away! he thought. They have made a whining coward out of him! No, and if I die, no damned family about. Blowing their messy breaths in your face! Snuffling down their messy noses at you! Gathering around you till you can't breathe.”
Eugene angrily believes his family has robbed his father of dignity and courage, and he vows to avoid such suffocating familial presence in his own life.
This reveals Eugene's deep resentment toward his family's handling of illness and death, and his desire for independence.