National Avenue · Chapter
XVII explained
The day after Mrs.
What happens
The day after Mrs. Savage's funeral, Mr. Oliphant reads her will to the family. Dan receives only $3,500, while Harlan inherits the bulk of the estate. Lena reacts angrily, believing the will is aimed at her. Dan, however, is elated that the money will save his Ornaby Addition project and rushes to secure the funds.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Family
The will exposes family tensions and the use of wealth to control relationships and express disapproval.
Ambition and Failure
Dan's single-minded focus on saving Ornaby Addition shows his relentless ambition despite family setbacks.
Marriage and Alienation
Lena feels alienated and attacked by the will, deepening the rift between her and Dan's family.
Characters to notice
- Dan Oliphant
Receives only $3,500 from his grandmother's will but is overjoyed, seeing it as enough to save Ornaby Addition.
- Harlan Oliphant
Named residuary legatee, inheriting most of the estate, but worries about how this will appear to Martha Shelby.
- Lena McMillan
Furious, believing the will is a deliberate insult aimed at her, and storms out of the room.
- Mrs. Oliphant
Receives income from a trust; tries to comfort Dan and insists her mother loved him.
- Mr. Shelby
Reads the will aloud and attempts to mediate the family's reactions.
Key passages
“The estate appeared to be 'somewhat larger than anticipated,' he said, as Mrs. Savage's boxes in the bank's deposit vaults contained securities she had never mentioned”
Mr. Oliphant announces that Mrs. Savage's estate is larger than expected because she had hidden securities in her bank vault.
Reveals Mrs. Savage's secretiveness about her wealth.
“This is aimed at me ! she cried. I understand perfectly the real meaning of that precious document!”
Lena exclaims that the will is a deliberate attack on her.
Lena interprets the will as a personal insult from her deceased grandmother-in-law.
“Grandma's saved Ornaby for me, God bless her!”
Dan rejoices that his inheritance will rescue his Ornaby Addition project.
Dan's optimistic reaction contrasts with the family's distress.