# XXXI explained — National Avenue

> Chapter companion for National Avenue by Booth Tarkington.

## What happens

After the war, the old National Avenue is completely demolished, with Old Hickory Shelby's house being the last to go. Martha and Harlan drive through the transformed city, reflecting on the changes and Dan's lost vision. They return home to find Harlan's mother, who reminisces about the past and longs to see her grandson Henry. Martha suggests that Dan's spirit lives on in the city's murmur.

## Themes in this chapter

### Change and Loss

The complete destruction of National Avenue and Old Hickory's house symbolizes the irreversible loss of the past.

### Home and Belonging

Martha and Harlan's new white house in the preserved district represents a fragile haven amid urban decay.

### Generation and Legacy

Dan's unfulfilled vision lives on through the cars and the district, while Mrs. Oliphant mourns the separation from her grandson.

## Character check-ins

### Harlan Oliphant

Now a bank director, he drives with Martha and expresses disdain for the urban ugliness, though he appreciates the preserved woodland.

### Martha Shelby

Harlan's wife, who insists on finding beauty in the new district and defends Dan's vision.

### Dan Oliphant

Deceased, but his legacy is invoked through the cars named 'Sheridans' and the preserved Ornaby district.

### Mrs. Oliphant

Harlan's elderly mother, fragile and nostalgic, sits on the terrace thinking of Dan and longing to see her grandson Henry.

### Lena McMillan

Mentioned as living in Paris with Henry, she keeps him from visiting.

### Old Hickory Shelby

His house was the last to be demolished; his conservative policy at the bank indirectly enabled the new house.

## Key lines

> Old Hickory Shelby’s house was the last to go;—the stone casing of his tall front doorway was the last of all the relics.

The final remnant of the old avenue was the stone doorway of Old Hickory Shelby's house.

_Highlights the complete erasure of the past._

> I think he felt something in it that neither you nor I can understand.

Martha believes Dan perceived a deeper meaning in the city's transformation.

_Reflects the theme of legacy and unseen vision._

> Listen! That murmur of the city down yonder—why, it’s almost his voice!

Martha hears Dan's spirit in the distant sound of the city.

_Poignant moment linking Dan to the living city._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/national_avenue_se/chapters/xxxi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/national_avenue_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/national_avenue_se/chapters