Oil! · Chapter
II explained
Bunny and Dad Ross drive through the Guadalupe Grade in a powerful roadster, with Dad rushing to meet Ben Skutt at the Imperial Hotel in Beach City.
What happens
Bunny and Dad Ross drive through the Guadalupe Grade in a powerful roadster, with Dad rushing to meet Ben Skutt at the Imperial Hotel in Beach City. The chapter describes the landscape, the engineering marvel of the road, and Dad's commanding presence as a man of power and money.
Themes in this chapter
Oil and Capitalism
Dad's journey and meeting with Ben Skutt underscore the oil industry's drive for profit and expansion, with the road itself a product of capital.
Power and Control
Dad's commanding horn and fast driving symbolize his dominance over the landscape and his business, reflecting the theme of power.
Characters to notice
- Bunny Ross
The boy, eager and observant, riding with Dad and marveling at the landscape and the power of the car.
- Dad Ross
The father, a powerful man driving fast to a business meeting with Ben Skutt, embodying the force of capital and industry.
- Ben Skutt
The oil-scout, referred to as Dad's 'lease-hound,' waiting at the Imperial Hotel with papers ready for signature.
Key passages
“Never since the world began had there been men of power equal to this. And Dad was one of them; he could do things like that, he was on his way to do something like that now.”
Dad was among the most powerful men in history, capable of great feats, and he was heading to accomplish another such feat.
Highlights Dad's perceived power and the grand scale of his endeavors.
“At seven o’clock this evening, in the lobby of the Imperial Hotel at Beach City, a man would be waiting, Ben Skutt, the oil-scout, whom Dad described as his 'lease-hound'; he would have a big proposition all lined up, and the papers ready for signature.”
Ben Skutt, Dad's oil-scout, would be at the Imperial Hotel at seven with a major deal prepared for signing.
Sets up the business meeting that drives the chapter's tension.