Oil! · Chapter
X: The University explained
Bunny Ross, now a university student, becomes increasingly radicalized under the influence of instructor Daniel Webster Irving, while his father grows suspicious of his son's political leanings.
What happens
Bunny Ross, now a university student, becomes increasingly radicalized under the influence of instructor Daniel Webster Irving, while his father grows suspicious of his son's political leanings. Bunny attempts to bridge the gap by inviting Irving to Paradise, but tensions escalate when Bunny's brother-in-law Eldon Burdick confronts him about his Bolshevik sympathies. Meanwhile, Bunny receives a brief note from Paul Watkins, who is serving in Siberia, and his father explains the Allied campaign against Bolshevism. Bunny also learns from Irving that the secret treaties Paul had warned about are genuine, shaking his faith in the official narrative.
Themes in this chapter
Idealism vs. Pragmatism
Bunny's idealistic support for Bolshevik self-determination clashes with his father's pragmatic oil interests and Eldon's patriotic militarism.
Deception and Truth
Bunny discovers that the secret treaties he was told were Bolshevik forgeries are genuine, undermining his trust in official narratives.
War and Imperialism
The Allied intervention in Russia is portrayed as a struggle for oil and imperial control, not democracy, as Dad's associates seek foreign concessions.
Corruption and Power
The university administration and political elites suppress dissent and censor information to maintain power, as seen in Irving's subtle subversion and the censorship of Paul's letter.
Characters to notice
- Bunny Ross
University student, track runner, and member of Tau fraternity; increasingly drawn to radical ideas and defending Bolshevik positions against family and acquaintances.
- Dad Ross
Wealthy oil man who worries about his son's education and political views; probes Bunny's mind and blames the university for his idealism.
- Daniel Webster Irving
Instructor at the university, secretly sowing doubts about the war and the Allies' motives; Bunny brings him to Paradise to meet his father.
- Paul Watkins
Serving in Siberia; sends a brief, censored note to Bunny that raises questions about the war.
- Eldon Burdick
Bertie's husband, a military-minded amateur patriot who confronts Bunny about his Bolshevik sympathies during a horseback ride.
- Aunt Allie
Referred to as Bertie; Bunny's sister who is upset that Bunny's political views have ruined her social standing.
- Henrietta Ashleigh
Bunny's acquaintance; he visits her at the beach but fails to justify his ideas to her due to her prejudice against Bolsheviks.
- Dr. Cowper
University president; mentioned as overworked and unaware of Irving's subversive teaching methods.
Key passages
“So far as Dad personally was concerned, his interests were at home. It was Excelsior Pete and Victor Oil and the rest of the "Big Five" which were reaching out for foreign concessions, and if they got the prizes, the price of oil at home might drop, and cost Dad a good chunk of money.”
Dad's primary concern was his domestic oil business; the large oil companies were seeking foreign oil fields, and if they succeeded, it could lower domestic oil prices and hurt his profits.
Highlights Dad's pragmatic, self-interested view of foreign policy versus the idealistic rhetoric of making the world safe for democracy.
“He was becoming convinced that the university was to blame. No matter what Bunny might say, it was this "education business" that was unsettling his mind, and spoiling him to deal with practical affairs.”
Dad increasingly blamed the university for corrupting Bunny's mind and making him unfit for practical business matters.
Illustrates the tension between education and practical capitalism, a key theme in the chapter.
“Eldon pointed out that all this was merely camouflage, the convenient formulas whereby criminal conspirators sought to cover themselves with a mantle of legality, "free speech" and "civil rights" and all the rest.”
Eldon argued that Bolsheviks used the language of free speech and civil rights as a disguise for their criminal conspiracy.
Shows the anti-radical sentiment of the era and the dismissal of civil liberties as a cover for subversion.
“Bunny had never forgotten about those treaties, how Dad had assured Paul that they would turn out to be Bolshevik forgeries. But here the allies were admitting them to be genuine, and furthermore, were setting out to enforce them, regardless of any promises of fair play which President Wilson had made to the Germans!”
Bunny recalled that his father had dismissed the secret treaties as Bolshevik lies, but now the Allies themselves confirmed they were real and were acting on them, breaking Wilson's promises.
A pivotal moment of disillusionment for Bunny, revealing the gap between official propaganda and reality.
