Short Fiction · Chapter
II: The Beginning of Troubles explained
Frau Frohmann faces a financial dilemma as her lawyer, Herr Schlessen, proposes raising prices at the Peacock to cover rising costs.
What happens
Frau Frohmann faces a financial dilemma as her lawyer, Herr Schlessen, proposes raising prices at the Peacock to cover rising costs. She rejects the idea, preferring to maintain her reputation for quality and hospitality, and ultimately decides to destroy the printed notice of new rates.
Themes in this chapter
Economic Hardship and Charity
Frau Frohmann grapples with the tension between maintaining affordable prices for her loyal customers and the financial necessity of raising rates to avoid losses.
Family Duty and Sacrifice
Frau Frohmann considers retiring to Schwatz but worries about who will manage the family business, reflecting her sense of duty to the Peacock and her children.
Morality and Hypocrisy
The Frau feels disgust at the 'greed of the world for more money' and resists raising prices, yet she is forced to confront the hypocrisy of her own past concessions to higher wages.
Characters to notice
- Frau Frohmann
Struggles with the decision to raise prices, ultimately rejecting the proposal to preserve her pride and the loyalty of her regular customers.
- Fritz Schlessen
The lawyer who presents a printed document with new rates, but is told by Frau Frohmann to destroy it.
- Malchen
Frau Frohmann's daughter, who seems indifferent to the impact of price increases and is preoccupied with fashion and love.
- Peter
Frau Frohmann's son, considered a fool by his mother, and involved in the discussion about reducing expenses.
Key passages
“There was a flippancy about it which disgusted the old woman. Malchen seemed to regard an act which would banish from the Peacock the old friends and well-known customers of the house as though it were an easy trifle; and almost desirable with that very object.”
Frau Frohmann was disgusted by Malchen's casual attitude toward driving away their regular customers with higher prices.
Highlights the generational conflict over business values.
“No! she could not abandon the glory of her dinner. It was as though you should ask a Royal Academician to cease to exhibit his pictures, or an actor to consent to have his name withdrawn from the bills.”
Giving up her elaborate dinners would be like an artist giving up their exhibitions or an actor their fame.
Emphasizes the Frau's pride in her culinary reputation.
“There was something abominable to her in this general greed of the world for more money.”
She found the widespread desire for higher profits disgusting.
Reflects her moral stance against economic pressures.