XV explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Class and Social Mobility

  Dirk's discomfort with Paula's wealth and the opulence of Stormwood highlights the class divide between his farm upbringing and high society.

• Ambition and Self-Fulfillment

  Dirk expresses dissatisfaction with his architectural career, yearning for more creative and prestigious work.

• Beauty and Art

  Selina's appreciation for aged, character-filled furniture and her love for live theatre contrast with the superficial elegance of Paula's world.

Characters to notice

• Selina DeJong

  Encourages Dirk to visit Paula, furnishes his room with secondhand treasures, and explores Chicago with a sense of wonder.

• Dirk DeJong

  Visits Paula Storm at Stormwood, feels uneasy about her intentions, and expresses frustration with his architectural career.

• Pauline

  Picks Dirk up in her roadster, shows him her stables and coach house, and tries to engage him in riding and driving.

• August Hempel

  Mentioned as having lived in Chicago for over half a century but never explored it; also noted as refusing to visit Stormwood.

• Julie Hempel

  Mentioned as telling Selina about Paula's new house.

• Theodore A. Storm

  Mentioned as Paula's husband who never rides or takes exercise.

Key passages

• “Any piece of furniture, I don’t care how beautiful it is, has got to be lived with, and kicked about, and rubbed down, and mistreated by servants, and repolished, and knocked around and dusted and sat on or slept in or eaten off of before it develops its real character.”

  Selina believes furniture only gains true character through years of use and wear.

  Reflects Selina's philosophy on authenticity and the value of age.

• “All the difference in the world between the movies and the thrill I get out of a play at the theatre. My, yes! Like fooling with paper dolls when you could be playing with a real live baby.”

  Selina finds live theatre far more exciting than movies, comparing the difference to playing with paper dolls versus a real baby.

  Highlights Selina's preference for genuine, live experiences over artificial ones.

• “I’ve spent all yesterday and today planning how to work in space for toilets on every floor of the new office building, six stories high and shaped like a drygoods box, that’s going up on the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Ashland, west.”

  Dirk complains that his architectural work is mundane, focusing on practical details for a plain, boxy building.

  Illustrates Dirk's frustration with the lack of creative fulfillment in his job.