The Coming of Bill · Chapter
IV: The Widening Gap explained
Kirk Winfield grapples with the growing emotional and social distance between himself and Ruth after their sudden wealth.
What happens
Kirk Winfield grapples with the growing emotional and social distance between himself and Ruth after their sudden wealth. He feels alienated by Ruth's immersion in high society, which she embraces as a return to her natural sphere, while he longs for their former simple life. Their conversation reveals mutual misunderstanding and the strain of their divergent paths.
Themes in this chapter
Wealth and Corruption
John Bannister's legacy is seen as a 'golden wedge' that drives Kirk and Ruth apart, corrupting their simple happiness.
Love vs. Social Convention
Ruth's return to her social sphere clashes with Kirk's desire for a hermetic life, highlighting the tension between personal love and societal expectations.
Marriage and Companionship
The widening gap between Kirk and Ruth illustrates the breakdown of marital companionship under the pressures of wealth and social ambition.
Characters to notice
- Kirk Winfield
Feels increasingly estranged from Ruth and disillusioned by the social whirlwind of their new life.
- Ruth Bannister
Now a prominent society hostess, she revels in the fashionable life and fails to understand Kirk's discontent.
- Bailey Bannister
Hosts an elaborate dinner; appears older and dignified, but his wife's extravagance is noted.
- Sybil Wilbur
Married to Bailey, she is described as shockingly extravagant and a leader of the younger set.
- Basil Milbank
Mentioned as a handsome, poet-like figure from Ruth's past; his re-emergence troubles her.
- Grayling
A type among Bailey's friends, described as a typical example of the society circle.
Key passages
“They had drifted apart. They were out of touch with each other. It was not an uncommon state of things in the circle in which Kirk now found himself.”
Kirk and Ruth had grown distant, a condition Kirk observed was typical among the wealthy couples they now socialized with.
Highlights the theme of marital estrangement in high society.
“Ruth was at home. He was not. Ruth was among her own people. He was a stranger among strangers, a prisoner in a land where men spoke with an alien tongue.”
Ruth felt comfortable in her natural social environment, while Kirk felt like an outsider, isolated and unable to connect.
Emphasizes the emotional and cultural divide between the couple.
“The curse with which his sensitive imagination had invested John Bannister’s legacy was, after all no imaginary curse. Like a golden wedge, it had forced Ruth and himself apart.”
Kirk's earlier fears about the inheritance proved true: the money had driven a wedge between him and Ruth, destroying their closeness.
Directly ties the wealth to the deterioration of their relationship.