The Coming of Bill · Chapter
V: The Real Thing explained
Kirk sits alone with his son William Bannister in the nursery, feeling dispirited and resentful of Lora Delane Porter's strict regimen.
What happens
Kirk sits alone with his son William Bannister in the nursery, feeling dispirited and resentful of Lora Delane Porter's strict regimen. He realizes that Ruth's support for her aunt's system is not out of genuine belief but because it frees her to pursue her own pleasures, and he fears the cotton-wool existence is harming the boy's spirit.
Themes in this chapter
Parenthood and Child Rearing
Kirk's anxiety over Bill's upbringing under Lora's system highlights the tension between parental instinct and external control.
Individualism vs. Interference
Kirk resents Lora's rules and Ruth's abdication of responsibility, feeling his son's spirit is being stifled by excessive regulation.
Characters to notice
- Kirk Winfield
Sits gloomily in the nursery, watching his son play; he feels like a parolee under Lora's rules and has come to realize Ruth's true motives.
- William Bannister Winfield
Plays with bricks on the floor, asks questions about his mother and cats, and demonstrates resilience after tripping.
- Mrs. Lora Delane Porter
Absent from the nursery today, but her watchful and forbidding presence is felt; she has forbidden Bill from having a cat.
- Ruth Bannister
Mentioned as being at a luncheon party; Kirk concludes she supports the system because it gives her freedom, not out of conviction.
- Mamie
The nurse who was supposed to guard Bill but has vanished due to her sympathetic nature.
Key passages
“Kirk sat in the nursery with his chin on his hands, staring gloomily at William Bannister.”
Kirk sat in the nursery, chin in hands, looking sadly at his son.
Opens the chapter with Kirk's despondent mood.
“Ruth allowed Mrs. Porter to have her way because it suited her to do so; because, with Mrs. Porter on the premises, she had more leisure in which to amuse herself; because, to put it in a word, the child had begun to bore her.”
Ruth let Mrs. Porter take charge because it gave her more free time to enjoy herself; in short, the child had started to bore her.
Kirk's bitter realization about Ruth's true motives.
“If you get like that mutt Dana Ferris you'll break my heart. And you're heading that way, poor kid.”
If you turn out like that fool Dana Ferris, it will break my heart, and you're on that path, poor child.
Kirk expresses fear that the overprotective regimen will make Bill weak and pampered.