The Financier · Chapter
LVI explained
Cowperwood, now imprisoned, grows indifferent to his wife Lillian and plans to end their marriage.
What happens
Cowperwood, now imprisoned, grows indifferent to his wife Lillian and plans to end their marriage. He contrasts her reproachful, weary attitude with Aileen's hopeful and combative spirit. Meanwhile, his father Henry Cowperwood Sr. has become a broken, pathetic figure, working a menial bank job and living in shame. Cowperwood himself adapts to prison life, using small comforts and gazing at the stars, while maintaining his ambition and resolve to rebuild his fortune after his release.
Themes in this chapter
Survival and Resilience
Cowperwood adapts to prison life, uses small comforts, and maintains his ambition to rebuild his fortune despite his fall.
Deception and Self-Justification
Cowperwood plans to end his marriage with Lillian while she pretends ignorance of his affair; both engage in self-deception.
The Role of Fortune and Crisis
Cowperwood's bankruptcy and imprisonment are a direct result of the financial panic, yet he sees opportunity for future success.
Characters to notice
- Frank Algernon Cowperwood
Imprisoned but adapting; plans to end his marriage with Lillian; remains ambitious and determined to rebuild his life.
- Lillian Cowperwood
Visits Frank in prison but feels reproachful and weary; her devotion is now tinged with suspicion and moral judgment.
- Aileen Butler
Visits Frank, gives money to Bonhag, and expresses unwavering belief in his future success; contrasts with Lillian's attitude.
- Henry Worthington Cowperwood
Frank's father, now a broken man working a menial bank job; lives in shame and reads the Bible for consolation.
- Walter Bonhag
Prison overseer who becomes favorable to Cowperwood after receiving a bribe from Aileen; allows small privileges.
- Stephen Wingate
Broker who manages Cowperwood's financial affairs, pays Lillian monthly, and secures a job for Henry Cowperwood Sr.
Key passages
“He really degenerated, although he did not know it, into a mere automaton. Life strews its shores with such interesting and pathetic wrecks.”
Without realizing it, he became a hollow shell of his former self, one of many sad casualties that life leaves behind.
Describes Henry Cowperwood Sr.'s decline after his son's disgrace.
“Instinctively she seemed to realize that prison walls could not make a prison for him.”
She understood intuitively that his spirit could not be confined by physical barriers.
Reflects Aileen's belief in Cowperwood's indomitable nature.
“A man’s never done till he’s done. I’ll show some of these people yet.”
A person isn't finished until they give up; I will prove my critics wrong.
Cowperwood's internal resolve to overcome his imprisonment and rebuild his reputation.