# The Big Game and the Serenade explained — The Plastic Age

> Chapter companion for The Plastic Age by Percy Marks.

## What happens

As the Sanford-Raleigh football game approaches, the campus buzzes with excitement. Girls arrive for fraternity dances, and Hugh Carver, feeling envious and anxious about his fraternity prospects, joins classmates in serenading a fraternity house. His singing of Shelley's 'Indian Serenade' captivates the crowd, and he is pulled inside to dance with a mysterious girl in a corn-colored frock, who kisses him. The chapter captures the football mania, the arrival of alumni, and the buildup to the big game, ending with Hugh's romantic reverie.

## Themes in this chapter

### College Life: Idealism vs. Reality

The excitement of football and fraternity dances contrasts with Hugh's anxiety about not receiving a fraternity bid, highlighting the gap between idealized college life and personal insecurities.

### Love and Romantic Confusion

Hugh's encounter with the girl in the corn-colored frock and his subsequent romantic reverie, comparing her to Helen, illustrates his emotional confusion and burgeoning romantic feelings.

### Alcohol and Excess

Alumni and undergraduates get drunk to celebrate the moon before the game, reflecting the culture of excess surrounding the big event.

## Character check-ins

### Hugh Carver

Sings a serenade at a fraternity house, dances with a girl, and is kissed; his thoughts drift from the game to the mysterious girl.

### Jack Collings

Suggests the serenade and brings a guitar; part of the group of freshmen.

### Carl Peters

Mentioned as a confidant; Hugh does not tell him about the kiss.

### Harry Slade

Sanford's great halfback, discussed as a potential All American and the hope of the college.

### Jim McCarty

Proprietor of the Sanford Pool and Billiard Parlors, official stakeholder for bets on the game.

### Alling

Latin instructor who dismisses class humorously on game day.

## Key lines

> I arise from dreams of thee In the first sweet sleep of night, When the winds are breathing low And the stars are shining bright.

Hugh sings a passionate love song by Shelley, set to music, which captivates the audience at the fraternity house.

_The serenade marks a pivotal moment of social connection and romantic possibility for Hugh._

> He passionately envied the dancers in the fraternity houses but consoled himself with the thought, 'Maybe I'll be dancing at the Nu Delt house next year.' Then he had a spasm of fright. Perhaps the Nu Delts—perhaps no fraternity would bid him.

Hugh feels envy and anxiety about his social standing, hoping to join a fraternity but fearing rejection.

_This internal conflict underscores the theme of social class and fraternity snobbery._

> When he went to bed that night, he did not think once about the coming football game. Before his eyes floated the girl in the corn-colored frock.

Hugh's mind is consumed by the mysterious girl he danced with, overshadowing the excitement of the big game.

_Romantic intrigue takes precedence over the communal football fervor, highlighting Hugh's personal emotional journey._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_plastic_age_se/chapters/x
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_plastic_age_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_plastic_age_se/chapters