The Turmoil · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Turmoil by Booth Tarkington.
Chapter 1
Dedication
The book is dedicated to Laurel.
Chapter 2
The Turmoil
The chapter introduces the Sheridan family and the industrial city, focusing on Bibbs Sheridan's return from a sanitarium and his struggle to fit into his father's world of business and ambition.
Chapter 3
I
The chapter describes the transformation of a midland city from a leisurely, neighborly town into a dirty, industrial metropolis driven by the relentless pursuit of bigness and wealth. It contrasts the old, clean, and unhurried life with the new, smoky, and chaotic urban existence, highlighting the influx of diverse populations, the rise of a cockney type, and the worship of bigness as the ultimate god.
Chapter 4
II
This chapter introduces Bibbs Sheridan, the 'disappointment' of the Sheridan family, a frail and nervous young man who failed in the machine shop and was sent to a sanitarium. His father, James Sheridan, a self-made industrialist who embodies the city's gritty optimism, dismisses Bibbs's illness as laziness and contrasts him unfavorably with his successful siblings, Jim, Roscoe, and Edith. The chapter also paints a vivid portrait of Sheridan's love for the city and its smoke, which he sees as a sign of prosperity.
Chapter 5
III
Bibbs Sheridan returns home from the sanitarium, met at the station by his sister Edith. During the car ride to the New House, Edith discusses family dynamics, social climbing, and the Sheridans' desire to be accepted by the old-money families, particularly the Vertreeses. Bibbs observes the family's wealth and tensions, including Edith's resentment toward Sibyl.
Chapter 6
IV
Bibbs Sheridan returns home to the New House, a grand but impersonal mansion built by his father. He is greeted by his sister Edith and the household staff, and after resting, he observes the neighboring Vertrees house from his window. He catches Mary Vertrees looking at him from her summerhouse, and later his mother visits him, hinting at his father's plans for him. Bibbs agrees to attend the housewarming party that evening.
Chapter 7
V
Mary Vertrees returns with her mother from a visit to the Sheridan home, where they were invited to dinner. Mary humorously recounts the encounter, revealing the Sheridans' social climbing and their interest in her as a potential match for their eldest son, Jim. Meanwhile, Mr. Vertrees, a once-prosperous man now ruined by failed investments and the city's growth, anxiously awaits their return, aware of the family's financial desperation.
Chapter 8
VI
The Sheridan family hosts a grand banquet at their home, showcasing their wealth and social standing. Bibbs sits quietly among the less important guests, while his father James Sheridan dominates the table with boisterous talk. Mary Vertrees flirts with both Roscoe and Jim Sheridan, and James Sheridan jokingly threatens to send Jim to the machine shop if he does not propose to Mary. Bibbs overhears and realizes his father's plans.
Chapter 9
VII
Mrs. Vertrees waits up for Mary after the Sheridans' housewarming. Mary returns and recounts the evening in detail, describing the ostentatious display of wealth, her interactions with the Sheridan family, and her observations of Bibbs Sheridan's tragic reaction when his father threatens to send him to the machine shop. Mary reveals she will go out in Jim Sheridan's car and to the theater, signaling her strategic pursuit of the Sheridan fortune to save her family from financial ruin.
Chapter 10
VIII
Edith confronts Bibbs about a framed poem she wrote as a teenager, revealing her embarrassment over it. Bibbs, recovering from his illness, discusses his improved appearance with her. Later, Bibbs interacts with the servant George about a statue, coining the phrase 'lami dal.' Jim Sheridan drives Mary Vertrees and discusses Bibbs's character, dismissing him as lazy and unlikely to amount to anything, while Mary expresses sympathy for Bibbs's loneliness and illness.
Chapter 11
Chapter IX
Bibbs Sheridan is summoned to his father's office, where Sheridan berates him for his lack of ambition and dreams of writing poetry and essays. Sheridan extols the virtues of business, progress, and the city's growth, contrasting Bibbs's passivity with the industriousness of his brothers, especially Jim. Bibbs questions the purpose of constant expansion, leading to a heated exchange. The chapter also depicts Bibbs's trolley ride through the city, observing the chaotic, industrial transformation and the toll it takes on the environment and human life.
Chapter 12
Chapter X
Bibbs reflects on his transient life in his room, surrounded by photographs and books, while a quarrel erupts in the hallway between Edith, Sibyl, and Mrs. Sheridan over Robert Lamhorn's reputation. Later, Sibyl visits Mary Vertrees, attempting to enlist her help in revealing Lamhorn's character to James Sheridan, but inadvertently reveals her own jealous motives and affair with Lamhorn.
Chapter 13
XI
Sheridan gives Herr Favre a tour of the city, extolling its industrial might while the visitor criticizes the smoke and grime. After the tour, Sheridan goes to a barbershop where the atmosphere is strangely subdued; he picks up an 'Extra' newspaper and learns of a fatal accident. Bibbs arrives to break the news that Jim has been killed.
Chapter 14
XII
Three days after Jim's funeral, Bibbs Sheridan takes charge of the arrangements and becomes the master of the household. At the cemetery, after the service, he encounters Mary Vertrees, who has been left behind by her carriage. They share a quiet, awkward ride home in the undertaker's coupé, exchanging their first words and forming an unexpected connection.
Chapter 15
XIII
Bibbs returns home after the funeral, disturbed by Sibyl's laughter. He manages visiting relatives, including Uncle Gideon who quotes Bildad the Shuhite to the grieving James Sheridan. After the relatives leave, Bibbs reflects on laughter after funerals and writes in his notebook. The next day, life resumes its usual routine; Mrs. Sheridan pressures Bibbs to promise his father he will return to the machine shop in a cheerful spirit, and he reluctantly agrees.
Chapter 16
XIV
Bibbs undergoes a medical examination by Dr. Gurney, who finds him improved but warns that his father will likely send him back to the machine shop. Bibbs decides to accept the risk. That evening, the Sheridan family grieves quietly over Jim's death; Edith's laughter with Robert Lamhorn upsets her parents. Bibbs deliberately interrupts Edith and Lamhorn, causing Lamhorn to leave early, which angers Edith. Bibbs reflects on his awkward attempt at decisive action.
Chapter 17
XV
Bibbs Sheridan and Mary Vertrees meet by chance and walk together, sharing a deeply personal and awkwardly honest conversation. Mary invites Bibbs to listen to organ music played by her friend Dr. Kraft at a church. During the performance, Bibbs experiences a profound emotional and spiritual connection to the music and to Mary, feeling as though they communicate without words.
Chapter 18
XVI
After a church concert, Bibbs and Mary walk home discussing the meaning of music and its power to evoke courage and personal reflection. Mary invites Bibbs to hear her play piano that evening, as her piano is being sent away the next day. Bibbs, deeply moved, spends the night writing in his notebook about music, beauty, and his growing feelings for Mary.
Chapter 19
XVII
Mr. and Mrs. Vertrees discuss their financial ruin and Mary's sacrifices, including selling her piano and considering selling her furs. Mrs. Vertrees seeks information from Sibyl Sheridan about Bibbs's mental stability, fearing Mary intends to sacrifice herself. Sibyl later mocks the Vertrees family to Roscoe, revealing her contempt for their social climbing and her belief that Mary is pursuing Bibbs out of desperation.
Chapter 20
Chapter XVIII
Sheridan finds and reads Bibbs's philosophical scribblings comparing the lives of wealthy businessmen to roosters, dismisses them as foolish, and later discovers Roscoe drunk in his office. He helps Roscoe home and hears Bibbs singing cheerfully, which deepens his sense of loss and frustration.
Chapter 21
XIX
Bibbs Sheridan faces the imminent prospect of returning to work in his father's machine shop, a fate he dreads. In a heartfelt conversation with Mary Vertrees, he confesses his fear of the crushing, monotonous labor and his past breakdown. Mary offers him profound emotional support, promising to be with him in spirit every evening, transforming his isolation into a sense of companionship and hope.
Chapter 22
Chapter XX
Bibbs returns home and tells his father he is ready to go back to the machine shop. Sheridan, worried about Roscoe's drinking and the future of his business, agrees but remains grim. Later, Sheridan confides his fears to Mrs. Sheridan, expressing anxiety about Roscoe's health and the instability of his empire.
Chapter 23
Chapter XXI
Bibbs advises his parents to let Edith see Robert Lamhorn freely, arguing that opposition will only strengthen her resolve. At a tense Sunday dinner, the family is strained by unspoken conflicts, with Bibbs appearing unusually content. After Sheridan injures his hand in the machine shop, Dr. Gurney treats him and notes Bibbs's improved health and satisfaction with his work.
Chapter 24
XXII
Bibbs Sheridan, now working in the machine shop, reflects on the nature of love and friendship in a letter, concluding that friendship offers a quieter, more transcendent happiness than the turbulence of love. He lives in a dreamlike state, focused on his growing bond with Mary Vertrees. Mary visits him after work, walking him home and sharing her discovery of a local painter who captures the beauty of the city's smoke. Their conversation deepens their friendship, with Bibbs expressing his joy and fear of change, while Mary affectionately calls him 'dear Bibbs.'
Chapter 25
XXIII
Bibbs remains detached in his dreamlike state while the Sheridan household erupts in turmoil. Sibyl, under Dr. Gurney's care, hysterically reveals her grievances and the change in Bibbs. Roscoe, broken by overwork and domestic strife, refuses his father's pleas to return to business, leading to a final rupture.
Chapter 26
Chapter XXIV
Bibbs Sheridan defends his happiness working in the machine shop and rejects his father's offer to enter business, arguing that wealth and industrial growth have made the city ugly and dehumanized. James Sheridan counters by questioning Bibbs's past judgment and threatening to force him into business or plumbing, revealing his frustration after losing his other sons. The chapter ends with Bibbs startled by his father's final accusation of being a 'sleep walker.'
Chapter 27
XXV
Bibbs Sheridan spends a peaceful evening reading Maeterlinck with Mary Vertrees, sharing intimate and tender moments. Their quiet happiness is shattered when Bibbs returns home to find his father, James Sheridan, in a violent rage after learning of Edith's elopement with Robert Lamhorn. Sheridan has destroyed a Moorish statue in his fury, and Dr. Gurney struggles to calm him. Bibbs reads the telegram announcing Edith's marriage.
Chapter 28
XXVI
Bibbs is summoned by his father, Sheridan, who is in a rage over Edith's elopement and Bibbs's refusal to enter the family business. Dr. Gurney mediates, defending Bibbs's choice to work in the machine shop and pursue writing. Sheridan rants about the fate of J. R. Tracy's bank, which fell to a 'cigarette boy,' and fears the same for his own legacy. Bibbs stands firm, drawing courage from Mary's look, and leaves the room.
Chapter 29
XXVII
Mrs. Sheridan tries to convince her husband that Bibbs will eventually become a successful businessman if he marries Mary Vertrees, but Sheridan dismisses the idea. Later, Bibbs and Mary set out for church but get lost in conversation, walking through the city instead. Bibbs expresses his hatred for the industrial city and its greed, while Mary shares a quote from Burne-Jones. They return to find Roscoe and Sibyl entering the New House. Bibbs asks Mary why she no longer wears furs, and she evades the question before running inside.
Chapter 30
Chapter XXVIII
Bibbs, having overheard Sibyl's cruel revelations about Mary Vertrees's motives, confronts his family and agrees to take the job his father offered, signaling his surrender to the family's expectations. Meanwhile, Sibyl apologizes to Sheridan for her earlier behavior and then maliciously exposes the Vertrees family's financial desperation, accusing Mary of pursuing Bibbs only for his money.
Chapter 31
XXIX
Bibbs, having given in to his father's demands, visits Mary and unexpectedly proposes marriage. Mary, realizing he was influenced by Sibyl's cruel words about her poverty and motives, is deeply hurt and rejects him, telling him never to return.
Chapter 32
Chapter XXX
Bibbs announces to his family that Mary Vertrees refused his marriage proposal, confirming Sibyl's earlier taunt. Sheridan reveals that Mary had previously rejected Jim in a letter. Bibbs then demonstrates his business acumen by convincing his father to tear down unsafe buildings and rent the Krivitch plant, having already secured an option and had the buildings condemned. Sheridan is impressed by Bibbs's assertiveness, though Mrs. Sheridan worries about his health.
Chapter 33
XXXI
Bibbs Sheridan immerses himself in the world of business and industry, serving the 'temple of Bigness' with bitter energy. He learns the corrupt and competitive nature of the city's politics and commerce, while his father James Sheridan reveals his mutilated hand to his wife, causing her to faint.
Chapter 34
XXXII
James Sheridan visits Mary Vertrees to plead for Bibbs, revealing that Bibbs has fully committed to the family business out of love for her, not ambition. Mary confesses she cannot see Bibbs because she believes he only proposed out of pity after learning of her past attempt to secure Roscoe's affection. Sheridan argues that Bibbs's sacrifices prove his deep love, and he shares Dr. Gurney's theory that Mary's presence was crucial to Bibbs's recovery, subtly asking her to allow Bibbs to visit again.
Chapter 35
Chapter XXXIII
Bibbs, alone in his office, contemplates the industrial city's ugliness and the god of 'Bigness,' questioning the purpose of relentless toil and progress. He envisions a future beautiful city born from the present chaos. A phone call from Mary Vertrees, who witnessed his near-accident, rekindles their connection, and she appears at his door.
