The Turmoil · Chapter
II explained
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.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Bigness and Industrialization
Sheridan is the city incarnate, loving its smoke and skyscrapers; his identity is tied to industrial growth and the Sheridan Automatic Pump Works.
Family and Legacy
Sheridan contrasts Bibbs's failure with the success of Jim, Roscoe, and Edith, revealing his obsession with family reputation and legacy.
Mortality and Health
Bibbs's nervous dyspepsia and physical frailty are central; Sheridan's inability to understand illness reflects the era's attitudes toward health and work.
Characters to notice
- Bibbs Sheridan
Introduced as the family's 'odd one,' physically frail and nervous, with a puzzling expression that hovers between tears and laughter. He failed in the machine shop and was sent to a sanitarium, much to his father's disappointment.
- James Sheridan
The powerful, self-made patriarch who dismisses Bibbs's illness as laziness and imagination. He is fiercely proud of his other children and the city, which he sees as a reflection of his own success.
- Roscoe Sheridan
Mentioned as a successful son, married and ready to build his own house, held up by his father as a model of hard work and business acumen.
- Edith Sheridan
Praised by her father as the 'prettiest and talentedest girl,' who won a poetry prize and persuaded him to build the New House.
- Dr. Gurney
Referred to as 'Ole Doc Gurney,' the family physician who diagnosed Bibbs and recommended the sanitarium, dismissed by Sheridan as a 'nutty alarmist.'
Key passages
“He was a 'disappointment' to his father. At least that was the parent's word—a confirmed and established word after his first attempt to make a 'business man' of the boy.”
Bibbs's father considered him a failure, a label that stuck after Bibbs failed to become a businessman.
Establishes the central conflict between Bibbs and his father's expectations.
“Smoke's what brings your husbands' money home on Saturday night... Smoke means good health: it makes the people wash more.”
Sheridan argues that industrial smoke is essential for prosperity and even health, dismissing housewives' complaints.
Illustrates Sheridan's unapologetic embrace of industrialization and his contempt for environmental concerns.