The Turmoil · Chapter
XXVII explained
Mrs.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Bigness and Industrialization
Bibbs condemns the city's industrial ugliness, greed, and the 'money shuffle,' contrasting it with a vision of fellowship.
Class and Social Mobility
Mrs. Sheridan believes marriage to Mary will motivate Bibbs to pursue wealth, while Mary's family's financial struggles are hinted at by her doing housework and lacking furs.
Love and Sacrifice
Bibbs and Mary's deepening connection is shown through their intimate conversation and Mary's playful evasion of his question about her furs.
Characters to notice
- Bibbs Sheridan
Walks with Mary instead of going to church, expresses hatred for the city and business, and notices Mary's lack of furs.
- Mary Vertrees
Accompanies Bibbs on a walk, shares a Burne-Jones quote, and evades Bibbs's question about her furs.
- James Sheridan
Dismisses his wife's hopes about Bibbs marrying Mary, grumpily agrees to be polite to Sibyl.
- Roscoe Sheridan
Arrives with Sibyl at the New House, crossing the street without acknowledging Mary and Bibbs.
- Sibyl Sheridan
Pale from illness, walks quickly with Roscoe to the New House to speak with the Sheridans.
- Dr. Gurney
Quoted by Mrs. Sheridan as saying Bibbs could be a bigger businessman than Jim and Roscoe if he wakes up.
Key passages
“The thought of going down there—into the money shuffle—I hate it as I never hated the shop!”
Bibbs expresses his intense aversion to entering the business world, which he sees as a corrupting 'money shuffle.'
Bibbs's rejection of his father's commercial world contrasts with his mother's hopes for his future.
“I read something the other day and remembered it for you. It was something Burne-Jones said of a picture he was going to paint...”
Mary shares a poetic vision of a city with happy life and open gates to green fields, which Bibbs contrasts with his own grim urban imagery.
The exchange highlights their shared artistic sensibility and differing views on the city.
“Because I found I'd be warmer without them!”
Mary jokingly claims she stopped wearing furs because they made her colder, avoiding the real reason of financial hardship.
Her playful answer conceals the Vertrees family's poverty, which Bibbs suspects.