The Rise of Silas Lapham
'The Rise of Silas Lapham ' Summary
The novel begins with Silas Lapham, a middle-aged native of rural New England, being interviewed for a newspaper story about his rise to wealth in the mineral paint business. Despite his limited education, Lapham is a shrewd and hardworking man, an American success story. But he, his wife and two daughters feel socially awkward compared to other wealthy Bostonians. They decide to build a new home in the fashionable Back Bay neighborhood, and Lapham spares no expense in making it impressive.
Tom Corey, a young man from an "old money" Boston family, shows an interest in the Lapham girls, and Mr. and Mrs. Lapham assume he is attracted to Irene, their beautiful younger daughter. Corey joins the Lapham paint business in an attempt to find his place in the world, rather than rely on his wealthy father. Tom introduces Lapham to the cream of Boston society at a dinner party, and they remain on good terms even though the occasion turns out to be embarrassingly awkward.
As Tom continues calling on the Laphams regularly, it's assumed that he wants to marry Irene, and she hopes for just such a result. Tom, however, later shocks both families by revealing that he loves Penelope, the older, less glamorous but more intelligent and thoughtful Lapham sister. Though Penelope has feelings for Tom, she is held back by the romantic conventions of the era, not wanting to act on her love for fear of betraying her sister.
Meanwhile, Lapham and his wife, Persis, sometimes clash over people from their past. For instance, he is very generous to the family of his fallen Civil War comrade Jim Millon, feeling that he owes the man his life. He quietly sends money to Millon's widow and gives the couple's daughter a job. Persis Lapham considers the two women irresponsible characters who are taking advantage of her husband and potentially damaging his reputation, but he insists he is paying a debt of honor. Also, Mrs. Lapham often complains to her husband that he dealt shabbily with his former business partner Milton K. Rogers, who has come down in the world since their association ended. Silas Lapham insists he was fair to Rogers.
Amid the uproar over the Corey courtship, Rogers quietly reappears in the Laphams' life, asking for money for a series of schemes. Persis Lapham convinces her husband to provide the help. Unfortunately, Rogers proves to be a very poor businessman, and the Laphams' new dealings with him cause them to lose a considerable amount of money. On top of that, Lapham's major asset, the new home on Beacon Street, burns down before its completion due to his own carelessness.
Mr. and Mrs. Lapham are forced to move to their humble rural home, where the mineral paint was first developed, and while they are not destitute, they are no longer wealthy. Tom and Penelope are finally able to marry after Irene accepts their romance. The elder Laphams, living in the countryside by themselves, are left to reflect on their extraordinary rise and decline.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1885Genre/Category
Tags/Keywords
Author
William Dean Howells
United States
William Dean Howells was an American realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor...
More on William Dean HowellsDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
The Satyricon by Gaius Petronius Arbiter
The Satyricon, Satyricon liber (The Book of Satyrlike Adventures), or Satyrica, is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petr...
Private Pinkerton Millionaire by Harold Ashton
It takes readers on a suspenseful journey as Private Detective Pinkerton is hired to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a wealthy businessman...
Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
Barchester Towers is a novel by English author Anthony Trollope published by Longmans in 1857. It is the second book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire...
The Well-Beloved by Thomas Hardy
A cottage housing what is now part of Portland Museum, on the Isle of Portland, founded by Marie Stopes, a friend of Hardy and his wife, was an inspir...
The Children Of The Abbey by Regina Maria Roche
The Children of the Abbey is a novel by the Irish romantic novelist Regina Maria Roche. It first appeared in 1796, in London in 4 volumes, and related...
Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
Sister Carrie is a novel by Theodore Dreiser about a young woman who moves to the big city where she starts realizing her own American Dream. She firs...
Mrs. Armytage, or Female Domination by Catherine Grace Frances Gore
In the heart of Victorian society, where social class and appearances reign supreme, Mrs. Armytage stands as a formidable matriarch, wielding her infl...
Uncle's Dream by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Uncle’s Dream by Fyodor Dostoyevsky was written following his five year exile to Siberia where he was sent to serve in a hard labor camp. Following wh...
The Sorcery Club by Elliott O’Donnell
Leon Hamar and his friends were out-of-work and starving in San Francisco after the firm they worked for went out of business. Leon acquired a strange...
El tesoro de Gaston by Emilia Pardo Bazán
Sumérgete en las páginas de "El tesoro de Gastón" de Emilia Pardo Bazán y descubre un mundo de misterio y pasión que te cautivará desde el primer inst...
Reviews for The Rise of Silas Lapham
No reviews posted or approved, yet...