Look Homeward, Angel · Chapter
XXVII explained
Helen Gant marries Hugh Barton, a wealthy and eccentric businessman, at Dixieland.
What happens
Helen Gant marries Hugh Barton, a wealthy and eccentric businessman, at Dixieland. The wedding is a grand affair, but the honeymoon is delayed when Hugh's mother falls violently ill. Meanwhile, Eugene wins a Shakespeare essay contest and participates in a school pageant as Prince Hal, enduring ridicule over his costume.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Closing
Gant, having emerged from his "charnel-house of death," witnesses Eugene's triumph and feels his heart "lifted…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Family Conflict and Dysfunction
Helen's bitter arguments with Eliza over boardinghouse guests and her frustration with her mother-in-law's illness highlight family tensions.
- The American Dream and Materialism
Hugh Barton's wealth, car, and 'psychology' reflect material success; the wedding's lavishness underscores social aspirations.
- Art, Ambition, and the Artistic Temperament
Eugene's Shakespeare essay and pageant participation reveal his artistic ambitions, though they are met with mockery.
Characters to notice
- Helen Gant
Marries Hugh Barton; shows hysteria and bitterness over her mother's boardinghouse guests and later over her thwarted honeymoon.
- Hugh Barton
Arrives in a Buick roadster, impresses the Gants with his lordly demeanor and 'psychology'; marries Helen.
- Eliza Gant
Hosts the wedding at Dixieland; weeps with Helen after the ceremony; laughs at Helen's complaints about Mrs. Barton's illness.
- Eugene Gant
Wins a Shakespeare medal; participates in the pageant as Prince Hal, wearing an ill-fitting costume; teased by Ben and Helen as 'My Shakespeare'.
- Ben Gant
Attends the wedding; teases Eugene about the Shakespeare scrawl; arranges the wedding suite at Battery Hill.
- Luke Gant
Greets Hugh Barton with enthusiasm; comments on advertising and psychology.
- Oliver Gant
Says little about Helen's engagement; helps determine that Eugene will attend State University.
- John Dorsey Leonard
Directs Eugene to put on the Prince Hal costume; laughs at its fit.
Key passages
“My Shakespeare, rise!”
Eugene writes 'My Shakespeare, rise!' under a portrait of Shakespeare, which becomes a family joke.
Eugene's literary enthusiasm is mocked by Ben and Helen.
“A son is a son till he gets him a wife, But a daughter's a daughter all the days of her life.”
Eliza repeats a proverb about daughters remaining close to their mothers after marriage.
Reflects Eliza's emotional attachment to Helen.
“Psychology. It makes 'em talk.”
Hugh Barton explains his large hat as a psychological tool to attract attention.
Highlights Barton's calculated self-presentation.
